Est. 2026  ·  Your Benefits, Decoded
Thank you for your service.

Page 214

We decode the regulations and synthesize the information so you don't have to.

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Built by a retired U.S. Navy Commander — for veterans and their families.
Last updated May 9, 2026  ·  2026 rates
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Page 214 makes you a better-informed veteran before you walk into that first meeting with a VSO, claims agent, or attorney.
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The Suite

Your Benefits Toolkit

New to service? → Separating soon? → Filing a claim? →
⚔ While You Serve ✎ Transition & Separation ⚖ Disability & Claims ★ Pay & Retirement 🎓 Planning & Housing ❤ Family & Health
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Start Here
Benefits Finder
Not sure where to start? Answer 5 questions and see every benefit you have earned, with direct links to the right tools.
Find My Benefits →
While You Serve The decisions you make while serving directly affect your benefits after. 7 tools
01
7 Decisions from Your First Days in Uniform
Seven benefits decisions from your first weeks of service that follow you for decades. The GI Bill buy-in, SGLI beneficiary, TSP Roth vs Traditional, the 5% match, documenting injuries, SCRA protections, and your free will from JAG.
Launch Guide →
02
Deployment Guide — Before, During & After
The complete benefits checklist for deployers. SGLI review, will and POA, TSP Roth combat zone (triple tax-free), Savings Deposit Program (10% guaranteed return), SCRA activation, combat pay and tax exclusions, health assessments, SDP withdrawal window, and VA claim preparation.
Launch Guide →
03
PCS Entitlements Checklist
Know what you are owed during a PCS. Interactive checklist covering DLA, per diem, HHG weight allowances, TLE/TLA, PPM/DITY moves, advance pay, mileage, and POV shipment. Customized by rank, dependents, and CONUS vs OCONUS.
Open Checklist →
04
Life Events Checklist
Marriage, baby, divorce, death, promotion, disability rating change, separation. Every life event triggers actions across DEERS, TRICARE, SGLI, TSP, VA, and finance. Select your event for the complete checklist.
Open Checklist →
05
Military Pay Calculator 2026
Calculate your total military compensation: base pay, BAH by location, BAS, special pays, tax advantage, and the civilian salary equivalent. Full 2026 pay table for all ranks and years of service.
Open Calculator →
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Special & Incentive Pay Guide
Every military special pay, incentive pay, and bonus by career field. Medical ISP, aviation ACIP, nuclear NOIP, dive pay, jump pay, sub pay, FLPP, SDAP, and current enlistment/reenlistment bonus links by branch.
Open Guide →
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Active Duty Benefits & Total Compensation
Calculate your civilian-equivalent total compensation including the tax-free advantage on BAH and BAS, TRICARE Prime value, TSP 5% match, and commissary savings. Plus a full inventory of every active duty benefit with estimated dollar values and how to use them.
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Transition & Separation Programs, timelines, and strategy for the months around separation. 11 tools
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MEB / PEB & IDES Guide
Complete guide to the military Medical Evaluation Board, Physical Evaluation Board, and IDES process. 9-step timeline from referral to disposition, outcomes (PDRL, TDRL, separation), severance calculator, rights, and practical tips.
Launch Guide →
09
Medical Retirement Calculator
Chapter 61 retired pay calculator for service members going through MEB/PEB. Compares both DoD formulas (length-of-service vs disability-percentage), models the VA offset, and projects CRDP and CRSC restoration including the under-20-YOS CRSC cap most calculators miss. Handles severance with VA recoupment timeline. BRS and High-3.
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10
Separation & Retirement Timeline
Interactive countdown from 24 months out through 1 year post-separation. Branch-specific, with action items, deadlines, and links to every relevant benefit tool. Know what to file, when to decide, and what you lose if you miss a window.
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Transition Programs You Should Know
SkillBridge, COOL credentialing, BDD claims, federal hiring & veterans' preference, GI Bill timing, MyCAA, plus USERRA, TSP, VR&E. The transition programs most service members never learn about from their command — with awareness checklist and strategy decision tree.
