Can Our Son Use My Husband’s GI Bill Benefits for College?

Hi Kriss, I’m afraid that your assumption is not correct.  It sounds like your husband is eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, and probably the Post 9/11 GI Bill as well, but he is not eligible for the transfer of benefits provision in the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  For him to be eligible for that provision, he would have had to be on active duty as of 1 August 2009.  The provision was added at that time, and only service members who were on active duty then, or came onto active duty since then, can become eligible to transfer their GI Bill Benefits.  It was not retroactive.

I looked at the websites for the California and New Hampshire Departments of Veterans Affairs, and I don’t believe either state has any education benefits available for dependents of veterans, unless the service member was disabled or killed while on active duty.  You might check on the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society website, they have grants and scholarships for the dependents of Navy veterans, and your son may be eligible.  They also have links to other sites which offer education benefits to children of Navy veterans.  You might also consider ROTC scholarships, which can take care of all of your son’s education expenses.