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March 10th, 2010 by - GIBillExpert
How Do I Get an Extension to the GI Bill?
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I completed my active duty in 1999 and I tried to go back to school in 2000 but my daughter became ill and I had to drop out of school. I suffered from depression and anxiety. I finally in 2008 had my depression and anxiety put under control and I went back to school, but I ran out of my GI Bill. Does depression and anxiety fall under a disability? I would like to know how I would go about appealing and and asking for an extension. — Autumn L.

The Veterans Affairs department is able to offer extensions of the Montgomery GI Bill’s 10 year delimiting period to veterans only in limited circumstances. One of these is if the veteran was prevented from attending school due to a disability. Because of your medical problems (depression and anxiety), you may qualify for this purpose.

In order to consider granting you an extension, the VA will need to have a physician’s statement that you were prevented from attending school due to a disability. A letter from your doctor will help in this regard. You should be aware that the VA may or may not grant the extension, based on their examination of your situation.

The same rule applies to the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, although it will be 2016 before anyone runs into the new 15-year time limit for that bill.

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March 10th, 2010 by - GIBillExpert
Can I Get the $1,200 for the GI Bill Back?
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When I entered the service in 2004 either we signed up for the GI Bill or we elected out of it. I paid the $1,200 at the time whereas there is not a fee anymore. Do the people that paid into the GI Bill receive their money back? — Peter F.

Can you get the $1,200 that you paid into the GI Bill fund back because you are now eligible for the new GI Bill? Well, it is possible to get it back, but it can take you some time.

If you are eligible for the old Montgomery GI Bill (the one that you paid $1,200 into the first year of your military service) as well as the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, then you have your choice of which program of educational benefits to use. If you elect to change over to the new GI Bill, that choice is permanent; you cannot change back to the old GI Bill. If you change to the new bill, and use up all 36 months of benefits, then you will receive the $1,200 that you paid into the Montgomery GI Bill with your final housing stipend payment. If you never completely exhaust your GI Bill, then you will never receive the refund.

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March 10th, 2010 by - Ron Kness
Can I Use My GI Bill to Get My Commercial Driver’s License?
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I got out of the Navy in 2007 and was wanting to know if i could use my GI Bill to go to a votech school to get my commercial drivers license? I am pretty sure i can but just wanted to make sure. — James

I need to clarify which GI bill you are referring to James because there is a difference between what the Montgomery GI Bill and Post 9/11 GI Bill will pay.  Also, I assume you are referencing a commercial truck driving program, verses just a commercial drivers license (CDL).

The Montgomery GI Bill will pay you to go to a vo-tech school for a commercial truck driving program, while the New GI Bill will not at a vo-tech school, but would if the course is at a college or university. Either GI Bill will pay for you to take the CDL exam, however the New GI Bill would not pay for any expenses leading up to the exam and it will pay for only one test.  My advice is to stick with the Montgomery GI Bill for the type of training your are considering because it will pay for both the course and the CDL, in case the CDL isn’t included as part of the course.

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March 10th, 2010 by - Jeffery Anderson
Which GI Bill Am I Eligible For?
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Sir, I am currently employed inside Iraq as a civilian contractor and finding an education counselor in our area is not easy.  These are my questions.  I am trying to find out the following information 1. Which GI Bill do I fall under?  I entered active duty service in April 1982, retired Honorably Jan 2005.  2. Can I change to, and then use the Post 9/11 GI Bill?  If so…3. Can I then transfer my benefits to my spouse for her to continue on her PhD? (University of Southern Mississippi) 4.  The length of time for the Post 9/11 GI Bill to be used is 36 months as a full time student, is this correct? 5. Would the BAH housing allowance apply to retired service members while enrolled or while their spouse is enrolled, full time student?  Thank you for your time, Keith.

Hi Keith, you are actually eligible for both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  I am assuming that you have used no GI Bill benefits yet, so if you switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you will receive 36 months of education benefits, and you will have 15 years to use them from the time you left active duty.

If you remain on the Montgomery GI Bill, you receive 36 months of education benefits and you have 10 years to use them from the time you left active duty service.  However, since you are eligible for both GI Bills, if you use your 36 months of Montgomery GI Bill benefits, you can also receive an additional 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, for a total of 48 months of benefits.

