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The Department of Veteran Affairs offers several different types of education opportunities, each with their own eligibility requirements and benefit amounts.
GI Bills
The Department of Veteran Affairs offers several different types of education opportunities, each with their own eligibility requirements and benefit amounts.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
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Veterans have a lifetime limit of 48 months of education benefits. The only exception to this is if the VA determines the Veteran needs additional months to complete their rehabilitation program under Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) OR The Veteran started using Chapter 31 FIRST and then used another education benefit.
Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty)
Benefits are generally payable for 10 years following your release from honorable active service.
Eligibility
You may be an eligible if you have an honorable discharge; AND you have a high school diploma or GED or in some cases 12 hours of college credit; AND you meet the requirements of one of the categories below:
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CATEGORY I
Entered active duty after June 30, 1985, and NOT declined participation in the program.
Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for first 12 months.
Continuously served for three years or two years, if that is what you first enlisted for or if you entered the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty and served four years (the 2 by 4 program).
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CATEGORY II
Entered active duty before January 1, 1977.
Served at least one day between 10/19/84 and 6/30/85, and stayed on active duty through 6/30/88, (or through 6/30/87 if you entered the Selected Reserve within one year of leaving active duty and served four years).
On 12/31/89, you had entitlement left from Vietnam-era GI Bill.
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CATEGORY III
Not eligible for MGIB under Category I or II.
On active duty on 9/30/90 AND separated involuntarily after 2/2/91, OR involuntarily separated on or after 11/30/93, OR voluntarily separated under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) or Special Separation Benefit (SSB) program.
Before separation, you had military pay reduced by $1,200.
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CATEGORY IV
On active duty on 10/9/96 AND you had money remaining in a VEAP account on that date AND you elected MGIB by 10/9/97, OR you entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between 7/1/85, and 11/28/89, AND you elected MGIB during the period 10/9/96 - 7/08/97.
Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1,200 lump-sum contribution.
Benefits
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36 months of a Monthly stipend
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May be used for college degree and certificate programs, technical or vocational courses, flight training, apprenticeships or on-the-job training, high-tech training, licensing and certification tests, entrepreneurship training, certain entrance examinations, and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.
$600 Buy-Up Program
Servicemembers may contribute up to an additional $600 to the GI Bill to receive increased monthly benefits. For an additional $600 contribution, you may receive up to $5,400 in additional GI Bill benefits. The additional contribution must have been made while on active duty.
NOTE:
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The Buy-Up Program is NOT refunded if the Veteran transfers over to the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
For more information on Chapter 30 please follow this Link.
Kicker AKA Branch College Fund
Veterans who joined an MOS that was listed as having a critical shortage of personnel may have gotten a kicker that increased their benefit.
The maximum is an additional $950 a month, which was based upon the length of your initial contract.
The Veteran will be paid their kicker amount as a pro-rated lump sum (for however long the semester is and their percentage of degree of pursuit) at the start of the semester.
Chapter 32 (Veteran Education Assistance Program - VEAP)
You have 10 years from your release from active duty to use VEAP benefits. If the entitlement is not used after the 10-year period, your portion remaining in the fund should be automatically refunded.
If this does not happen, the Veteran may submit VA Form 22-5281 and mail it to their nearest VA Regional Office.
Eligibility
You must meet the following requirements to qualify:
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Entered service for the first time between Jan. 1, 1977, and June 30, 1985;
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Opened a contribution account before April 1, 1987;
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Voluntarily contributed from $25 to $2,700; and
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Completed your first period of service and were discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable.
If you are currently on active duty and wish to receive VEAP benefits, you must have at least three months of contributions available.
Benefits
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36 months depending on the number of monthly contributions.
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You may use these benefits for degree, certificate, correspondence, apprenticeship/on-the-job training programs, and vocational flight training programs.
Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides up to 36 months of education benefits to those who have served on active duty after September 10, 2001. It can be used for Institutions of Higher Learning, training, licensing and certification reimbursement, and more. Visit the Post-9/11 GI Bill website to see additional training you may be eligible for. If you are attending at least one class in a classroom you may be entitled to receive a housing allowance equal to the military BAH for an E-5 with dependents at the location of the school where the majority of the classes are being taken.
Eligibility
IMPORTANT NOTE:
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Veterans have 15 years to use this benefit if discharged before January 1, 2013.
