Is the Shelf-life to Use GI Bill Benefits Ten or Fifteen Years?

No, Jerry, it isn’t true. The shelf-life for the GI Bill you have – Montgomery GI Bill is still 10 years.  Your unused benefit expired in 2005.

What did happen is starting on August 1, 2009, the VA added a new GI Bill to the family – the Post 9/11 GI Bill and this new program has a shelf-life of 15 years. This is probably the source of the 10-year/15-year confusion.

To qualify for the new GI Bill though, you have to have had the minimum amount of active-duty service – 90 days – after September 10, 2001. To receive the maximum benefit requires at least 3 years of active duty service.

The new GI Bill still provides up to 36 month of benefit, just as did the Montgomery GI Bill, but the biggest difference is the VA pays your school directly for tuition and fees and you receive a monthly housing allowance and a book stipend.

Two other big changes between the two GI Bill is:

• the new GI Bill focuses more on degree-producing programs and not so much on non-degree types of training as does the Montgomery GI Bill;
• the new GI Bill has a transfer option where you can transfer education benefits to your spouse or children.