Sign up for our GI Bill Newsletter:
GI Bill Information: Ask the Expert BlogPosts Tagged ‘Education Benefits’
April 12th, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I separated from the USN on January 6, 2001. I utilized a large portion of my Montgomery GI Bill to pay for my bachelor’s degree. I am currently taking my physical exam to get back into the Naval Reserves and am curious to know what will happen in reference to my old GI Bill. I’m assuming I will receive the Reserve GI Bill, but will my clock reset on the Montgomery Bill I funded? Please advise me on what my options will be? I want to maximize whatever benefits I might still have available to me, as I’m in the process of getting my MBA. Thank you. — Mick
Mick, technically your Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB-AD) expired 10 years from your last date of discharge which would have been on January 6, 2011, but if you get into the Reserves, your clock should reset as your delimitation date is based on your last discharge date which if you get back into the military is yet to be determined.
As far as getting the Reserve Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserves (MGIB-SR), yes you will, but it doesn’t pay much – $345 per month and you have to pay your own tuition, fees, books and other education-related expenses. One other GI Bill I wanted to make you aware of is the new Post 9/11 GI Bill.
As a Reservist, if you deploy on a Title 10 order in support of a contingency operation for at least 91 days or more, you could get some eligibility under that GI Bill also. Just know that if you are eligible for two or more GI Bills, your total combined months of benefits is limited to 48 months. Being you got your bachelor’s degree under the MGIB-AD, you most likely only have around 12 months of benefits left to use under the MGIB-SR or Post 9/11 GI Bill should you qualify for both.
April 10th, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
Will the Post 9/11 GI Bill cover a real estate course to get licensed? The classes are approximately $500. If it does, will it also cover the state exam? Also, say I was going to get a certification at Universal Technical Institute to become an auto mechanic that was only 12 months long and cost $36,000. I understand I only get $17,500 a year and that’s all I will use. Will I be able to use the rest of my benefits to get my degree or start it until my funds are exhausted? — Kaeo
O.K. Kaeo, let’s walk through your questions one at a time. The Post 9/11 GI Bill should pay for your real estate course as it pays for courses that prepare you to take a certification or license test. And it would most likely also reimburse you up to $2,000 for the cost of the test to get your real estate license.
Since the implementation of the GI Bill 2.0, the Post 9/11 GI Bill also pays for vocational-type courses. The key is to ensure Universal Technical Institute is a VA-approved school before you start. It sounds like it is a private school being you mentioned you would get only $17,500 for the one-year course. If it was a public school, your tuition and fees would be paid in full at the resident rate.
Also, you would get the monthly housing allowance and $83 per month in a book stipend. The housing allowance averages around $1,200 per month.
There could be one hitch though and you will want to get these courses approved by the VA first. The GI Bill was developed to train veterans for a career. Because being an auto mechanic and real estate salesman are not related, the VA may hesitate to fund both of them; ask first to be sure.
You most likely have 36 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, so yes, you could use what is left to work on your degree until you run out, but I ask that you consider your career options carefully. You might want to re-look at getting your real estate license, automotive certification and degree. By trying to get all three, it most likely would not look like you have a solid career plan to the VA.
April 9th, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I left the Air Force in 1990 with an honorable discharge in good standing. I completed active duty training, technician, guardsman, and AGR. I have attended school and now both of my children are attending college. When I left the AF, I was told I could not continue to receive the GI Bill. Recently, I have met military individuals that receive the GI Bill and they are no longer on active duty. I’d like to know if I or my children are eligible for GI Bill benefits. I live in North Tonawanda, NY, 14120…maybe you can advise a location I can visit in person regarding these questions. I also am in the Teachers Retirement System and am looking to see if any of my service time can be added to my retirement system. Thanks for any assistance. 
— Rene
— Rene
It seems odd to me Rene that you were told you couldn’t receive the GI Bill after you got out. Back in 1990, you would have had the Montgomery GI Bill which has a 10-year delimitation date starting on the day of your discharge.
Depending on when you got out of the AGR program, you may qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Although that GI Bill did not come into existence until August 1, 2009, eligibility goes back to September 10, 2001. Up until recently, the only way a Guardsman or Reservists could get the New GI Bill was to deploy for at least 91 days on a Title Order in support of a contingency operation, such as Iraq or Afghanistan. So if you deployed, you may also have some eligibility there also.
