TOP's Soldier and Veteran Benefit Report

Official doors recut monthly · 164 .gov / .mil doors

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Veterans · Start here

Already out. Start here.

Login.gov into VA.gov. Then the rating math VA actually uses — 50 + 30 is not 80.

This month’s recutThis month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): 2026 VA compensation table still effective Dec. 1, 2025. 10–20% ratings do not add dependents. A 30% veteran with a spouse, no kids, is listed at $617.47. Type VA.gov yourself.

/start/veterans

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Veterans

VA.gov login / claim tracker → 38 CFR + rating math

VA.gov and the VA Health and Benefits app already hold claims, records, messages, and letters. Most of the formation has never signed in.

Most used tool

VA combined rating estimator

VA does not add 50 + 30 = 80. They use the combined-ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25 (whole person). This is an educational estimate. The rating decision on VA.gov is the one that pays.

  • 50%
  • 30%

Unrounded combined

65.0%

Rounded (what VA publishes)

70%

  1. 1. Start with 50%
  2. 2. 50.0% + 30% of remaining 50.0% = 65.0%

Bilateral: 38 CFR 4.26 — 10% of the combined paired rating is added, then combined with everything else. SMC, TDIU, and pyramiding are not in this box. VA.gov combined ratings · Look up the diagnostic code.

Next clicks

Wrong lane?

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Don’t dump into the tools hub. Each card is its own URL.

Reserve

Federal Selected Reserve. Start here.

/start/reserve

USAR, USNR, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Space Force. Not the Guard card. DEERS, then TRS. Dental is a different portal. Weekend drill and AT are not Prime.

This month’s recut (22 Sep 2026): TRS is still a purchase any month you qualify — Open Season is Prime/Select, not TRS. Recut from TRICARE.mil: you do not qualify for TRS on active-duty orders for more than 30 days, on TAMP, in the IRR, or if you are FEHB-eligible (that lockout is written through 1 Jan 2030). Drill, AT, and orders of 30 days or less stay on the inactive door — TRS + line-of-duty care. Deductibles on the official cost matrix still read $66 / $132 (E-1–E-4) and $198 / $397 (E-5+). Confirm premiums on TRICARE.mil. National Guard is its own start card.

Paste under the TRICARE Reserve Select walkthrough.

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National Guard

Army or Air National Guard. Start here.

/start/guard

Title 32, Title 10, or State Active Duty. Traditional drill buys TRS. Dual-status technicians sit on FEHB. State school money is a different pot from Chapter 1606.

This month’s recut (22 Sep 2026): Army National Guard and Air National Guard are still Selected Reserve for TRS — recut from TRICARE.mil. FEHB-eligible dual-status technicians stay locked out of TRS through 1 Jan 2030. Recut from VA.gov home-loan eligibility: Guard has a Title 32 path — 90 days of service including 30 consecutive days under 32 USC 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505 — plus the six-year and Title 10 90-day paths. State Active Duty is usually state pay, not TRICARE and not a VA day. Confirm the statute on the orders before you touch BWE.

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Active duty

Title 10. Not TRS. Not AGR.

/start/active-duty

Regular-component active duty enrolls Prime, Prime Remote, or overseas Prime based on the duty station. Zero premium. The Reserve card sells TRS. The AGR card is Guard/Reserve full-time.

This month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): Open Season does not apply to the active-duty sponsor — recut from TRICARE.mil Open Season. Prime, Prime Remote, or overseas Prime still starts with DEERS, the Plan Finder, then BWE. Official phones on the ADSM page still include DEERS 800-538-9552.

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AGR

Full-time Guard and Reserve. Not TRS.

/start/agr

Active Guard Reserve and FTNGD sit on active-duty TRICARE. Confirm DEERS, run the Plan Finder, enroll Prime or Prime Remote. The Reserve card will send you to the wrong cash register.

This month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): AGR is still the active-duty TRICARE door, not TRS. Open Season is not your enrollment window. DEERS has to read active duty before BWE will sell the right product.

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Family

Spouse and kids. Start here.

/start/family

DEERS first. Then FSGLI, CHAMPVA, or DEA. The sponsor’s login is not the family’s enrollment.

This month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): newborn/adoption add-on on TRS is still 90 days stateside / 120 overseas — recut from TRICARE.mil TRS. Coverage is not automatic. DEERS first.

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Getting out

Two clocks. Then a cliff.

/start/getting-out

BDD 180–90 days before ETS. TAMP is 180 days if DEERS shows it. VGLI’s 240-day clock did not take the Nov–Jan premium holiday.

This month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): VGLI premium holiday is Nov. 1, 2026 through Jan. 31, 2027 if the policy is already current. Coverage continues. The 240-day no-health-review clock does not pause. Official: VA.gov VGLI.

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Gray area retiree

20-year letter. No paycheck yet.

/start/gray-area

Retired Reserve under 60. TRR is $645.90 / $1,548.30 in 2026 — not TRS money. Reduced age is earned in 90-day blocks. TFL is still 65.

This month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): Open Season is Prime/Select, not TRR. TRR is its own purchase. TFL is still Medicare Part A + B. A July 1, 2026 Part D drug note on TRICARE.mil is not a TFL enrollment change.

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Retiree

Paycheck started. Not gray area.

/start/retiree

90 days to reenroll Prime or Select. SBP is an election. TFL still waits for Medicare Part B. TRR is the no-paycheck product — you left that card.

This month’s recut (22 Sep 2026): TRICARE.mil Retiring still gives 90 days after the retirement date to enroll Prime or Select, with a retro window up to 12 months. Miss both and you are space-available only. TFL is still Medicare Part A + B. SBP is DD 2656, not a TRICARE click.

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1SGs

Print it. Brief it. Point at .gov.

/start/nco

Free drill decks and one-pagers. Education, not filing. Nobody in the room should collect an SSN.

This month’s recut (21 Sep 2026): brief Open Season vs TRS. Nov. 9–Dec. 8, 2026 is Prime/Select, effective Jan. 1, 2027. It does not apply to ADSM sponsors. TRS is a purchase in milConnect any month they qualify.

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