Your 12-month exit plan, on one timeline — BDD, TAP, SkillBridge, TRICARE, civilian resume. Not VA-claim software. Just sequence.

Source signals

• SIG-20260426-us-newcomer-navigator-veteran-mos-civilian-translation: "avoid military jargon — civilian employer probably won't know their meaning" — Fewer than 1 in 5 feel prepared (DoD)
• SIG-20260426-us-newcomer-navigator-veteran-tricare-180-day-gap: "TRICARE … 180 days of transitional TRICARE … gap is where families get caught"
• SIG-20260426-us-newcomer-navigator-veteran-va-disability-bdd-claim-deadlines: "BDD program: VA disability pay can start before you even leave service" — miss it = 6-18 months no income

What we ship

**Core features (MVP)**

• 12-month timeline with reverse-countdown anchored on ETS date: T-365 → T-180 (BDD window opens!) → T-90 (SkillBridge candidates) → T-30 → T-0 (separation) → T+30 (TRICARE expiration vs civilian start) → T+90 (Solid Start call) → T+180 (TAMP ends)
• **MOS / AFSC / Rate translator** (using DoL O*NET): input MOS code → 3-5 civilian-role matches with recommended resume bullets ("Supervised 12 personnel" → "Managed cross-functional team responsible for $30M asset fleet")
• Two-resume flow: federal USAJOBS-format (with Series, GS-grade, ALL keywords) + private 2-page (civilian-language MOS translation)
• VSO directory by zip code: free DAV / AmVets / VFW / WWP / state-VSO finder for BDD-claim assistance — NOT filing software, just locator
• Healthcare-coverage-gap calculator: input (TRICARE end date, civilian insurance start date, dependents) → output (per-family-member coverage matrix per day, prior-auth alerts on medications, pharmacy formulary diff)
• Weekly "this week" reminders along timeline: "This week — call C&P exam scheduler; pick 3 SkillBridge employer matches"

**Primary user flow**

1. Landing: "Your last 12 months in uniform. Sequenced."

2. Onboarding: branch (Army/Navy/AF/Marines/CG/SF), MOS/AFSC, rank, ETS-date, dependents, service-connected conditions

3. Free version: generic 12-month timeline + MOS translator (1 free lookup)

4. Pricing trigger: "Unlock your full Transition Pack ($19 one-time — VSO finder for your zip, healthcare-gap calculator, both resume formats, unlimited MOS translations)"

5. Pro tier ($6/mo): SMS reminders + family-coverage matrix + employer-letter templates

**What it looks like**

• **Landing page**: hero "Less than 1 in 5 transitioning service members feel ready. Here's the timeline that fixes that." + reverse-countdown visual + 3 milestone testimonials
• **Main app screen**: timeline with monthly nodes; each node expands into action-list; sidebar shows "Your MOS in civilian language" widget
• **Output**: Personal Transition Plan PDF (print-ready) + two resumes (federal + private) + weekly SMS "This week: T-150 from ETS, BDD claim window opens — gather medical records"

**MVP build plan (12 days)**

• Day 1-3: backend (User, Plan, Milestone, MOS, Resume), JWT, O*NET data import, VSO directory seed (~700 national + state-level)
• Day 4-6: timeline engine (reverse-countdown), MOS translator (Claude Sonnet with O*NET context window), dual-resume generator
• Day 7-8: healthcare-gap calculator, dependent coverage matrix
• Day 9-10: Stripe Checkout + Subscriptions, Twilio SMS
• Day 11: landing page + reverse-countdown visual + soft launch on r/Veterans, r/VeteransBenefits, r/ETSPapers
• Day 12: deploy + outreach to VSO communities (DAV, WWP) offering free Pro tier for their members

Reasoning

Triple-confirmed pain: 3 SIGs out of 18 in this cell are about veteran transition, each pointing at a parallel track (MOS, TRICARE, BDD). DoD itself reports "fewer than 1 in 5 feel prepared". Cohort is 200K/year plus family members = large addressable. Stack-fit: O*NET data is public-domain with no API rate limits; VSO directory is public; Stripe is standard. NOT legal advice, NOT VA-claim filing (that's accredited-VSO monopoly — we strictly defer), NOT job placement (commission territory). Strictly orientation/sequence — exactly the white-space. Hire Heroes USA = free 1:1 coaching (donor-funded, not self-serve), Best Military Resume = paid resume-rewrite (single deliverable). Personalized 12-month sequencer with MOS-translator + healthcare-gap matrix combined doesn't exist as a product.

Quick competitive read

Quick brave-search:

• **Hire Heroes USA**: free 1:1 career coaching (donor-funded) — great service, not self-serve timeline
• **Best Military Resume / VeteranTransition.app**: paid resume rewrite ($150-500), single deliverable
• **VA Solid Start**: VA inbound calls at 90/180/365 days post-separation (passive)
• **TAP class**: mandatory but generic, last 5 days (not 12-month planning)
• **WWP / DAV / AmVets**: VSOs — free claim filing (we complement, not compete)
• White-space: personalized 12-month timeline-engine + MOS-translator + healthcare-gap matrix in one product — no direct competitor (competitive_pressure 7-8/10)

Initial pricing hypothesis

Freemium: free generic timeline + 1 free MOS translation. $19 one-time Transition Pack = VSO finder, healthcare-gap calculator, both resumes, unlimited MOS lookups. Pro $6/mo = SMS reminders + family-coverage matrix + employer-letter templates. Lifetime access $49 (covers all 24 transition months).

Distribution hypothesis

1. Reddit r/Veterans, r/VeteransBenefits, r/ETSPapers, r/army, r/Marines — soft launch with free generic timeline

2. VSO partnerships (DAV, AmVets, VFW, WWP) — offer free Pro tier to their members + co-branded landing pages

3. Programmatic SEO: "ETS [MOS code] civilian jobs 2026" + "BDD claim timeline" landing pages

4. SkillBridge partner companies — embedded link in their intern welcome emails

5. TAP class instructors — printed flyer (still high-value distribution for vets)