You mentioned that you were AGR. The Post 9/11 GI Bill changed on October 1, 2011 when the GI Bill 2.0 went into effect, which essentially used your AGR time back to September 10, 2001 as eligible time for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. So depending on when you were in the AGR program and for how long, plus if you had any deployments or not, you could have the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
But I caution you that while you may have Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits you can use, you will not be able to transfer it them to your children because you are no longer serving. Also, if you do qualify for both GI Bills, you will be limited to a total of 48 months of benefits. Finally, you will have to check with your Teacher’s Retirement system to see if any of your service time qualifies under their system.
April 3rd, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
Hi, my husband retired with 25 years of service – 6 years active duty and the rest as a reservist, but was activated over 36 month post 9/11 and served overseas. He retired on July 19, 2009, yet the Post 9/11 GI Bill is effective Aug 1st. Is there any way he is eligible to use the GI Bill or pass it on to my children? If we only knew, I guess he would have retired a few weeks later – Cindy
Well, if it is any comfort Cindy, thousands of veterans were mislead as far as the Post 9/11 GI Bill. From before its fielding, to even a considerable amount of time after the Post 9/1 GI Bill came into existence, there were numerous untrue rumors and generally a lack of creditable information on what could and could not be done with the New GI Bill. We are still fighting untruths even today, almost three years later. My point is I don’t think he would have known much more a few weeks after August 1, 2009 than he did when he retired before that date. Good information was just not there at the time.
With your husband’s active duty time and 36 months of activations as a reservist, then yes, he is eligible for 36 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits. To enroll as a GI Bill student, he will need a Certificate of Eligibility. He can get that by submitting VA Form 22-1990 from the eBenefits website.
However, because he’s retired, regardless if it was before or after August 1, 2009, he is not eligible to make a transfer of benefits to his dependent children. The way Congress wrote the Post 9/11 GI Bill rules, he would have to be serving “on or after August 1, 2009” in order to make a transfer request.
I have started a petition that if approved would provide for a one-time transfer of benefits opportunity. You can read it and then decide if you and your husband would like to support it or not.
April 2nd, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
Mr. Kness, my husband was in for 7 years and is now receiving VA benefits. His home of record and enlistment state was Texas and we now reside in Texas too. It is my understanding that I am not eligible for the Hazelwood Act benefit. Am I eligible for a transfer of his GI Bill benefits? If not is there another option for me? Thanks. – Krystal
Let me start with addressing the transfer of your husband’s GI Bill benefit to you Krystal. Regardless if he has the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) or the Post 9/11 GI Bill, he can’t transfer benefits to you, but each for different reasons. The MGIB does not have, and never had, a transfer-of-benefits option. With the Post 9/11 GI Bill, your husband would have to still be serving in order to make a transfer request.
He served for seven years, meeting the service requirement of at least six years, but he would also need to have at least four years left on his enlistment at the time of the transfer request. The way Congress wrote the Post 9/11 GI Bill rules, the servicemember has to be serving “on or after August 1, 2009,” along with meeting the current and future service requirements, to get a transfer request approved.
As far as the Hazelwood Act, you are correct in saying you are not eligible for this benefit. And be glad you are not. If you were eligible, it would mean your husband was either killed in action or totally disabled as a result from service-connected injuries or illness.
Other options? Yes, you do have some. First, fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to see how much you qualify for as far as educational benefits. Then pursue loans, scholarships and grants. The latter two don’t have to be paid back, so I would focus my efforts on them. There is money out there, you just have to dig to find it.
March 28th, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I am doing a Post 9-11 GI Bill info brief for my classmates in Basic Officer Leaders Course. There are several National Guardsmen in my audience. These are my questions: Q1. About Guardsmen) Currently, what options do they have for the Post 9-11 GI Bill? I.E., when they go to their recruiter to obtain a contract or enter into ROTC, what options face them? (for instance: NG GI Bill option (like REAP, etc. vs. Student Loan Repayment vs. Post 9-11)b) If there is a Guardsman who has been serving for several months, who, at the time of entering into his contract, never received any info about what options he/she has for the GI Bill, does he/she still have an option (all other qualifications met) to go back and choose a GI Bill option? – Ben
Hi Ben. I’ll answer your questions in the order you asked them. First, the only way National Guardsmen can get the Post 9/11 GI Bill is to serve on a Title 10 order in support of a contingency operation, such as Afghanistan for at least 91 days. A typical one-year deployment gets them 36 months of benefits at 60% coverage. It takes three years of deployments to get to the 100% level.
