Most military spouses know about the commissary and base housing. That’s where the list ends for a lot of families.

It shouldn’t. There’s a $4,000 education scholarship sitting unclaimed. Free legal services most people pay hundreds for. Career coaching with no waitlist and no bill. Credit cards with annual fees waived — not just for the servicemember, but for you. If you’re moving to a new state, your professional license may transfer automatically.

Work through this list once. You’ll know exactly what you’re entitled to.

Start Here: DEERS and Your Military ID

Before any other benefit works, you need to be enrolled in DEERS — the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. It’s the DoD database that controls who’s eligible for what.

No DEERS enrollment means no Tricare, no military ID, no commissary access. Enrollment happens at any military personnel office or ID card facility. Bring the marriage certificate and a government-issued photo ID.

Once enrolled, you get a DD Form 1173 — the military dependent ID card. This card opens almost everything on this list: base access, commissary, AAFES, MWR facilities, ITT offices, and on-post recreation programs.

Check the expiration date right now. An expired ID card is the most common reason spouses get turned away at the gate.

Tricare Coverage

Dependent spouses are eligible for Tricare once enrolled in DEERS. The main decision is which plan to enroll in.

Tricare Prime works like an HMO — lower out-of-pocket costs, assigned primary care manager, referrals required. Tricare Select is more flexible but costs more per visit.

Enrollment is not automatic. You need to actively enroll during the eligibility window after marriage.

At PCS, coverage transfers — but verify the new coverage region and update your primary care manager before the move. At divorce, coverage ends immediately unless you qualify under the 20/20/20 or 20/20/15 rules (see below). At separation, coverage for qualifying families continues 180 days under TAMP — the Transitional Assistance Management Program — if the servicemember’s separation meets specific criteria, including involuntary separation under honorable conditions.

After divorce — the rules matter:

The 20/20/20 rule gives a former spouse lifetime Tricare and commissary access: 20 years of marriage, 20 years of service, and all 20 years of marriage must overlap the years of service. You must remain unmarried to keep it.

The 20/20/15 rule gives a former spouse one year of Tricare after the divorce: 20 years of marriage, 20 years of service, but only 15 years of overlap. You lose commissary and exchange access under this rule.

If you qualify under neither, you can still purchase transitional coverage through CHCBP (Continued Health Care Benefit Program) for up to 36 months — similar to COBRA.

The $4,000 Scholarship Most Spouses Don’t Know About

The MyCAA scholarship provides up to $4,000 in tuition assistance — $2,000 per year over two years — for military spouses pursuing portable careers.

Portable means careers you can take from base to base: nursing, accounting, teaching, IT, paralegal work, and hundreds of other fields.

Who qualifies: Spouses of active duty servicemembers in these pay grades:

  • Enlisted: E-1 through E-9
  • Warrant Officers: W-1 through W-3
  • Officers: O-1 through O-3

Spouses of activated National Guard and Reserve members at those pay grades may also qualify. If your sponsor gets promoted above the eligible range after you have an approved Education and Training Plan in place, you keep your eligibility.

What it covers: Tuition and fees at accredited colleges, vocational schools, and online programs. It does not cover books, living expenses, or four-year degrees — only associate degrees, certifications, and licenses.

How to apply: Create an account at myseco.militaryonesource.mil. Funds go directly to the school, not to you. Apply before your program starts — not after you’re already enrolled.

Free Career Counseling and Job Search Support (SECO)

SECO — Spouse Education and Career Opportunities — is a DoD program with no fees, no waitlist, and real counselors.

What’s included:

  • One-on-one career coaching with a certified counselor (master’s degree in counseling or a related field)
  • Resume writing and review
  • Interview prep
  • Access to job boards built for military spouse employment — flexible, portable, remote-friendly roles
  • Connection to MyCAA funding

SECO coaches understand what it means to restart a career after a PCS. You can access SECO remotely. Coaches are available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, and Saturdays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. ET.

Call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 or start at myseco.militaryonesource.mil.

Every installation with a Judge Advocate General (JAG) office provides free legal assistance to servicemembers and their dependents. You qualify.

Services include:

  • Wills and powers of attorney (POA)
  • Lease and contract review
  • Consumer protection — dealing with predatory lenders, shady car dealers near base
  • Notary services
  • Basic tax advice and referrals
  • Immigration and naturalization questions

A general POA drafted by JAG carries the same legal weight as one you’d pay $200+ for from a private attorney. Get one before every deployment. Update it when circumstances change.

JAG does not handle contested divorces, criminal defense outside the military justice system, or business formation. For anything outside their scope, they can refer you to civilian attorneys at reduced rates through the installation’s legal assistance referral network.