You are not eligible to transfer your GI Bill benefits to your spouse under either program.  The transfer provision was added to the Post 9/11 GI Bill in August 2009, and to be eligible for the provision you would have had to have been on active duty 1 August 2009.  The Montgomery GI Bill does not have a transfer provision.

You are eligible for the housing allowance while using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and carrying more than a 1/2 course load of credit hours for a semester, and the classes have to be traditional classes, not online classes.  You are also eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program while using the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

I think that takes care of all of your questions, feel free to email in any others you might have, Good Luck!

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March 10th, 2010 by - Jeffery Anderson
My Husband and I Are Divorcing, How Can He Transfer His GI Bill Benefits to Me?
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My husband and I are going through a divorce, and I asked him to transfer his GI benefits to me.  He agreed that he would, the only thing is, as of now he isn’t currently enlisted in any armed forces.  He served five years in the Navy, and is currently trying to go Army Reserve.  I’m not sure how that would work as far as transferring the benefits to me, and also about the stipends that I wouldn’t receive.  Can you clear this up for me?  LaRosa

Hi LaRosa, First,  your husband would not be able to transfer his GI Bill benefits to you even if you weren’t divorcing.  You didn’t mention when your husband served his five years of active duty service in the Navy.  He may be eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, or he may be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, or he could even be eligible for benefits from both GI Bills.  The Post 9/11 GI Bill is the only GI Bill with a provision for transferring benefits to a military spouse, and to be eligible for that provision, your husband would have had to have been on active duty on 1 August 2009, or have gone onto active duty after that date.

Service members who were on active duty on 1 August 2009 had to have been on active duty for at least 6 years to be eligible for the transfer provision, and they had to agree to serve for at least 4 additional years if the transfer was approved.  If your husband goes back on active duty, and is eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, he will have to serve at least one more year to become eligible to transfer his benefits, and agree to serve 4 more years.

He can transfer his benefits to you as long as you are married.  Once the transfer of benefits is approved, a divorce does not affect the use of the benefits by the spouse.  You would not be eligible for the housing stipend while he was on active duty.

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March 10th, 2010 by - Ron Kness
What Will the VA Pay If My Daughter Goes to School in Another State?
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I am looking to transfer my Post 9/11 GI Bill over to my daughter. We live in Minnesota and she wants to attend a college in another state that does not have reciprocity. If I am eligible for 100% though Minnesota, would she also be covered at 100% at that out-state school or just the highest amount through Minnesota? — Bob

Bob, its good to talk to a fellow Minnesotan. It really depends on which state she chooses to go to school and it goes beyond just the tuition and fees. I’ll explain that in a minute.

Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the VA assigned each State its own maximum public school tuition/fees amount based on a number of different factors; Minnesota’s maximum is $4,493.86 per term. If the maximum in the State where your daughter will go to school is less than Minnesota, 100% of her tuition would be covered.  If the maximum for that State is more than Minnesota, then she (or you) would have to pay the difference between Minnesota’s maximum amount and her tuition/fees.

Her housing allowance would also be affected; the housing allowance is calculated at the E-5 rate with dependents and the school’s zip code. This could also be more or less than what it is in Minnesota. For St. Paul, it is $1,428 per month.  Regardless of where she goes to school, she would also get up to $1,000 per year in a book stipend.

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March 9th, 2010 by - GIBillExpert
Where Do I Find Out If I Am Eligible for the GI Bill?
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I have been unable to determine whether or not I am eligible. Every site I go to takes me through the application process but before they tell me what my eligibility is, I am propositioned with online schools. I want to attend a regular college and become a dentist. I want to be a full time student. — Jason J.

Well, I don’t have enough information to tell you whether you are eligible for the GI Bill, but I can tell you where to go to get that information.

The only place to apply for the GI Bill is the official Veterans Affairs department web-site. Their GI Bill application page walks you through the whole process and lets you know what you need to do to verify your eligibility.

Here are some of the basic questions that determine who is eligible for the GI Bill:

Did you sign up for the Montgomery GI Bill when enlisting in the military, and paid $100 per month into the bill for your first 12 months of duty? In this case you are eligible as long as you served enough of your commitment (2 years if you signed up for a 2-year enlistment, 3 years if you signed up for more) and received an honorable discharge. If you received a general discharge (even if it is “under honorable conditions”), or a dishonorable discharge, you are not eligible.