As far as enlistment options, Guardsmen get the Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserves (MGIB-SR), which is very different from the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (MGIB-AD). They can also get Student Loan Repayment and kickers by enlisting into either a critical MOS or a critical unit. You mentioned REAP, but that is just the forerunner to the Post 9/11 GI Bill that Guardsmen received for deploying before the Post 9/11 GI Bill came into existence on August 1, 2009.
Guardsmen automatically get the MGIB-SR after one-year of service, so they really don’t have to sign up for anything. SLRP either has to be signed up for at the time of exlistment or if offered during re-enlistment. So as you can see, there really isn’t a GI Bill to choose – for Guardsmen there only is one to choose from unless they deploy or came in and had prior service.
March 23rd, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
How many classes do I need to take online to get the national average bah rate? – Michael
You can’t get the national average Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance (not BAH as the two are entirely different) rate by taking just online classes. The GI Bill 2.0 established a full-time online-only housing allowance rate of $673.50, which is about half of the national on campus or online/on campus mix rate. If you are less-than-a-full-time online-only student, the amount you would get would be prorated down to a lesser amount.
However, this is more than online students got before the change – before, they received nothing in housing allowance. I never really understood why, as online-only students have almost as many living expenses as campus-based students. They still have to have a place to live and food to eat.
However, there is a work-around where you can go to school as a full-time student and still get the full housing allowance amount – take at least one class (that pertains to your degree plan) per semester on a campus with the rest online. The amount of housing authorized for your on campus school may or may not be at the national average of $1,200. Some places are less than average while the East and West coasts are about double that amount. So without knowing where you are going to school and the number of credits you are taking, I can’t tell you what your rate should be.
The key to making this work is the class you take on campus each semester has to pertain to your degree plan. If not, the VA will not pay for your class and it will not count toward the number of credits that determines your housing allowance.
March 21st, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I am dazed and confused at this point. My situation is this, I served for 1 year and 9 months before receiving an Honorable Discharge, Jan 2001-Mar 2003. I paid into the Montgomery GI Bill and used approximately 18 months of it to go to a vocational/technical school. All together I have roughly 85 credit hours, maybe half of which I believe will transfer, maybe! I think I have 11 months left of my GI Bill, and I am now considering going back to school to get my bachelors degree. I live in Texas and have recently learned about the Hazelwood Act but I’m not sure what any of what I just mentioned means. So, if your in my shoes, how do you make the most of the benefits at hand? Does it matter in this equation that I am a 50% disabled veteran? Help Please! – Chris
No Chris, being 50% disabled doesn’t account for anything different. Usually it takes 100% disability before things start to change appreciably.
Generally to get a bachelor’s degree, you need about 120 credits. You said that maybe 45 or so credits will transfer, so you need about another 75 or so. Fortunately, the Hazelwood Act can provide you up to 150 hours of education benefit. So being you need about 75, you will have more than enough to finish getting your bachelor’s degree.
Also, you may use the rest of your Montgomery GI Bill benefits in conjunction with the Hazelwood Act – something you can’t do when using the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Just so you know, you have to meet the Hazelwood Act requirements as set forth by the Texas Veterans Commission to qualify for the educational benefit, which are:
- Having been a Texas resident upon entry into the military, entered into active federal duty in the State of Texas, or declared Texas as his or her home of record at the time of entry into the armed forces as documented on his or her DD Form 214;
- Having a military discharge of honorable or general, under honorable conditions;
- Served for at least 181 days of active duty service (excluding training);
- Not be in default on an education loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas and not in default on a federal loan if that default is the reason the student cannot use his or her federal veterans’ benefits.
The only other requirement is you must also live in Texas when going to school there.
