Reservist benefits

Benefits as a reservist

Health

  • TRICARE Reserve Select — health insurance that most drilling Selected Reserve members qualify for.
  • TRICARE Dental Program — voluntary dental coverage for Guard and Reserve members and their families.
  • VA health care — eligibility depends on service history. Check website for more details.

Education

  • GI Bill programs — Post-9/11 GI Bill transfer rules, plus MGIB-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) specifically for drilling reservists.
  • Federal Tuition Assistance— branch-run tuition money for voluntary off-duty education; see the Military OneSource overview. Contact your local Education Center for more details.

Money & home

  • VA home loan — Guard and Reserve members qualify with 6 creditable (or satisfactory) years, or 90 days of active service; other paths exist.
  • Thrift Savings Plan — under the Blended Retirement System, government matching applies to drill pay too. Recommend at least invest 5% each paycheck to get the full matching.
  • SGLI / VGLI — low-cost group life insurance while serving, convertible to VGLI after separation.
  • MilTax — free tax preparation and filing software for the military community via Military OneSource.
  • myPay — LES, W-2s, and TSP contribution settings all live here.

Access & admin

  • portal.apps.mil — DoD365 email and Teams from a personal machine (CAC required).
  • MilitaryCAC.com (unofficial) — the de-facto community guide for getting a CAC reader working at home and access CAC-gated
  • Military OneSource — free counseling, financial coaching, and other resources. (Did you know they have free translation services for official purposes?)
  • RAPIDS ID card office locator — find an office for CAC and dependent ID card issues and renewals.