The Navy doesn’t really offer comprehensive benefits for new recruits.

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Navy Moms: What do you think? Misconception or truth? What's your experience?

"The Navy doesn’t really offer comprehensive benefits for new recruits."

[Melissa]

Yes and I totally agree. My mom keeps telling me that there is no job in the world that is going to give you free medical and dental. And from personal experience I know there is no job that will let you have your child for free and have the best care possible. I do think there are some things they should change but it will never happen...lol

[Marsha]

and allow you to continue your education...in many ways.

[Emily]

At times I think the military is the way to go, Tell me what company is going to offer you.. medical,dental 100% tution assistance.. for those that dont know about that... military will pay 100% of your college courses while your serving.up to $1200.00 a year, all you have to do is pay for books.. dont forget you still have the GI bill for when you decide to get out, that you can use towards college. but you have make sure they sign up for it, also with the navy some of the schools they send you can earn college credits. Then can also (Clep or Dantes) exams that you can take and if you pass you'll earn college credits.by the way the exams are Free for military otherwise you pay $100 bucks for each exam.
A place to stay, 3 meals a day. investments ( I cant think of whats its called )
retirement ,if you stay the whole 20 years. Advancement,
Hands on Training and Experiances
Travel.
all this right after high school...and a pay raise every year.
They might be maiking just a little at first, but compare to ... if my daughter had chosen, going to college... she would have to get a part time job and most likely have to get a LOAN and be in DEBT until she got her degree and look for a job .... get a job... and maybe wait the 6 mths or a year to start getting health coverage or if any at all without forking out money to get coverage.

so I guess I can say I think she made the right choice.

[EM2 Jake]

Benefits? Plenty.
New recruits get a lot of help these days from the Navy. In boot camp alone, they are offered quite a bit of benefits. There are various courses that we all go through in boot camp, not just the military training that people expect.
There is a program that sailors are given the option to enroll in (and I highly suggest it), called the Thrift Savings Plan. TSP is like any other retirement plan out there, except that you have 100% control over all the funds you put into it. You can choose to invest only in the US Government (a safer market with a stable return every year, but it tends to be a little lower than other markets), the Fortune 500 companies, newer and smaller companies in the US stock exchange, as well as foreign markets. There is also another fund that you can invest in, called the Lifestyles fund. This fund is managed by a broker in the TSP organization that will shift your money around so that you can be invested in riskier but higher profit markets when you're younger, and safer bets later on.
Insurance coverage is pretty cool too. There -is- a charge for Tricare, but I think it works out to about $1.50 or so a month for me. Not too bad for complete medical, dental, and optometry coverage is it? That includes medicine, surgery, glasses, and other expenses that other plans may not cover completely.
A great company that works with the military is USAA. While not directly a benefit, USAA is a great company to bank with and they offer great rates on car/truck/motorcycle/renter's/life insurance, and only to military.
Speaking of life insurance, your sailor is covered with a $400,000 life insurance plan, should something unfortunate happen to him or her.
These are all available as soon as your sailor leaves for boot camp.

Later on in their career, your sailor will be able to receive benefits such as BAS (an allowance for food, about $280/month), BAH (this helps pay for rent, it will vary depending on location and paygrade), as well as other incentive pay based on their job. There is a seapay that gives extra money just for being attached to a seagoing command, sub pay for working on a submarine, hazardous/arduous duty pay for working in certain rates...and they all stack. I'm receiving all of those now.
Low wages aren't really an issue in the Navy. Sure, when you look at making about $1,200 to $1,600 a month, it doesn't sound like much. But compare it to working somewhere else that someone without a degree could get a job at. And combine that with the fact that health, dental, life, optometry, food, housing, and other needs are taken care for, either free or very cheap and you realize that the money we get in our paychecks is really for saving up or taking care of other bills. Not too bad if you ask me.

[VeryProudNavyMom]

Okay Jake, YOU are a positive influence and WISHED you where at GL with my son....you really have it all together....it is someone like YOU that should be teaching a course in all this for the "new kids". Seriously, my son said to me that it is amazing how much you have, and to asborb and figure out. LOL...

So agreed. So, about the saving up portion, can you please call my kid? LOL...he SO has to get up with reality and start putting some aside for a MORE THAN RAINY DAY.....he will be home next week and I am doing a two hour sit down to do a plan for him to go on so that he will have something put away.

Thanks again Jake, so VERY GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON HERE.....

[Crystal]

I think the navy benefits are AMAZING. Truly. My husband was having a hard time finding a job and had been thinking about joining the navy for about a year, so he did it. And left for boot camp 2 weeks later! His BAH started the day he left for boot camp so his first pay check had back pay housing alowence on it, I got a letter in the mail about a week after he left with the information for my dependent id and tricare so I went that day to set it up and since I was 6 months pregnant and had only seen a dr twice ( we didnt have insurance and I couldnt pay 300 a month for my appointments) they saw me the same day and did all my labs. My daughter and I have been so well taken care of since my husband has been away. I honestly don't know what we would have done if he hadn't joined. AND my Dr. on base is amazing, and I love her to death!

[Mary, Proud Mom of Nick]

Well, it's been a few years but there was a time when the Navy was supporting our famly of four. Of course, I worked too to supplement the household income but aren't most families today two income driven?

In the meantime, my husband completed two degrees, we got to travel the world, both of our children were well taken care of from the moment of conception, memories and friendships for life were created.

We were in 100% support of our son joining. He did a couple of years of school but simply wanted more. Now he will have the chance to finish his school, travel the world and make friends for life. It's not a bad life for a young sailor...really.

[Mari]

Hi Mary, your words really helped me tonight. My son will be signing up shortly and I have so many questions. Reading this helped me; its true they will have the chance to finish school, travel the world and make wonderful friends.

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[Pilgrim4Life]

It's true there is much that the Navy offers. However, my son has been wnlisted four years, and I find that he either 1) isn't given the time or work schedule to take advantage of most of the benefits, or 2)doesn't have the know-how or initiative (or time) to find out how to take advantage of the benefits or, 3) is not allowed, much less encouraged, by his superiors to participate in the opportunities. This includes educational opportunities, as well as even simple medical appointments. There is so much paper work to complete for even basic things like leave; unless your sailor is very good at deciphering and completing this sort of administrative stuff, they may not make the most of what is out there. That said, at least he has the basic coverage in case of a serious illness.....but for everyday things, like contacts or dental care---he just doesn't have the system figured out still!!

[ProudMomma]

I don't know what to say to this, I know our experience with some things haven't been as easy, as far as dental, and medical. Best not to say what on here, but a couple of things were pretty upsetting to us, as far as these incidents. Just ask questions, ask questions, ask questions. That's my only advice.

[Emily]

As a Navy Brat and Navy Wife of 30+ years. I don't want to say it's the Navy. It's actually the Command of the ships they are on, or if they are shore duty, then it's the command of the base.

I have experianced some Great Commands where they have gone out of their way to help their Sailors. Gave their sailor guidance, reward them when they did a great job, supported them in bad and in good times.

and I have also experianced some awful,awful commands that brought tears,hatered,wishing I could go and just beat the living day lights out of his chief's or the officers that didn't give a flying fudge about his staff. Men and Women who thought they were better just because they were higer ranks and acted like they knew everything and didn't have a clue.

We have learned to deal with it and we counted the days we got new orders and prayed our next duty station isn't the duty station from !!!!.