The 90 days after you separate are where benefits go missing. Not because the VA refuses you, because nobody handed you a calendar and said "do these things, in this order, within these windows." This guide is that calendar.
A note before we start: this guide is information only. We don't file claims, advise you on what conditions to claim, or coach you on rating strategy. For claim filing, work with an accredited Veteran Service Organization, they represent Veterans at no cost.
Week 1, Before terminal leave ends
These should happen before you walk out the gate for the last time. Most are TAP (Transition Assistance Program) topics, but TAP coverage varies wildly by installation.
1. Pull your DD-214 and verify every line.
Check name spelling, dates of service, character of discharge, decorations, MOS, and reenlistment code. Errors on the DD-214 take months to correct after you leave. If a line is wrong, push back with your S-1 or personnel office while you still have access.
2. Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for the VA home loan.
The COE proves to lenders that you qualify for a VA-guaranteed mortgage. Request it before you separate, the VA Health and Benefits app now offers in-app COE requests with faster turnaround. Even if you're not buying a home this year, having the COE on file makes the eventual application faster.
Source: VA home loan eligibility.
3. Get a complete copy of your service medical records (STRs).
Request through your installation's medical records office before separation. STRs are essential for any future VA claim and surprisingly difficult to retrieve after the fact. Keep digital and physical copies.
4. Decide on TSP, keep, roll over, or withdraw.
You have four options for your Thrift Savings Plan balance (TSP separated/retired):
- Leave it in TSP. Low expense ratios, limited fund options. No rush.
- Roll over to an IRA, Traditional or Roth depending on your TSP balance type.
- Roll over to a new employer's 401(k).
- Cash out. Generally don't, early withdrawal penalty plus full income tax. Exception: financial emergency with no alternatives.
If you're under 50 and not retiring, leaving TSP alone for now and revisiting in 6 months is usually fine.
Week 2, The day after separation
5. Apply for VA health care enrollment.
Submit VA Form 10-10EZ online at VA.gov health care or by phone at 1-877-222-8387. Enrollment puts you in a priority group (1-8) that determines copay structure, but enrollment itself is the gate to all VA medical services.
PACT Act eligibility now covers most Veterans with toxic exposure regardless of disability rating. Even if you don't think you need VA care, enroll. It's a one-way door to access if your circumstances change.
6. Activate your GI Bill chapter, or hold.
Apply for the chapter you'll use (VA.gov apply). Most Veterans use Chapter 33 (Post-9/11). If you have a service-connected disability rating of 10%+, also evaluate VR&E (Chapter 31), see our GI Bill comparison guide for which fits.
You have 36 months of entitlement and 15 years from separation to use Chapter 33 (the 15-year cap was repealed for separations after Jan 1, 2013, verify your specific eligibility window).
7. Confirm your final BAH timing.
BAH stops on your separation date, not the end of the month. Check your last LES carefully; many Veterans discover their final month was short. If you took terminal leave, your separation date is the last day of leave, and BAH covers through that date.
For the broader BAH picture, see our BAH deep dive.
Week 3-4, Health care continuity
8. Decide on TRICARE → VA → private health care.
Active duty TRICARE coverage ends at separation. Your options:
- VA health care if enrolled (see step 5). Free or low-cost for service-connected care; copays vary by priority group.
- TRICARE Reserve Select if you stay in Guard / Reserve, premium-based.
- Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP), TRICARE-equivalent COBRA for 18-36 months. Premium-based. Must enroll within 60 days of losing TRICARE.
- ACA Marketplace (healthcare.gov), subsidized based on income.
- Employer-sponsored coverage if employed.
Most Veterans end up combining VA for service-connected conditions with another plan for family / non-service-connected care. Don't go uninsured during the gap, a single ER visit can run $20,000+.
9. Get a service-connected disability claim filed (the right way).
This is the line where information ends and representation begins. Benefitry doesn't file claims or advise on what to claim. That's specifically what VSOs are accredited to do.
Contact a VA-accredited Veteran Service Organization, DAV, VFW, American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, AMVETS, or your state Veteran service office. They represent at no cost and have decades of experience with the claim process.
Filing in the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) window, between 180 and 90 days before separation, gets decisions faster than filing post-separation. If you missed BDD, the Pre-Discharge Quick Start program covers 1-89 days before separation. Both are filed through a VSO or VA regional office.
