Military OneSource After Separation Explained

Military OneSource does not stop the day you separate. Eligibility continues for 365 days after your separation, retirement or discharge date, for you and your immediate family.

What that covers during the window:

  • Confidential non-medical counseling — for you and family members.
  • Career planning and employment help.
  • Relocation and housing support.
  • Personal financial counseling.
  • Free tax filing — genuinely free, and the transition year is often the messiest tax year you will have.
  • Help accessing veteran benefits, including a Transitioning Veterans specialty consultation.

The specialty consultation is available both from 12 months before your date and throughout the 365 days after, so the useful window is closer to two years than one.

After 365 days it ends and the VA becomes the route for benefits and services. That is a hard cutoff rather than a taper.

Contact is 800-342-9647, or live chat.

Who is eligible?

Separating and retiring service members and their immediate families, for 365 days from the separation, retirement or discharge date.

Because the window is generous and the services are broad, the practical failure is not eligibility — it is that people associate Military OneSource with being in service and never call after leaving.

Two things are worth using it for specifically. Free tax filing in the year you separate, when you may have part-year military pay, sold-back leave, a possible retroactive VA rating and a new civilian job all in one return. And the Transitioning Veterans consultation, which is a person who will walk through what you are entitled to rather than a website that lists it.

If you are past 365 days, the VA is the route — and Military OneSource will say so rather than help.

How do I apply?

  • Put your 365-day cutoff in the calendar: It is a hard stop, and the services are worth using before it.
  • Use the free tax filing in your separation year: Part-year military pay, sold-back leave and a new job make that return unusually complex.
  • Book the Transitioning Veterans consultation: Available from 12 months before your date as well as after it.
  • Bring family members in: Non-medical counseling covers immediate family, not just you.
  • Call 800-342-9647: There is no application, just a call or a live chat.
  • Go to the VA after 365 days: Military OneSource cannot help past the window.

Common questions

How long does Military OneSource last after you separate?

365 days from your separation, retirement or discharge date, for you and your immediate family. It is a hard cutoff.

What can you use Military OneSource for after leaving the military?

Confidential non-medical counseling, career planning, relocation and housing help, financial counseling, free tax filing, and help accessing veteran benefits.

What is the Transitioning Veterans consultation?

A personalised consultation on your transition and entitlements, available from 12 months before your separation date and throughout the 365 days after.

Is Military OneSource tax filing really free?

Yes, and the separation year is usually the most complex return you will file — part-year military pay, sold-back leave, possibly a retroactive rating and a new civilian job.

What happens after the 365 days run out?

Eligibility ends and the VA becomes the route for benefits and services.

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