|
|
|||||||
|
|
All
About The Army Benefits This is a quick overview of
the benefits you can expect for your soldier as well as the benefits
that your family can enjoy while he is in the Army. Medical BenefitsMedical benefits in the Army
are provided through TRICARE. In order to be eligible for TRICARE, you
must be active duty, immediate family member of active duty, retired
from the military, a family member of a retiree or a survivor of a
solider who is not eligible for Medicare. There are three types of
programs under TRICARE: Prime – where the MTFs
(Military Treatment Facilities) are the primary source of healthcare.
You must receive a referral to go to a civilian doctor. For active duty
and family members, there is no charge (no monthly premium or co-pays). Extra – a preferred
provider option that saves you money over standard option. You will have
to pay a deductible and co-payments and your provider choice is limited. Standard – a fee for
service option (old CHAMPUS system). There is no enrollment fee and you
are enrolled automatically. You pay deductibles and co-payments. You may
have to file you own claims but you will have the widest choice of
providers. Dental benefits are also
available for free for the active duty soldier and for a small fee for
the family. Learn more about the dental program and apply online at www.tricaredentalprogram.com. Army College Fund and Montgomery GI BillThe Army offers a maximum of
$50,000 towards college tuition through the Army College Fund. With the
Montgomery GI Bill, you will pay in $100 a month for the first 12 months
to be vested in the program. Visit http://www.gibill.va.gov
for more information. There is also an option to pay in an additional
$600 and receive a kicker (more GI bill funds). Check with your
education center about this option. College Loan RepaymentThe Army will payback up to $65,000 of qualifying college loan debt. You must choose between loan repayment and the GI Bill. Retirement IncomeThe soldier can retire after
twenty years and receive half of his base pay at the time of retirement.
At thirty years, he will receive 75% of the base pay. The rate is
figured at 2.5% for each year served. Life InsuranceYour soldier will be covered
by a $400,000 life insurance policy at the time of enlistment. Paid LeaveHe will be eligible for
thirty days of paid leave per year (accrues at the rate of 2.5 days per
month). Commissary and PXThe commissary is the grocery
store on post and the PX is similar to a department store. You can
sometimes find great deals on brand name merchandise in the PX. The
prices in the commissary are generally lower than grocery store prices
as well and items are tax free. You are expected to tip the “bag
boy” at the commissary as they only work off tips. Entertainment on BaseEach Army post differs in
their offerings. Some posts have theatres, bowling alleys, golf courses,
swimming pools, playgrounds, dinner clubs, arcades, etc. These services
are offered for a small fee. Also, each Army post has a MWR (Morale,
Welfare and Recreation) office that runs these programs. They also
sometimes offer classes, festivals and sporting events. Allowances and Extra Pay In addition to his base pay,
your soldier will earn a housing allowance (BAH) if he chooses to live
off post. This allowance depends on where you live and if there are
dependents. In many instances, single soldiers are not allowed to live
off post until they reach a certain rank. All married soldiers are
allowed to live off post regardless of rank. He will also earn a
subsistence allowance (BAS). Single soldiers do not earn BAS as they are
able to eat in the dining hall for free. Neither of these allowances is
taxable. If he has a specialty (such as being airborne), he can also receive extra pay each month for this. When he is deployed, he may also receive imminent danger pay, location pay and family separation allowance. Usually, all of his pay while he is deployed is tax-free. This is also true for any re-enlistment bonus if he re-enlists while deployed in a hazardous area.
RELATED LINKS: Learn how to read the Leave Earnings Statement (LES) line by line.
All About Army Pay For Your Soldier Find out how much your Army soldier can expect to be paid during his enlistment.
|
|
|||||
|
All rights reserved. Copyright Simply Creative, Inc. |
|||||||