Did you serve at least 90 days of active duty after September 11, 2001, and receive an honorable discharge? If so, you are eligible for the new Post 9/11 GI Bill.  You must have served at least 36 months of active duty in order to get full benefits.

In some cases, you do not need to have served as long if you were separated from the military for medical purposes. If you were separated for a service-connected disability, you only need to have served 30 days active duty to be eligible for the new GI Bill.

You remain eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill for 10 years after separating from the military; you remain eligible for the new GI Bill for 15 years after separating.

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March 9th, 2010 by - GIBillExpert
Can I Use the GI Bill on Active Duty?
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If I am still active duty in the military can I use my GI bill while still serving? — Taquea D.

Yes, as a matter of fact, you can use the GI Bill while you are on active duty. In many cases, however, you get less benefit out of it this way.

If you are using the Montgomery GI Bill, you can apply to use the benefits while on active duty. However, if you are on active duty, you receive either the normal monthly MGIB payment, or the monthly cost of your courses, whichever is less. If you are also using Tuition Assistance (TA) from your service, you can only use the GI Bill to pay the portion of tuition that is not covered by TA. Since most of the services’ TA programs are not paying 100% tuition, this should only come up if your courses go over the maximum amount of TA.

You can use the new Post 9/11 GI Bill while on active duty as well, in a similar manner. Not, however, that if you are on active duty, you do not receive the housing stipend or book allowance.

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March 9th, 2010 by - Jeffery Anderson
Is My Husband Eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and How Does He Transfer To It?
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My husband joined the Navy in 86 (old GI Bill) and got out of active duty in 98, then transferred to reserves till 07 (got called up to active duty) for 8 months.  Active duty Jan 07-August 07.  He retired in June 08 with a total of 22 years military service.  Is he eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill?  If so how do we transfer old MGIB to Post 9/11, if he did not already do so?  If yes, can he transfer his Post 9/11 to our children?  He is also on disability (50%) from the military.  Thanks, Judy

Hi Judy, Your husband is definitely eligible for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, as he served at least 90 days of active duty service after 10 September 2001, and because he was already eligible for Montgomery GI Bill benefits, he may elect to switch his Montgomery GI Bill benefits to the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  He should go to the VONAPP website, and follow the directions in order to change over to the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  His disability doesn’t affect anything with the Post 9/11 GI Bill, but he can elect to use the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation benefits instead of the GI Bill, if he wishes.

He will not be able to transfer Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to your children.  The transfer provision was added to the Post 9/11 GI Bill in August 2009, and in order to be eligible for the provision service members had to have been on active duty 1 August 2009, or come onto active duty since then.  You and your husband should check on the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society site, they have grants and scholarships available for the children of Navy veterans, and they have links to other sites which also offer education benefits to children of Navy veterans.

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March 9th, 2010 by - Ron Kness
If I Qualify for the GI Bill, Can My Husband Transfer His Benefits to Me?
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Can my husband transfer his GI Bill/Post 9-11 to me, his wife? First, both of us were prior military. He served from 2000-2006 Active duty, and 2006-2008 Army Reserve, and is entitled to either of the two. I served on Active duty from 1999-2007, and am currently receiving benefits under the Post 9/11 bill. I have roughly 2 more years of benefits that I will use after I finish my degree. We wanted to know if I could use his benefits to continue onto my Bachelors if his bill can transfer over to me? Thank You — Sophie

No Sophie, he can’t now that he is separated from the military.  He would have had to make the transfer on or after August 1, 2009 while still on active duty.

As far as the Post 9/11 GI Bill regulation is concerned, you area a family member enrolled in DEERS, by regulation he could have transferred some of his benefit to you. Under the Rule of 48, you would have been limited to a maximum of 48 months.

After you use your GI Bill benefits, search around online for more financial aid opportunities. Don’t give up your dream; where there is a will, there is a way.  There is lots of money out there to pay for you school; all you have to do is find it with some searching.

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G.I. Ron Kness
G.I. Ron Kness
  • Former Supervisor of Military Personnel
    Services, including Education Benefits
  • Last assignment: Division Command
    Sergeant Major/E-9
  • 36 years of military service
G.I. Jeffery Anderson
G.I. Jeffery Anderson
  • Served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps
  • His father, grandfather, and two uncles served in the U.S. Army, and his son served in the U.S. Navy
  • Graduate of Virginia Military Institute
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