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12
Transition Skills Matrix
19 civilian-life skills mapped to 10 transition programs — SkillBridge, Hiring Our Heroes, IVMF Syracuse, ACP, MSEP, MyCAA, USO Pathfinder, FourBlock, Warrior-Scholar Project, Service to School. Find which programs teach which skills, filter by eligibility, and see each program's primary focus.
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13
DD-214 Benefits Decoder
Find out which VA benefits you qualify for based on your discharge characterization. Covers Honorable, General, OTH, Bad Conduct, and Dishonorable — with character-of-discharge guidance and upgrade options.
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14
Discharge Upgrade Guide
How to upgrade a less-than-honorable discharge. DRB, BCMR/BCNR processes, Hagel/Kurta/Wilkie liberal consideration memos, DADT upgrades, and OTH VA eligibility.
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15
MOS to Civilian Career Translator
Translate your MOS, rating, or AFSC into civilian careers with salary ranges, required certifications, and DoD COOL funding info. All 5 branches, 249 occupations.
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16
Federal Hiring Toolkit
Decode the 2025 Merit Hiring Plan. New 2-page resume rules, 4 mandatory essays, veteran hiring authorities, skills-based assessments, GS-level targeting, 180-day rule, and military-to-federal translation examples.
Launch Tool →
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Military Education Benefits Calculator
Compare Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, MGIB-SR Chapter 1606 (Reserve/Guard), VR&E (Chapter 31), and Chapter 35 DEA. Includes Rudisill v. McDonough 48-month entitlement, benefit finder, and side-by-side comparison.
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18
Returning to Service — Benefits & Eligibility Guide
Thinking about going back in? What happens to VA comp (suspended on active duty), GI Bill (pauses, may earn more), retirement credits, and TRICARE. Covers prior-service enlisted return, enlisted-to-officer commissioning (OCS, direct commission, ROTC), O-1E/O-2E/O-3E pay advantage, Guard/Reserve alternative, RE code eligibility, and MEPS with a VA rating.
Launch Guide →
VA Disability & Claims Filing claims, documenting evidence, and navigating ratings. 10 tools
19
Top VA Disability Claims — Rating Criteria
Look up VA disability rating criteria for 150 conditions. Plain-language breakdown of every rating tier from 38 CFR Part 4 — what the VA measures and what percentage you should expect. Search by condition, symptom, or DC code.
Open Top Claims →
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VSO & VA Accredited Representatives Guide
Start here. Understand the three types of VA-accredited representatives — VSO reps (always free), claims agents, and attorneys. How to find one, when to use each, and how to spot red flags.
Launch Guide →
21
VA Disability Rating Calculator
Calculate your combined VA rating using the VA's "whole person" math — bilateral factor, step-by-step breakdown, and Special Monthly Compensation guide with 2026 rates.
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22
How to File a VA Disability Claim
Step-by-step guide for every claim type — direct, presumptive, secondary, increase, supplemental, HLR, BVA, BDD, MST, Vietnam Era, and TDIU. Interactive evidence checklists and appeal path decision helper.
Launch Guide →
23
Presumptive Conditions Lookup
Search the VA's full presumptive conditions list — PACT Act, Agent Orange, burn pits, Gulf War illness, radiation, Camp Lejeune, and POW conditions. If your condition is on this list, the VA presumes it was caused by your service.
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24
Nexus & Service Connection Guide
How to argue service connection for 30 common VA conditions. Each condition shows direct, secondary, and presumptive pathways with the nexus theory, evidence checklist, and the exact medical opinion language the VA requires. Tinnitus, PTSD, sleep apnea, GERD, migraines, radiculopathy, and 24 more.
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25
VA Claim Processing Timeline
Track your claim with projected dates for every step. Covers 8 claim types — Initial, FDC, BDD, Supplemental, HLR, and all 3 BVA dockets.
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26
VA Back Pay Calculator
Calculate retroactive compensation from your effective date to your decision date. COLA-accurate 2023–2026 rates across all 12 dependency statuses.
