Print or “Save as PDF” (landscape, no margins) to create a handout.
Valor Resource Group
Every benefit you've earned — explained, calculated, ready to use.
Military Benefits Workshop · Pay · TSP · VA Disability · Education · VA Home Loan
Roadmap
What we'll cover today
- Your pay: Base, BAH, BAS — and drill pay for Guard/Reserve
- TSP: contributions, the 5% match, long-term growth
- VA disability: Intent to File and service connection
- Education: Federal TA, State TA, GI Bill, Kicker
- VA Home Loan: eligibility, COE, buying power
- IRRRL refinance + using the loan more than once
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov2 / 16
Compensation
Your paycheck, decoded
Base Pay
Rank × Years of Service
Taxable. Set by the annual DoD pay table.
BAH
Housing allowance
Tax free. Based on duty ZIP, rank, and dependent status.
BAS
$465.77 / $320.78
Tax free. Enlisted / Officer monthly food allowance (2025).
Two of your three main pay components are not taxed — which is why your military pay is worth more than the same gross salary as a civilian.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov3 / 16
Component matters
Active Duty vs Guard / Reserve
Active Duty
- Full monthly base pay
- BAH by duty location + dependent status
- BAS every month
Guard / Reserve
- Drill pay: 4 periods × 1/30 of monthly base
- No BAH or BAS in normal drill status
- Annual Training (~15 days) paid at active-duty rates
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov4 / 16
Retirement
TSP — pay yourself first
Agency match
Up to 5%
BRS: 1% automatic + up to 4% matched. Free money.
Roth vs Traditional
Tax now or later
Roth is usually strong for junior members in low brackets.
Time
Your biggest asset
Starting at 20 beats catching up at 40.
Run your own numbers live on the dashboard's TSP projector — contribution %, expected return, and years to retirement.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov5 / 16
VA Disability
Intent to File — do this now
- Document every issue at sick call — if it isn't in your record, it didn't happen
- Request copies of your full medical record before you out-process
- File an Intent to File on VA.gov — it locks in your effective date for back pay
- BDD (Benefits Delivery at Discharge): file 180–90 days before separation
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov6 / 16
VA Disability
How VA ratings actually work
- Ratings combine, they don't add — the "whole person" formula
- Example: 50% + 30% → 65% combined, rounded to the nearest 10%
- At 30% and above, dependents increase your monthly compensation
- 10%+ waives the VA home loan funding fee
Full 2026 rate tables — with and without dependents — are on the dashboard's Disability page.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov7 / 16
Education
Federal Tuition Assistance
Per credit hour
Up to $250
Per fiscal year
Up to $4,500
Available to Active, Reserve, and Guard (branch rules vary).
Getting set up
- Complete TA orientation / counselor session
- Get an approved education plan from your school
- Submit the TA request before the class start date
- Army: ArmyIgnitED · other branches use their own portal
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov8 / 16
Education
State Tuition Assistance — Guard only
- A separate, state-funded benefit for National Guard members
- Amounts, covered schools, and deadlines vary by state
- Often stacks on top of Federal TA to cover the remaining tuition
- Every state's program, amount, and application link is on the Education page
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov9 / 16
Education
GI Bill — Post-9/11, MGIB, Kicker
Post-9/11
36 months
Tiered % by qualifying service. Tuition + housing + book stipend.
Montgomery
MGIB-AD / SR
Flat monthly payment. Compare carefully before electing.
Kicker
Stacks on top
Contract-based extra monthly amount for eligible MOS/units.
Post-9/11 housing pays the E-5-with-dependents BAH rate for your school's ZIP code — location matters.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov10 / 16
VA Home Loan
Eligibility & your COE
- 90 days active duty during wartime · 181 days peacetime
- 6 years for Guard/Reserve (or 90 days active-duty orders)
- Surviving spouses may also be eligible
- Request your Certificate of Eligibility on VA.gov — or your lender pulls it in minutes
- $0 down · no PMI · funding fee waived at 10%+ disability
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov11 / 16
VA Home Loan
The buying process — in order
Step 1
Get pre-approved
Before you talk to a realtor. This sets your real budget.
Step 2
Find your agent
Someone who has closed VA loans before.
Step 3
Offer accepted
Your pre-approval makes the offer credible.
Step 4
VA appraisal
Confirms value and minimum property requirements.
Step 5
Underwriting
Respond to document requests fast.
Step 6
Close
Keys. $0 down, no PMI.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov12 / 16
VA Home Loan
You can use it more than once
- Buy as a primary residence and occupy it — plan on about 12 months
- PCS to a new duty station
- Rent out the first home — it can cash flow while you're gone
- Use your remaining entitlement to buy again at the new station
- Repeat. This is how service members quietly build a portfolio.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov13 / 16
VA Home Loan
IRRRL — the fastest VA refinance
Not required
- Income documentation
- Employment verification
- New appraisal
- New COE
- Full credit check — soft check only
Required
- Your current loan must already be a VA loan
- Must lower your rate (or move ARM → fixed)
- On-time mortgage payment history
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov14 / 16
Your career
Don't leave benefits on the table
Day one
Set up TSP + SGLI
Contribute at least 5% to capture the full match.
Mid-career
TA, GI Bill, home loan
Use education benefits while you're serving.
Transition
ITF, BDD, VR&E
Start 12–18 months before your ETS date.
The dashboard's Benefits Roadmap tracks every one of these as a checklist tied to your profile.
Valor Resource Group · Estimates only — verify with DFAS & VA.gov15 / 16
Your next step
Take the dashboard with you.
Create your profile and every calculator in this deck personalizes to your rank, component, and duty location — pay, TSP, disability, education, and buying power.
valorresourcegroup.org
Questions any time: Ask Valor AI · Ready to move on a loan? Book a call.