First - Understand Your Timelines
OVERVIEW
Regardless of your situation, everyone knows they are going to get out. When you get out is determined by your situation.
Your end-of-service time could be unexpected and quick if you are getting chaptered. In this example, it could be three months, more, or less, but the point is it would be swift, and you would have a lot you need to do quickly - such as figure out where you will live and work. If you have family, where will they work, and where your children will go to school? You may also want to consider starting or continuing your education.
You could be getting medically discharged or med-boarded. That usually takes longer, such as 200-250 days, but it could be much shorter, too. Again, you will have to do a lot in a very short period.
With retirement, if you submit your paperwork as soon as possible, which could be up to 2 years out, you have a lot of time to work with.
PREPARE: CHAPTER
Now, to prepare for something as quick as a chapter, if you know that will most likely happen, you can start to prepare by figuring out what you would be eligible for, such as internships, post-service VA, benefits, and other programs.
PREPARE: MED BOARD
You can prepare a little with a medical discharge or med board if you know it will happen. However, the preparation and the medical board process will happen simultaneously. You will not know your end-of-service date; they will give you an estimate, so you must start preparing now. To take advantage of the time you were given. If you haven't seen your medical provider for all of your issues or concerns, you can start now and ensure your medical records are updated.
My experience: I have two friends who are med-boarding; within one week, they had multiple VA medical appointments, so whatever they had planned for that next week has to be rescheduled. You can't cancel these appointments, and you may have to travel 200+ miles to attend them; with a med board, you are typically not authorized to take leave or a pass. The reason is that the VA appointments must be completed as soon as possible so the Department of Defense can review them to conclude your disability rating.
PREPARE: RETIREMENT
With retirement, you can start preparing much earlier - again, thinking about where you and your family will live, work, and attend school.
My experience: You need to take advantage of this time. I wish I had. I submitted my retirement paperwork 18 months out, thinking it would be a quick turnaround. However, it took months to get through the various offices at my unit for signatures and approvals, then through the installation retirement services office, and then it spent months at the Human Resource Command before finally getting approved. If I had waited until it was approved to start preparing, I would have only had months before my end-of-service date to prepare.