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27
TDIU Eligibility Estimator
Total Disability Individual Unemployability — find out if your service-connected disabilities qualify you for compensation at the 100% rate. Schedular and extraschedular criteria, employment rules, and evidence guidance.
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28
100% VA Benefits Guide
Complete federal benefits reference for 100% Schedular, P&T, and TDIU veterans. 25 benefits across 8 categories — CHAMPVA, DEA, DIC, and more.
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Pay & Retirement Active pay, retirement pay, and the rules that govern both. 7 tools
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Military Retirement Pay Calculator
All 4 active duty retirement systems plus Reserve/Guard points-based retirement. CRDP vs CRSC auto-selection, SBP deductions, VA offset, and federal tax estimates.
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30
Guard & Reserve Benefits Navigator
Complete Guard & Reserve benefits hub. Eligibility by activation type (Title 10, Title 32, SAD, IDT), retirement pay calculator, healthcare options (TRS vs TRR), education benefits (MGIB-SR vs Post-9/11), VA disability for reservists, home loan eligibility, early retirement credit, gray area analysis, and points guide.
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31
Stay or Retire Financial Comparison
Compare active duty income vs retire + civilian career. Promotions, TSP, taxes, second career runway, and 401k compounding analysis.
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32
Retirement Date Optimizer
Find your highest-pay DD-214 month. Sweeps a window of candidate retirement months and ranks them by monthly pension, factoring in Time-in-Grade rules (10 USC 1370), Jan 1 raise capture, quarter-year YOS completion, and pending promotions. Auto-populates BDD, SBP, VGLI, and TAMP deadline windows for the chosen date. The TIG trap alone is worth $880/month for life.
Launch Optimizer →
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CRDP vs CRSC Calculator
Compare Concurrent Retirement & Disability Pay vs Combat-Related Special Compensation. See which program puts more money in your pocket after taxes — side-by-side with the VA offset explained.
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34
Military Time Buyback Calculator
Should you buy back your military time for FERS/CSRS? See deposit cost, pension increase, breakeven, lifetime ROI, and the cost of waiting.
Launch Tool →
35
TSP for Military Members
What your LES doesn’t explain. BRS matching (5% free money and the pacing trap), Roth vs Traditional in a military context, combat zone triple tax advantage, fund selection (why the G Fund default costs you), 2026 limits, and what happens after separation.
Launch Guide →
Financial Planning & Housing Long-term wealth, the VA loan, TSP, and financial planning. 5 tools
36
Long-Term Wealth Projection
Lifetime financial roadmap — military pay, TSP, pension, VA disability, civilian career, spouse income, Social Security, and major purchases projected through retirement.
Launch Tool →
37
VA Home Loan Calculator
Estimate affordability, monthly payment, VA funding fee, and how your military income affects qualification. VA vs Conventional vs FHA comparison, IRRRL refinance calculator, and amortization tables.
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38
State Veteran Benefits Comparison
All 50 states + DC + Puerto Rico across 8 benefit categories. Property tax exemptions (some states save $10K+/year at 100%), income tax treatment of military retirement, education, vehicle benefits, and more — compare up to 5 states side-by-side with weighted ranking.
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39
Veterans Overseas Benefits Guide
Retiring or moving abroad? Which US benefits continue worldwide (VA comp, retirement pay, SBP), which change (TRICARE, GI Bill, CHAMPVA), and which stop (VAMC, Medicare, state benefits). Covers FMP, taxes, C&P exams abroad, and a 10-step checklist.
Launch Guide →
40
SCRA & MLA Guide
Financial protections during and after service. 6% interest rate cap on pre-service debts, foreclosure protection (12 months after separation), lease termination, eviction protection, 36% MLA lending cap, and a protection-by-protection breakdown of what expires when you separate.
Launch Guide →
Family, Health & Support TRICARE, caregivers, survivors, and life events that change everything. 14 tools
41
Healthcare Comparison Guide
