Your separation timeline

Getting out goes smoother when you start early. This is a rough order of operations from about two years out to your last day, and the first few months after. Your branch and your situation (retiring, separating, medical, Guard/Reserve) will change the details.

24 to 12 months out

• Start the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). It's required, and it's supposed to begin no later than 365 days before separation. Retirees can start up to 24 months out. Don't leave it to the last 90 days.
• Decide what's next. School, a job, a trade, a gap to decompress. Each one points you at different benefits.
• Get your medical and dental records in order. Request copies of your service treatment records now, and get anything that bothers you seen and documented while you're still in.
• Start saving. Aim for a few months of expenses. Pay gaps between your last check and your first civilian one are common.

12 to 6 months out

• Look at SkillBridge. It lets eligible members spend up to their last 180 days of service training or interning with a civilian employer. It needs command approval, so ask early.
• Build your resume. Translate your job into civilian language. Federal jobs (USAJOBS) want a much longer, more detailed resume than private companies.
• Plan your terminal leave. Work out how much leave you'll have and whether you'll sell it back or take it before your separation date.
• If you want the GI Bill to go to a spouse or kid, that transfer has to be approved while you're still serving.

180 to 90 days out

• File a VA disability claim through Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) if you have conditions related to service. BDD is for claims filed 180 to 90 days before separation. See the VA claims guide.
• Line up health coverage for after your last day. See the healthcare guide.
• Schedule your household goods move and final out appointments.

The last month

• Review your DD-214 draft before you sign it. Check every block. Fixing it later is slow. See the DD-214 guide.
• Get copies of everything: orders, evaluations, awards, training certificates, medical records.
• Update your address with DFAS, the VA, and your bank.

The first 90 days out

• Enroll in VA health care even if you don't need it yet.
• Find your people. The practical stuff is the easy part. Losing the unit is the hard part. That's what ENDEX is for.

Official sources: DoD TAP at dodtap.mil, SkillBridge at skillbridge.osd.mil, VA transition resources at va.gov.