How Do We Transfer Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits to Our Daughter?

My husband was active duty in the Marines ‘89-’93 and has been active duty in the Army since ‘96. Does that mean he qualifies for the new Post 9/11 GI Bill?

I read somewhere also that you have to be in the military for 4 years after the transfer. Obviously we’re coming up on that 20 year retirement mark in less than 4 years. Would he need to stay in at least long enough to meet that requirement?

And my last concern is that in 1993-94 my husband took some classes at a local community college, but never finished and of course we ended up having to pay back that money he used from his GI Bill. Does that void the whole thing? Would his GI Bill even still be available to us?

Thank you for your help and patience. I usually handle things pretty well while he’s deployed but this whole college thing has got me pretty flustered:) Thanks again. — AmyK

Take it easy Amy, it isn’t that difficult as you will see and no your questions are not simple or silly.  Hundreds of other people will learn from you asking them.  This whole GI Bill stuff is complex and difficult to understand. I’ll answer each question in order.

Yes, your daughter can use your husband’s Post 9/11 GI Bill to go to school, provided he makes a benefit transfer to her. More on that in a minute.

Not only will it pay for her tuition (up to the VA’s maximum rate for the state where she will go to school), she will also get a monthly housing allowance and book stipend.

Yes, your husband qualifies for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The requirement for the full Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit (which is what is needed to transfer benefits) is three years after September 10, 2001, which he obviously has. To get the transfer option requires at least six years of active duty and committing to an additional four years. In your husband’s case, he would have to extend to get to 20 years, which will be less than four years, before he would be allowed to make the transfer.

Back when your husband went to school, he had the Montgomery GI Bill. No, it doesn’t void the whole thing, but if he switched to the Post 9/11 GI Bill now, he would only get the same number of months he has left on his Montgomery GI Bill, and not the full 36 months. But why not switch and let your daughter use at least those months. It sounds like he maybe only went one semester, which would be 3 months, so he might have about 33 months left.

So the sequence of events is:

• extend to 20 years;
• make the transfer – one of my earlier blogs talks about how to do this;
• have your daughter submit VA Form 22-1990e – this is covered in that same earlier blog;
• take the Certificate of Eligibility with her when she goes to enroll in school.

See Amy, I told you it wasn’t that difficult! Congratulations on raising your daughter and getting her off to college.