TRICARE Prime vs Select vs TRS vs VA Healthcare — 2026 costs, copays, pharmacy, and coverage compared. Includes Reserve/Guard, Surviving Family Member, TFL, CHAMPVA, and more.
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42
Women Veterans Benefits & Healthcare
VA benefits specific to women who served. Maternity care, MST support, mammography, Women Veteran Health Coordinators, gender-specific claims, and family planning.
Launch Tool →
43
Life Insurance Comparison
Compare SGLI, VGLI, VALife, FSGLI, TSGLI, S-DVI, and VMLI side by side. Interactive premium calculator shows VGLI and VALife monthly costs by age and coverage. Critical deadlines, layering strategy, and head-to-head comparison.
Launch Tool →
44
Survivor Benefits Guide
Gold Star families and surviving spouses of veterans. DIC, Survivors Pension, SBP, education, CHAMPVA, TRICARE survivor, home loans, burial benefits — with service-connected and non-service-connected paths.
Launch Guide →
45
Caregiver Eligibility Navigator
VA caregiver programs for family members caring for veterans. PCAFC eligibility checker, stipend estimator (up to ~$3,900/mo tax-free), CHAMPVA, respite care, and application guidance. All service eras.
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46
Aid & Attendance & Elderly Care
Benefits for aging veterans: Aid & Attendance monthly payments, Housebound benefits, VA nursing homes, state veterans homes, home health aides, respite care, Veteran-Directed Care, and PACE programs. Includes survivor eligibility and Medicaid interaction.
Open Guide →
47
VA Debt & Overpayment Guide
Got a debt letter from the VA? Understand your options: waiver (Form 5655), dispute, compromise, repayment plans, and critical deadlines. Covers benefit debt, copay debt, and what happens if you don't act.
Launch Guide →
48
VetCompass — Charity Finder
Find trusted, highly-rated veteran charities that match the causes you care about. Search by focus area — PTSD, housing, employment, families, and more.
Launch Tool →
49
Military Spouse Guide
The guide nobody gave you at the ID card office. DEERS, TRICARE, the LES, SCRA protections, credit card fee waivers, PCS moves, deployment checklists, SBP elections, GI Bill transfer, and what changes when they leave the military — in plain language.
Launch Guide →
50
Military Working Animals & Service Dogs
They served too. What happens when military working dogs retire (Robby’s Law), how service dogs help veterans with PTSD and mobility, VA veterinary benefits, the PAWS Act, service dogs vs ESAs, and how to get one.
Launch Guide →
51
Military Campaigns & Associated Benefits
I served in [campaign]. What am I eligible for? Every major conflict from GWOT to WW2, mapped to specific VA presumptive conditions, toxic exposure programs, campaign medals, veterans’ preference, and special eligibility. PACT Act, Agent Orange, Gulf War illness, atomic veterans, and more.
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52
Essential Military & VA Documents
The 16 documents every veteran eventually needs: DD-214, service records, medical records, VA claims file, rating decisions, DBQs, COE, NGB-22, VMET, JST, veteran IDs, and more. Exactly how to request each one, processing times, and which benefits they unlock.
Launch Guide →
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The Philippines & US Veterans
A century of shared service, the only VA facility on foreign soil (Manila), 260,000 Filipino WWII veterans, the Navy’s direct enlistment pipeline, benefits for veterans living in the Philippines, the SRRV retirement visa, and a practical guide for Filipino-American service members.
Launch Guide →
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VA Forms Reference
The forms veterans actually need. 39 numbered VA and DoD forms (21-526EZ, 21-686c, DD-214 request, SF-180, VGLI, DD-2656, and more) plus 7 statement and letter templates (buddy letter, nexus letter, personal statement, command letter, BCMR/DRB statement, debt waiver, C-file request). Plain-English titles, when to use, what to attach, common mistakes, and direct links to official sources.
Launch Reference →
Glossary
56 VA & military terms in plain English. Searchable, cross-linked to tools.
Crisis Resources
988 (press 1), MST support, homeless vets, SAMHSA, and 19 verified hotlines.
Veteran Homelessness
32,882 veterans in one night. Know the programs. Know the number. Know how to help.
How Benefits Become Law
From a veteran’s unmet need to federal legislation. The PACT Act as a case study. How you can get involved.
Veteran's Guide
A Veteran's Guide to What You've Earned — the big picture, start to finish.
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Our Mission

