Transition lane

Getting out? The clock is already running.

The most valuable moves in a military transition have hard deadlines — several expire before you even take the uniform off, and others within months of your DD214. This is the timeline, in order, with the official links.

See the Deadline Timeline File Before You're Out (BDD)

The deadline timeline

Two clocks: before separation, and the first year out.

Every item below is free and official. Missing a window doesn't always mean losing the benefit — but it usually means more paperwork, delays, or a medical exam you didn't need. VetOps is not VA, DoD, or a government agency.

Before Still in uniform

365 days out — start TAP. The Transition Assistance Program is mandatory and starts a year before separation (two years before retirement). Don't treat it as a checkbox — the counselors can route you to everything else on this page. dodtap.mil
While still serving — transfer your Post-9/11 GI Bill. Transferring education benefits to your spouse or kids is ONLY possible on active duty or Selected Reserve, and it usually adds a service commitment. After your last day, this option is gone forever. Transfer rules at VA.gov
12+ months out — plan SkillBridge. Work a civilian job or internship during your last 180 days while keeping military pay. It needs command approval, and good programs fill early — start researching a year out. skillbridge.osd.mil
180–90 days out — file your BDD claim. Benefits Delivery at Discharge lets you file the VA disability claim BEFORE separation so the rating decision can land right after your last day, with compensation from day one. This is the single highest-value deadline on this page. BDD at VA.gov — and use the VetOps claims lane to organize conditions and evidence first.
Before final out — copy everything. Full service treatment records, personnel file, evaluations, awards. Get your final physical documented thoroughly — every condition, every symptom. Future-you filing claims will thank present-you.

No separation date yet? Start gathering records now — guided intake is coming soon.

After The first year out

Day 1 — protect the DD214 and enroll in VA health care. Store certified copies (and download from milConnect or the National Archives). Post-9/11 combat veterans get an enhanced 10-year enrollment window for VA health care — use it even if you feel fine. Check eligibility
Week 1 — file for UCX unemployment. Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers runs through your state workforce agency and the recommendation is to apply the week you're discharged. It exists for exactly this gap. How UCX works
60 days — CHCBP if you have no health plan. The Continued Health Care Benefit Program bridges TRICARE to a civilian plan for 18–36 months — but you only have 60 days after losing coverage to buy in. CHCBP at TRICARE.mil
180 days — one-time free VA dental. If you served 90+ days and didn't get dental work done shortly before separation, you may qualify for a one-time course of free dental care — but only if you apply within 180 days. VA dental care
240 days — convert SGLI to VGLI with no medical exam. Up to $500,000 of life insurance with no health questions if you act inside 240 days (you can still apply up to 1 year + 120 days, but then underwriting applies). VGLI at VA.gov
90 / 180 / 365 days — answer the Solid Start call. VA calls every newly separated veteran three times in year one. It's not a scam — it's a benefits walkthrough. Pick up. VA Solid Start

Feeling the transition more than you expected? Vet Centers offer free readjustment counseling to combat veterans and their families — regardless of discharge status, rating, or VA enrollment. In crisis, call 988, Press 1.

Make it yours

Generate your personal separation checklist.

Enter your separation date (past or future) and get every deadline above computed to real calendar dates. Print it, stick it on the fridge, check it off. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

My separation date:

Why this page existsThe transition gap

The paperwork hits while everything else is moving.

A third of veterans call finding work their biggest post-service hurdle, and post-9/11 veterans report financial trouble at nearly twice the rate of earlier generations. The benefits that soften that landing — disability compensation, health coverage, unemployment, education — all have windows that open and close during the most chaotic months of the move home. The fix isn't more motivation. It's a list, in order, with the deadlines visible.

File before you're out. A BDD claim filed at 180–90 days can mean compensation from your first civilian day.
Never go uncovered. Between VA health care, CHCBP, and an employer plan, there is no reason to have a coverage gap.
Take the free money first. UCX, the dental window, and the no-exam VGLI conversion cost nothing but attention.
Document now, claim later. Records you copy this month are evidence for every claim you ever file.
You don't have to be sick to enroll. VA health care enrollment now protects you later.

Start with the file

Organize the claim before the uniform comes off.

Guided intake is being rebuilt and reopens soon. Use the timeline above and your personal checklist to walk into TAP, BDD, or a VSO meeting already organized. VetOps is not VA, a VSO, or a government agency. No guaranteed outcomes.