Once you have a rating, run the dollar value through our disability calculator.
Week 5-8, Money settling
10. Resolve your state of residency.
State residency drives:
- State income tax obligation.
- Voter registration.
- State Veteran benefits (property tax exemptions, tuition waivers, license fee waivers).
- Driver's license renewal.
You may have two different states of legal residence, the state on your DD-214 (home of record / HOR) and the state you actually plan to live in. The HOR is fixed at enlistment; legal residence can change with you.
Most Veterans should:
- Choose your post-separation state and establish residency (driver's license, voter registration, address).
- File a final state tax return for any prior state if you moved.
- Update DEERS, financial accounts, and the VA with the new address.
11. Claim state benefits in your new state immediately.
This is the step most Veterans skip. State benefits, property tax exemptions, tuition waivers, hiring preference, vehicle registration discounts, usually require an application after you become a state resident. They don't appear automatically just because you have a VA rating.
If you're moving to Texas, see our Texas deep dive. If you're moving to a different state, see our state benefits explorer.
12. Understand your tax posture.
Three big tax realities for separating Veterans (IRS military page):
- VA disability compensation is fully tax-free at federal and state levels. It does not appear on your W-2 or 1099. It is not included in adjusted gross income for tax purposes, but it does count as income for some mortgage underwriting and many state benefits.
- Military retirement pay is taxable at the federal level. State taxation varies, some states (Florida, Texas, several others) don't tax it; some tax it fully; some have partial exemptions.
- Combat-zone exclusion, pay earned while in a designated combat zone is federal-income-tax-free. Verify your DD-214 reflects combat zone duty for the right months.
If you're getting both VA disability and military retirement, look at CRDP (Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay) and CRSC (Combat-Related Special Compensation). CRDP restores retirement pay reduced by VA offset; CRSC adds tax-free combat-related disability pay. Eligibility depends on retirement status and disability percentage, your DFAS portal shows which (if either) you receive.
Week 9-13, Career and benefits maintenance
13. Look at VR&E if you have any service-connected rating.
Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) is the most generous education and career program in the VA stack, and not enough Veterans use it. With a service-connected rating of 10%+ and an employment handicap, you may qualify.
VR&E pays tuition, books, certification fees, and a monthly subsistence allowance while you train for a new career. It does not consume your Chapter 33 GI Bill entitlement. See our GI Bill comparison guide for the details.
Apply at VA.gov VR&E.
14. Use the VA home loan benefit (when ready).
Once you have your COE (step 2), shop VA-guaranteed lenders for purchase or refinance. Key points:
- No down payment required for purchase loans up to county loan limits.
- No private mortgage insurance (PMI).
- The VA funding fee is a one-time charge baked into the loan. It's lower for first-time use, and waived entirely for Veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher. Run yours at our VA loan funding fee calculator.
If you're in Texas, also evaluate the Texas Veterans Land Board loan programs, state-level rate discounts on top of the VA guaranty.
15. Establish a benefits review cadence.
Benefits change. Your situation changes. A useful cadence:
- Annually: Review your VA rating decision against your current health. If anything has worsened, contact your VSO about a re-evaluation. Do this through a VSO, not on your own.
- Annually: Re-run all your benefit dollar values to track total compensation. Our dashboard does this in one screen.
- At every life change: Marriage, divorce, birth of a child, move to a new state, many benefits reset or qualify differently.
- At every state move: Re-evaluate state benefits in the new state. Property tax exemptions in particular don't transfer.
What this guide is not
This guide is informational. It does not file claims, fill out VA forms, or coach you on rating strategy. For those, contact an accredited VSO. For the dollar-value math behind any benefit on this page, use our calculators.
If you find yourself in crisis at any point during separation, dial 988 then press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. It's staffed 24/7 by trained VA responders. No enrollment required, no records of the call go to your command.
What to do next
- Run all your benefits through the Benefitry dashboard to see what your post-separation compensation actually looks like.
- Read combined ratings explained before your first VA decision letter arrives so you can verify the math.
- Read the GI Bill comparison guide before you elect a chapter, picking wrong costs years of education.
Separation is a checklist, not a cliff. Run the checklist.