Why Page 214

"The mentorship, support, and camaraderie my family received during our years in the Navy changed our lives. Page 214 is how we pay it forward."

Transitioning out of the military shouldn't mean navigating your benefits alone. Page 214 was built to give every veteran — regardless of rank, branch, or MOS — the tools to make informed decisions about their financial future.

Every calculator on this site is free, private, and built with accuracy in mind — sourced directly from VA.gov, OPM, DFAS, and the Code of Federal Regulations. No accounts. No personal data. No sales pitch. Just tools that work.

Whether you're filing your first VA claim, deciding whether to stay in or get out, or buying back military time as a federal civilian — we've got your six.

"Page 214" — because your DD-214 is where the next chapter begins.
Related Tools on Page 214 — Where Most People Start
★ Benefits Finder5-question wizard mapping your situation to every benefit you qualify for — the best place to begin. VA Disability Rating CalculatorThe most-used tool on Page 214 — combine multiple ratings using VA math (38 CFR § 4.25). Veteran’s GuidePlain-language walkthrough of every benefit category — if you’re overwhelmed, start here. VSO GuideFree VA-accredited claims help — understand what VSOs do, how to find one, and what to bring. Top VA ClaimsRating criteria for 150 commonly-claimed conditions — the next layer of detail beyond the rating calculator. Caregiver NavigatorFor families — PCAFC stipend program for caregivers of severely-disabled veterans.
Built by a retired Navy Commander
Page 214 was built by Em, a retired U.S. Navy Commander (Medical Service Corps, 20+ years). The platform is free, privacy-first, and entirely client-side — no account, no data collection, no advertising, no sponsors. Every tool runs in your browser; nothing you type is saved or transmitted. Source-fidelity standard: primary government source > official agency interpretation > peer-reviewed research > established secondary source. Foundational citations across the platform: 38 U.S.C. (veterans benefits statutes) and 38 C.F.R. (VA implementing regulations); 10 U.S.C. (military pay, retirement, separation); 5 U.S.C. (federal civil service / veterans’ preference); and 26 U.S.C. (combat zone tax exclusion). Pay tables refresh each January with the annual COLA; tool updates ship as VA, DoD, or Congress publishes changes. Major statutory frameworks cited throughout: PACT Act of 2022 (Pub. L. 117-168), Post-9/11 GI Bill (38 U.S.C. Chapter 33), Forever GI Bill (Pub. L. 115-48), Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. §§ 3901–4043), USERRA (38 U.S.C. Chapter 43), Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act (Pub. L. 115-55, AMA effective Feb 19 2019), and the Blended Retirement System (FY2016 NDAA Section 631). For full source citations by tool, see the Sources page. If you find an error, email contact@page214.org — corrections are welcomed and prioritized.
Page 214 is 100% veteran-built and veteran-funded. No ads, no sponsors, no personal data collected — just tools that work. If these tools have helped you or someone you know — fuel the mission.
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Disclaimer
Page 214™ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DoD), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), or any federal agency.
The tools on this site are for educational and estimation purposes only and do not constitute financial, legal, tax, or medical advice. Results are approximations based on publicly available data and may not reflect your exact situation.
Always consult a qualified professional — such as a VA-accredited claims agent, financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney — before making decisions about your benefits, retirement, or finances.
This site does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. All calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or shared.
Built by a retired U.S. Navy Commander to help veterans and their families understand their benefits.
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