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If discharged after January 1, 2013, there is NO time limit!
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Member Serves Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable
At least 36 months or received a Purple Heart 100%
At least 30 continuous days on active duty AND must be
Discharged due to service-connected disability 100%
At least 30 months, but less than 36 months 90%
At least 24 months, but less than 30 months 80%
At least 18 months, but less than 24 months 70%
At least 6 months, but less than 18 months 60%
At least 90 days, but less than 6 months 50%
Certain members of the Reserves who lost education benefits when REAP was sunset in November 2015 may also be eligible to receive restored benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Whether you want to apply your GI Bill benefits to college classes or an on-the-job training program, the GI Bill Comparison Tool will help you make the most of them.
If you have eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and any other GI Bill program you must make an irrevocable election of the Post-9/11 GI Bill before you can receive any benefits.
Benefits
For approved programs, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provides up to 36 months of education benefits.
Full tuition and fees are paid directly to the school for all public school in-state students.
For those attending private or foreign schools, tuition and fees are capped at the National maximum rate.
If you're attending a private or a public institution of higher learning (either private or public) as a nonresident, out-of-state student you may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program and entitled to additional education-related costs not covered by VA. Not everyone is eligible for this assistance.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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Public colleges/universities MUST charge you in-state tuition by Law so long as you are using the Post 9/11 benefit and are not active duty!
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If the benefit runs out during a semester (even if the Veteran only has a single day!) the VA will pay full tuition and the Veteran's MHA till the end of the semester!
Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
Monthly housing allowance (often mistakenly called BAH) is calculated based on the zip code of the campus where the student physically attends the majority of classes, rather than the location of the institution of higher learning where the student is enrolled. This applies to the first enrollment in an educational program on or after August 1, 2018.
To figure out how much you stand to get a month click HERE.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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In order to get MHA you MUST be enrolled OVER HALF TIME! Those who are enrolled half time or less will NOT GET ANY MHA!
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Those enrolled over half time but less than full time will have their MHA prorated.
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MHA is prorated on a 30 day calendar. No matter how many days are actually in the month. So a Veteran that started a course on Feb 21 would be paid 9/30 their normal MHA amount for the month of Feb.
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Veterans who have courses that start/stop on different dates may have their amount of MHA reduced, if they fall below full time status.
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Round-Out Rule: If during your last semester, your remaining credits to graduate is less than what you need to be considered full time. You CAN take non-required courses to fill up your schedule to achieve full time without penalty.
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If you do NOT fill up on courses then your MHA will be REDUCED appropriately!
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Enrollment Verification
In order to get paid your MHA you must verify your attendance to the VA. This can be done one of three ways:
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Text Message (US phone numbers ONLY)
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Opt-In:
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Before your semester starts you should receive a text message asking if you would like to submit verification via text. Simply reply back with "Yes".
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Verify:
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On the last day of the month you will receive a text asking if you are still enrolled. Provide a response and you are set!
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2. Email
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Opt-In:
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If you have opted out of the text message option you will automatically be set up for email verification.
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Verify:
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On the last day of the month you will get an email asking for you to verify your enrollment. Select the option in the email that applies to you.
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3. Call the Education Call Center (ECC)
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Opt-In:
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Not applicable - you just do it.
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Verify:
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Call 1-888-442-4551 or 001-918-781-5678 if you are international.
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IMPORTANT NOTE:
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Failure to verify for two months in a row WILL result in your MHA being suspended! To restart payments you will need to call the ECC.
Book & Supply Stipend
You may also receive a books and supplies stipend up to $1,000 each year (the amount is prorated if you are less than full time).
Rural Benefit
A one time payment of $500 may be payable to certain Veterans relocating from highly rural areas (county with 6 persons or less per square mile (as determined by the most recent decennial census)) and either:
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Physically relocate at least 500 miles to attend an educational institution; or
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Travel by air to physically attend an educational institution if no other land-based transportation exists.
Kicker AKA Branch College Fund
Veterans who joined an MOS that was listed as having a critical shortage of personnel may have gotten a kicker that increased their benefit.
The maximum is an additional $950 a month. Which was based upon the length of your initial contract.
The Veteran will be paid their kicker amount every month. If the Veteran's rate of pursuit is less than full time their kicker amount will be reduced. If the month is less than a full month the kicker will be prorated as well.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
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If the Veteran does not receive MHA they will NOT get their kicker!
