Editorial Standards & Sources

The Adjutant, created by Thomas Mengesha, provides educational explanations of military wealth, veterans benefits and life after service. Our aim is to help you understand the decision, the relevant questions and the sources you can check.

How should I use this information?

Use our videos, guides and articles as a starting point for learning and preparing questions. Your circumstances, eligibility and timing matter. This material is not individualized legal, tax, investment, financial-planning or veterans-claims advice, and it does not replace an agency determination or qualified professional advice.

Where do we check rules and benefits?

For new and revised material, our editorial standard is to check material factual claims against current primary sources, identify the applicable period, explain important exceptions and link the sources used. Useful official starting points include:

Department of Veterans Affairs — official benefits and application information.
Defense Finance and Accounting Service — military pay and retired-pay information.
Thrift Savings Plan — official plan information.
Social Security Administration — official Social Security information.
Internal Revenue Service — federal tax information.
TRICARE — military health plan information.

What do dates and examples mean?

Rules, thresholds and program details can change. Check the year and sources attached to a specific explanation. An illustrative example helps explain a decision; it is not a promise of your result. A review date means the identified material was checked, not that every older video has been reverified.

How do we handle corrections?

When a material error is identified, our standard is to correct the affected material where possible and explain the correction in its accompanying text. If you spot an issue, leave a comment on the relevant YouTube video with the specific statement and supporting official source. Do not include private claim records, account numbers or other sensitive information.

Who is behind The Adjutant?

Learn about Thomas Mengesha and his background. The Adjutant is an independent educational resource. It is not an official VA or other government website; references to government sources do not imply endorsement.

Where should I start?

Get the free Military Wealth & Retirement Readiness Field Brief, or explore the channel. Website membership and YouTube channel membership are separate offerings; check the benefits listed for the specific membership before joining.

Editorial policy established October 28, 2026. This policy applies to new work and revisions; it does not certify every historical publication.