Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)

Yes. Some periods of service are non-qualifying. If you have non-qualifying service, it means that period of service doesn’t count toward your Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility requirements.

We consider these periods of service to be non-qualifying:

• Your branch of service assigned you to a civilian school for classes that were the same in substance as classes offered to civilians, or
• You served as a cadet or midshipman at a service academy, or
• When you enlisted in the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, or Reserve, you received training according to section 12103(d) (initial skills and training) of title 10, or
• The Reserve called you to active duty under a section other than 688, 12301(a), 12301(d), 12301(g), 12301(h), 12302, 12304, 12304a, or 12304b of title 10 or section 3713 of title 14, or
• The President of the United States called you to full-time service in response to a national emergency that federal funds supported that wasn’t under section 502(f) of title 32, or
• You served full-time in the National Guard for a purpose other than to organize, administer, recruit, instruct, or train under section 502(f) of title 32

We also consider any period of service that counts toward 1 of these Defense Department (DOD) programs to be non-qualifying:

• Loan Repayment Program (LRP)
• Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship
• Service Academy Graduation

If you gave up your right to use the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD), or Chapter 30, benefits in the past (you “relinquished” your benefits so you could start using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits), you may now qualify to use some of your MGIB-AD entitlement.

If you’ve completed 1 qualifying period of active duty

If you served 56 months or more on active duty, you may qualify for a maximum of 48 months of benefits if you’re eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and MGIB-AD benefits. You may be able to use up to 12 additional months of entitlement.

If you served less than 56 months on active duty, generally you can use only 1 education benefit. The maximum amount of Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement is 36 months. If you decided to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, once you use up all your entitlement, we’ll refund you part or all of the contributions you made into MGIB-AD. The maximum amount you can get for a refund is $1,200.

Learn more about Montgomery GI Bill refunds

If you’ve completed 2 or more qualifying periods of active duty

You may qualify for a maximum of 48 months of benefits if you’re eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and MGIB-AD benefits. Here’s what you should know:

• If you gave up MGIB-AD benefits when you switched to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you may now qualify for up to 12 months of additional MGIB-AD benefits

• If you’re currently using MGIB-AD benefits and you switch to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you’re no longer restricted to your remaining MGIB-AD entitlement

We’ll automatically review your entitlement and notify you if there are changes. You don’t need to take any action.

Note: We consider any reenlistment a separate period of active duty. But an extension isn’t a separate period of active duty.

Learn more about how the Rudisill decision affects you

• Tuition and fees. If you qualify for the maximum benefit, we’ll cover the full cost of public, in-state tuition and fees. We cap the rates for private and foreign schools, and update those rates each year.
  Check the current payment rates for the Post-9/11 GI Bill
  Find out if you can get in-state tuition rates as an out-of-state student
• Money for housing (if you’re in school more than half time). We’ll base your monthly housing allowance on the cost of living where your school is located.
• Money for books and supplies. You can receive up to the maximum stipend per school year.
• Tutorial assistance. If you’re struggling with the coursework, we may help you pay for a tutor.
• National exams. We’ll pay you back for the costs of national tests.
• Licensing and certification tests and prep courses. We’ll pay you back for the costs of certain licensing and certification tests and preparatory courses (also called “prep courses”).
• Work study. Our work-study program can help you earn money while you’re enrolled in a college, vocational school, or professional training program.
• Money to help you move from a rural area to go to school. You may qualify for a one-time payment if you live in a county with 6 or fewer people per square mile and you’re either moving at least 500 miles to go to school or have no other option but to fly by plane to get to your school.

Find out how we determine your percentage of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits

Find out how we determine your Post-9/11 GI Bill coverage

This depends on when you were discharged from active duty.

If your service ended before January 1, 2013, your Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) benefits will expire 15 years after your last separation date from active service. You must use all of your benefits by that time or you’ll lose whatever’s left.

If your service ended on or after January 1, 2013, your benefits won’t expire thanks to a law called the Forever GI Bill - Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act.

You’ll need to apply.

Apply for education benefits

The benefit amount depends on which school you go to, how much active-duty service you’ve had since September 10, 2001, and how many credits or training hours you’re taking.

Note: If you use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you’ll need to verify your enrollment every month to keep getting a monthly housing allowance or kicker payments.

Learn how to verify your enrollment for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits

If you already applied for and were awarded Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits, your GI Bill Statement of Benefits will show you how much of your benefits you’ve used and how much you have left to use.

Check your remaining Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits

You may qualify for these additional benefits:

• If you need more money to cover higher private school or out-of-state tuition, you can apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
  Learn about the Yellow Ribbon Program
  Find a Yellow Ribbon school
• If you’re a qualified service member, you can transfer all 36 months or a portion of your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child. The Defense Department approves a transfer of benefits.
  Learn about transferring Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
• If you’re the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001, you may qualify for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship).
  Learn more about the Fry Scholarship

You can use your GI Bill benefits in many ways to advance your education and training.

Work toward a degree with these benefits:

• Payments to help get undergraduate and graduate degrees
• Tuition Assistance Top-Up
• Tutorial assistance
• National tests

Train for a specific career, trade, or industry with these benefits:

• Payments to help get vocational or technical training and non-college degrees
• On-the-job training and apprenticeships
• Entrepreneurship training
• Flight training
• Licensing and certification tests and prep courses

Work while you study with these benefits:

• Co-op training
• Work Study

Take classes from home with these benefits:

• Correspondence training
• Independent and distance learning

This depends on how you’re using your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

Learn how we determine MHA for your educational situation

Learn how we determine your monthly payment for on-the-job training and apprenticeships

No. In 2011, Congress passed a law that prohibits VA from paying MHA during school breaks. This includes breaks between semesters, quarters, and terms. Be sure to plan ahead to cover your housing costs when school isn’t in session.

If your enrollment starts after the first of the month or ends before the last day of the month, we’ll pay you a prorated housing payment for the part of the month you’re enrolled in classes.

Note: If you’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we may be able to help. Call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 for help 24/7. You’ll talk privately with a trained VA counselor for free.