Living - Benefits and Family

What Benefits Do Service Members Get?

Beyond their salary, service members enjoy an exceptional quality of life while serving. Benefits include full medical coverage, tuition support and discounts at Military shopping centers. Listed below are some benefits.

Education Support - The Military offers multiple programs for helping service members receive a college education. They can be used both during and after service. In addition, if you have loans from already going to school, the Military can help repay them as well.

Insurance and Retirement Benefits - Service members receive free medical and dental care, and can include family members for a small deductible fee. The Military also offers life insurance, retirement plans and VA benefits.

Discounts and Perks - Service members can shop for groceries and personal goods at on-base exchanges, which offer deep discounts on the same products and services you'd find at a civilian store. There are also a wide variety of free on-base activities, such as gyms, sports leagues and parks. On-base entertainment also includes movie theaters, bowling alleys and visiting musicians.

World Bases and Travel - Service members receive 30 days of paid vacation each year, and the Military offers free travel on military aircraft depending on availability. Traveling personnel can stay for free at bases located in 16 countries outside the U.S. and use amenities such as outdoor parks and swimming pools.

What are Social Life and Housing Like?

Service members get to live out their passion at work and build strong relationships with family and friends. And with the wide range of recreational on-base amenities and expanding support programs like child care, financial guidance, affordable housing and more, service members have the resources to care for their families and enjoy life.

Military Housing

Many factors come into play when determining housing for a military service member. Some of these include where a service member is stationed, whether they're an active-duty member, Guardsmen or reservist and if they have a spouse or kids. Plus, qualified service members can live off base in civilian neighborhoods using an allowance they receive for housing.

Living Videos

See the variety of ways service members enjoy their free time with highlights from the Military's "Living Videos" page.