March 20th, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I was eligible for REAP while I was a Reservist, but once I retired, I was put on the Post 9/11. This benefit is thoroughly confusing, I never know when it will hit my account the amounts are never consistent my documents say I will get one amount but it is always drastically lower than what is expected. I called one of the automated numbers it was giving me information from 1995, and to speak with a live person was upwards of 20 minutes. With 60% 3/4 full-time student, how much SHOULD I be getting monthly? I appreciate all that is given to me (but in turn I gave a little as well 20 years of honorable service and 14 months in Iraq) I just wish speaking to someone and understanding the paper work was easier. Please advise thank you in advance!! – Tracey
Actually Tracey, I can’t tell you how much you should be getting unless you tell me which school you are going to or its zip code, and the number of credits you are taking, as these two items determine your Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance. I can tell you the U.S. housing allowance average is $1,200, but that amount can double if you attend a school on either the East or West Coast. I can also tell you your book stipend will be calculated at 60% of $41.67 per credit (up to your $600 annual limit – 60% of the $1,000 yearly cap).
Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the VA pays your tuition (at the resident rate) in full ( or 60% in your case) if you attend a public school. If you decide to attend a private school, then they will pay up to 60% of the $17,500 per year maximum.
The New GI Bill underwent some changes between August 1st and October 1, 2011, so that could account for some of the variance in the amount you receive. For example, before the change, you would have received the full housing allowance as long as you were taking at least 51% of the credits your school considered to be full-time. After the change, the amount you receive for attending the same school is directly tied to the number of credits you take. So if your credit load varies by semester, so will your housing allowance amount.
You can look up for yourself how much you should be receiving. Just go to the BAH Calculator and enter in your school zip code. Select E-5 from the Pay Grade Drop-down Menu and click on Submit. You would get 60% of the amount listed with dependents.
March 19th, 2012
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I have equally transferred my 9/11 GI Bill benefits to my 3 boys (12 months each). My oldest son begins college next fall (Aug 2012) and is looking at a couple of private schools which participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program [Both have tuition of $30K/year and offer $12K and $5K of matching funds, respectively. He was admitted to one (still waiting on the other) and was offered a merit scholarship of $15K/year. Is there a way to distribute the 12 months of 9/11 GI Bill benefit to him w/o losing the value of the merit scholarship? Can the benefit be applied over time for only 1 semester (GI Bill covers) and then second semester is covered by merit scholarship? – Jerry
Actually Jerry, your son can mix and match how he uses his transferred Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits and merit scholarships, but generally to maximize his GI Bill benefits, he will want to avoid using both the GI Bill and scholarships in the same semester. He could use most of his GI Bill benefits all at once over the year of school, or use it one semester at a time spread out over time. The thing to keep in mind is your son’s transferred benefits are only good up to age 26. Any unused benefits left after that age are lost, unless you revoke them back before he hits age 26.
As you may or may not know, the VA pays tuition up to $17,500 per year if your son attends a private school or 100% of resident tuition if your son goes to a public school in his home state.
When your son decides to use his Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, choosing a private school that has the Yellow Ribbon Program is a good move. With a $30,000 tuition and the VA paying up to $17,500 per year, his school could pay up to 50% of the $12,500 difference with the VA paying an equal amount. This would potentially leave nothing left for your son to pay. He will have to check with his school to see what percentage they are actually paying as listed in their Yellow Ribbon agreement with the VA.
If he does choose a private school not enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon program, then he could use both his scholarship and his GI Bill, but the VA would then only pay the $15,000 difference between his tuition and merit scholarship, instead of the $17,500.
Featured Online Schools
Grantham University
Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Information Systems & Security
Full Sail University - Online
Game Design, Mobile Development, Cinematography, Sports Marketing, and more
About The Authors
Get answers to questions about the old & new GI Bills
- Former Supervisor of Military Personnel Services, including Education Benefits
- Last assignment: Division Command Sergeant Major/E-9
- 36 years of military service
- 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
- Benefits
- GI Bill Benefits: Active
- GI Bill Benefits: Reserve
- Veterans/VEAP
- Dependents/DEA
- Tuition Assistance
- Tuition Top-Up
- VA Home Loans
- Getting To WAVE
- WAVE
- Application
- Eligibility
- Transfer
- FAQ
- GI Bill Schools
- Grantham University
- American Military University
- Grand Canyon University
- Jones International University
Disclaimer: This website is not endorsed by or affiliated with the U.S. government or military.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Sitemap | Contact UsCopyright © 1998 - 2012 GIBill.com. All Rights Reserved.
