Jim Absher

Jim Absher is Military.com's former benefits editor and columnist. He joined the Navy to see the world and later realized the world is two-thirds water. He also worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in field offices and Washington, D.C. before coming to Military.com in 2015.

Latest Articles

Veterans Now Have Access to Military-Only Discount Travel Deals

Save up to 60% on travel and pay no fees for tickets to sports, concerts and more.

Check Out the New IRS Tax Withholding Calculator

Now that you're done with 2017 taxes, start planning for 2018. Changes in the law may affect your income tax big time.

DoD Begins Notifying Over 130,000 Vets They May Be Due Tax Refunds

For years, the DoD improperly withheld taxes on disability severance payments from thousands of unsuspecting veterans.

W-2s for Military, Retirees, and Civilian Employees Available Soon

It will be tax time before you know it. Start planning now to avoid delays or hassles

There's a New Wave of Scammers Targeting VA Home Loans

A new version of an old scam resurfaces, and it is draining the wallets of many veterans.

How to Change or Update Your VA Direct Deposit Information

Change or Update Direct Deposit of Your Government Payments

Military Spouses Get Exclusive Help to Start and Run Their Businesses

Free training programs and counseling, plus exclusive access to cash for start-up and emergency loans, is available

Remarriage Rules Relaxed for Surviving Spouses Seeking VA Benefits

The popular DIC program is now available to more survivors

Program Provides Mentors for Separating Military Members

Similar to the PCS sponsorship program, this new pilot program helps veterans adjust to civilian life

Federal Tax Deadline Extended One Month. What It Means for Military Members

The extension to May 17 is automatic and gives people extra time to file and pay their taxes this year.

Free Tax Preparation for Military Members Available Through Military OneSource

Military OneSource is providing free online tax filing through a partnership with a leading software provider

Understanding the Tax Considerations of Military Differential Pay

With today's reservists being called upon more often to serve longer tours, the issue of military differential pay is often...

Memo Book with "Savings Plan" written on frong

Now You Have More Options on How to Invest Your TSP

The federal retirement savings program is expanding its offerings.

House Passes Bill Giving Female Veterans Access to Birth Control

The Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, H.R. 239, passed the lower chamber of Congress June 24 .

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Most Popular Military News

Sgt. Jacqueline Speights, from 175th Surgical Detachment, 531st Hospital Center, prepares a sample for COVID-19 testing while Spc. Samuel Mawanda, from 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), records data at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s COVID-19 sample processing section within the hospital’s Department of Pathology, Jan. 24, 2022. (Maria Christina Yager/Army)

Tricare Changes are Coming in 2025. Here’s What Beneficiaries Need to Know Right Now

Tricare beneficiaries need to be aware of changes taking place in both the East and West regions and may need to take action...

Who Is Doug Collins? A Look at Trump's Pick to Head the VA

The former Georgia congressman is a Southern Baptist minister and Air Force colonel.

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor arrives at the ROTC building on a university campus

Kings of Campus: How Some Army Instructors Use Their Clout to Prey on College Cadets

To the young students in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), the officers who run the programs on college...

Police Records Show Defense Secretary Nominee Was Involved in Alleged Sexual Assault in 2017

Hegseth's personal lawyer since 2017, told Military.com on Friday that "as confirmed by the Monterey Police Department, there...

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink 4-36 payload launches

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

Military personnel whose promotions are being held up by Sen. Tuberville

Facing a Purge of Generals, Pentagon Points to Effects of Tuberville's Long Hold on Promotions

The Defense Department's spokeswoman says that removing a slew of admirals and generals would have serious impacts on...

Latest Military Videos

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day Message

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower began drafting his Order of the Day for June 6, 1944, in February. It was...

French Military Training Ukrainian Troops Ahead of Battlefield Deployment

A French military task force with a festive name — “Champagne” — is wrapping up a mission that's no...

Ukraine Soldiers Focus on Keeping Russian Advances at Bay but Brace for Trump Taking Over in US

Ukrainian soldiers on the front know the re-election of Donald Trump in the U.S. will change their lives, but...

US Military Releases Video Said to Show Impact of Drone Strike on Houthi Rebels

The U.S. military on Wednesday said it had conducted several days of strikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. (Nov. 14)...

Investigations and Features

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

Arthur Frommer, 83, and his daughter, Pauline Frommer, 46, pose among tourists

Arthur Frommer, Army Vet and Travel Guide Innovator, Has Died at 95

Travel writer Arthur Frommer, who revolutionized leisure travel for ordinary Americans with his guidebook “Europe on 5...

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the House GOP conference

Trump Backs 'Emergency' Plan to Use Military for Mass Deportations

Trump made mass deportation a major plank of his successful presidential campaign and has claimed more than 15 million...

Navy News

A view of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, which is across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia.

Navy Shutters Premier East Coast Substance Abuse Program Amid Staffing Shortages

The program, in an aging building at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, has struggled to retain employees.

Gay pride flag flies during Pride Observance Month

Naval Academy Graduate Charged with Hate Crime After Pride Flag Ripped from Annapolis Shop

A Naval Academy graduate was charged with a hate crime after a tattoo shop in Annapolis reported its LGBTQ Pride flag had...

Air Force News

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

Who Is Doug Collins? A Look at Trump's Pick to Head the VA

The former Georgia congressman is a Southern Baptist minister and Air Force colonel.

Space Force News

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

The flag of the U.S. Space Command is unfurled at the White House

Colorado Could Lose US Space Command. Trump Is Expected to Move It to Alabama.

Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was...

Marine Corps News

Daniel Penny leaves the courtroom for a lunch break in New York

Sister of Ex-Marine Charged in Subway Chokehold Death Testifies to His 'Calm' Spirit and Patriotism

The older sister of Daniel Penny, the former U.S. Marine charged with fatally choking a homeless man aboard a Manhattan...

The entrance to Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton Marine Recruiter Arrested After Allegedly Contacting Minors for Sex

Staff Sgt. Philip Rodriguez was booked after an internet crimes task force received a criminal report in February that...

Coast Guard News

Tech. Sgt. Thesia Westmoreland, non-commissioned officer in charge of pharmacy operations

Pentagon Works to Restore Benefits After Data Transfer Boots Coast Guard, NOAA and Other Beneficiaries from Tricare

Problems related to transfer of personnel records resulted in beneficiaries temporarily losing coverage.

A crew aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat, from Station Bodega Bay await the next drill during a multi-agency training exercise in California.

Coast Guard Suspends Search for 4 Missing off California Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended -- "pending the development of further information" -- Sunday's massive search effort for...

Jim Absher

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