My Ex-Husband Want’s to Transfer His Benefits to Our Son, How Does He Do That?

Hi Tara,  First off, your ex-husband has to be eligible for the New GI Bill.  It  sounds like he is.  He should have switched to the New GI Bill in August 2009, if  he was still on the Montgomery GI Bill. If that didn’t happen, he will need to switch to the New GI Bill program.  Before a request to transfer benefits can be approved, your husband needs to have served at least 6 years on active duty, and will need to agree to serve an additional 4 years.  There are some exceptions to the 4 year extension, if he is close to retirement.  The first bit of paperwork is filling out the Department of Defense Application for Transfer of Benefits.  This can be found at www.dmdc.osd.mil/TEB/, and can be done online.  This application will determine if he is eligible to transfer his benefits, and if your son is eligible to receive them.   Prior to your son using the benefits, if everything is approved, your son will need to submit VA Form 22-1990e, which can be found at the Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Also, there is a requirement that your husband has served 10 years on active duty, prior to your son being eligible to use the benefits.  That might be an issue, depending on how long your husband has been on active duty, and how old your son is.  Regarding the DEERS registration, I believe that as long as your son is registered, that is the only requirement.  When your husband submits his application, he might inquire if it is a problem if your son is registered under you and not him.