Chapter 1606 (Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve)
MGIB-SR program provides education and training benefits to eligible members of the Selected Reserve, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard or Air National Guard. Eligibility for this program is determined by the Selected Reserve components and the VA makes the payments.
Eligibility
To qualify, you must meet the following requirements:
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Have a six-year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve signed after June 30, 1985. If you are an officer, you must have agreed to serve six years in addition to your original obligation. For some types of training it is necessary to have a six-year commitment that begins after Sept. 30, 1990.
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Complete your initial active duty for training (IADT). Meet the requirement to receive a high school diploma or equivalency certificate before completing IADT. You may not use 12 hours toward a college degree to meet this requirement.
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Remain in good standing while serving in an active Selected Reserve unit. You will also retain MGIB-SR eligibility if you were discharged from Selected Reserve service due to a disability that was not caused by misconduct. Your eligibility period may be extended if you are ordered to active duty.
OTHER FACTORS
Your eligibility for the program normally ends the day you leave the Selected Reserve.
An exception exists if you are mobilized or recalled to active duty from your reserve status in which case your eligibility may be extended for the amount of time you are mobilized PLUS four months. For example, if you are mobilized for 12 months, your eligibility period is extended for 16 months; 12 months of active duty PLUS four months. Even if you leave the Reserves after mobilization, you may have additional eligibility under the MGIB-SR.
If your unit was deactivated during the period beginning Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30, 2014, or you were involuntarily separated for reasons other than misconduct, you will retain your original period of eligibility, which is 14 years from the date of your first six-year obligation with the Selected Reserves.
Benefits
May be used for college degree and certificate programs, co-op training, technical or vocational courses, flight training, apprenticeships or on-the-job training, high-tech training, licensing and certification tests, entrepreneurship training, certain entrance examinations, and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.
Up to 36 months of education benefits.
Kicker AKA Branch College Fund
Veterans who joined an MOS that was listed as having a critical shortage of personnel may have gotten a kicker that increased their benefit.
The maximum is an additional $350 a month, which was based upon the length of your initial contract.
The Veteran will be paid their kicker amount as a pro-rated lump sum (for however long the semester is and their percentage of degree of pursuit) at the start of the semester.
FAQ
If I switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill can I get my $1,200 back?
Yes, if you exhaust all 36 months you will get the money back in your final MHA payment. If you are NOT receiving MHA in your final month then you will NOT get this money back!
Will I have to repay the VA if I fail a course?
No, so long as the Veteran did not fail due to failure to attend the course (the professor annotated that the Veteran failed purely due to non-attendance). This is not to be confused with failure due to poor performance that may have been due to non/poor attendance.
Will I have to repay the VA if I drop a course?
Maybe, if the course(s) you drop do not put you below full time you will not create any debt.
If the course(s) you drop put you below full time you may create a debt.
UNLESS this is the first time dropping 6 credits (that puts you below full time). This is known as the 6 credit hour exclusion
If you are going beyond this exclusion, you may still not owe a debt if you were/are experiencing Mitigating circumstances.
Otherwise, yes. You will owe a debt.
Can I transfer my education benefits?
If you were a member of the Armed Forces on August 1, 2009 and eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Department of Defense (DoD) offers you the opportunity to transfer benefits to your spouse or dependents.
For any deaths occurring on or after August 1, 2009:
If the dependent you transferred benefits to dies, the Veteran/Servicemember may transfer any remaining unused benefits to a different eligible dependent.
If a dependent has received transferred entitlement and the Veteran/Servicemember dies, the dependent may transfer his or her unused benefits to a different eligible dependent of the Veteran/Servicemember.
Commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (PHS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are eligible for the transferability option effective August 1, 2011. While in the Armed Forces, transferors use the Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB) website to designate, modify, and revoke a Transfer of Entitlement (TOE) request. After leaving the Armed Forces, transferors may provide a future effective date for use of TOE, modify the number of months transferred, or revoke entitlement transferred by submitting a written request to VA.
NOTE:
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After separating from the Armed Forces individuals cannot designate new dependents to receive transferred entitlement or amend the effective date of the initial transfer of entitlement to an earlier date.
Can I use multiple education programs at the same time if I qualify for them?
No, you can only use one program at a time.