Credit Cards With Fees Waived — For Spouses Too

This one most families miss entirely.

Under the Military Lending Act (MLA), military spouses are covered borrowers — which means major card issuers waive annual fees on their personal credit cards for you, not just the servicemember.

American Express, Chase, Citi, and U.S. Bank waive personal credit card annual fees for MLA-covered borrowers, including military spouses. That means a card like the Amex Platinum — which charges an $895 annual fee — can run at $0 if you qualify.

Note on Capital One: Capital One only waives annual fees under SCRA — meaning cards opened before active duty. Cards opened during active duty are not covered under MLA. Amex and Chase waive fees in both situations.

For Reserve spouses: the reservist needs to be on active duty orders for 30 days or more before you qualify as a covered borrower.

Before applying, check the MLA eligibility database at mla.dmdc.osd.mil to confirm you’re listed. Annual fee waivers are not automatic — the bank checks that database at the time of application.

License Portability When You PCS

Military spouse license portability has gotten stronger. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), when you relocate to a new state due to military orders, your professional license transfers — you do not need to re-test or re-apply.

This covers nursing, teaching, real estate, cosmetology, law (added in December 2024), and most other licensed professions. The previous requirement to have actively used your license for two years before the move has been removed.

In practice, 28% of active duty spouses still reported having to get a new license after their last PCS in a 2024 DoD survey. If a licensing board pushes back, the Justice Department has sent letters to all state licensing authorities reminding them of their obligations. Contact your branch’s legal assistance office if you run into resistance.

Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Fellowship

If you’re looking to re-enter the civilian workforce, the Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Fellowship is a 12-week paid fellowship that places you with a host company in your field.

Current stats: 91% job offer rate for fellows. Average starting salary: $70,000.

Applications close annually in September. If the window is closed, get on the interest list now. Visit hiringourheroes.org/msfp.

MWR and ITT: The Benefits Nobody Talks About

MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) programs offer discounted fitness, recreation, and leisure activities: gyms, pools, bowling alleys, golf courses, outdoor gear rentals.

ITT (Information, Tickets & Travel) — often inside the MWR building — is where military families get:

  • Discounted theme park tickets (Disney, Universal, SeaWorld — often 20–40% below gate price)
  • Discounted concerts and sporting events
  • Vacation cabins at military recreation areas — beachfront and mountain properties at subsidized rates
  • Travel planning help for OCONUS trips

These discounts are not advertised publicly. Walk into your installation’s ITT office or check the MWR website. Savings on theme park tickets alone can exceed $100 per visit for a family of four.

Commissary and AAFES/NEX Access

The commissary sells groceries at cost plus a small surcharge — typically 20–30% below civilian grocery prices. For a family spending $800 a month on food, that adds up fast.

AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service) and NEX (Navy Exchange) are tax-free department stores. No sales tax is the headline, but they also price-match major retailers and run military-exclusive sales.

Online ordering at ShopMyExchange.com (Army/Air Force) and MyNavyExchange.com (Navy) — available for OCONUS families who want to order from stateside.

What Changes at PCS, Deployment, and Separation

PCS:

  • Re-verify DEERS enrollment and ID card status at the gaining installation
  • Update Tricare region and primary care manager before the move
  • Visit the new MWR and ITT office — programs and discounts vary by location
  • SECO can help restart a job search in the new area

Deployment:

  • Keep your POA current — JAG can update it fast
  • SECO offers additional support programs for spouses during deployment
  • Some MWR programs offer deployment-specific pricing (free or reduced gym access)

Separation:

  • TAMP covers qualifying families for 180 days post-separation — eligibility depends on the type of separation
  • Commissary and exchange access ends at separation unless the servicemember meets certain criteria (20+ years, disability rating, etc.)
  • MyCAA eligibility ends when the servicemember leaves active duty

Three Things to Do This Week

  1. Go to myseco.militaryonesource.mil — check MyCAA eligibility, schedule a counseling session, and start the scholarship application if you qualify.
  2. Check your state’s license portability rules — if you’ve PCS’d recently and had to re-license, contact JAG for help invoking your SCRA rights.
  3. Check the MLA database at mla.dmdc.osd.mil — confirm you’re listed as a covered borrower, then call your credit card issuer about annual fee waivers.

These three steps take less than an hour. The benefits they unlock can be worth thousands of dollars a year.

Information verified as of April 2, 2026. Military spouse benefit programs update periodically — confirm current eligibility at myseco.militaryonesource.mil and mycaa.militaryonesource.mil (MyCAA).