"...As you get ready to separate or retire, you’re likely swamped with details around completing requirements, deciding where to live, and figuring out what work you’ll do next (or retiring completely). As you inventory what you’ll need for the next chapter of your career, start by making these lists:..."
"...I receive a fair number of inquiries from retirees who had medical conditions before retiring but never made personal copies of their military health records and had trouble locating the originals.
This is potentially a bigger issue for younger retirees who served in Iraq and Afghanistan than for retirees of earlier eras because VA data show that young retirees are filing much more complicated disability claims.
Claims from Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans cite an average of nine separate medical conditions, compared to fewer than four conditions per claim for World War II and Korean War veterans and fewer than six for Vietnam-era veterans.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, but when you deal with the Veterans Affairs Department disability claims process, your medical records are extremely valuable. Those records are the evidence needed to establish disability ratings worth a lot of money over an average lifetime..."
"...Maybe you joined the military straight out of high school or college. And now it's suddenly 10, 20 or 30 years later, you need a résumé to find a new job, start a new career, and start over in a new world...
For federal and civilian jobs, the résumé is a critical document that can make a difference in terms of your earnings, confidence and future for you and your family. The résumé is the most important document you will write after the military service..."