GI Bill Information: Ask the Expert BlogPosts Tagged ‘Montgomery GI Bill’
by Ron Kness
Generally speaking J.S., the Montgomery GI Bill is not transferable to dependents, so unless your dad took advantage of the transfer option during the short time the Air Force had their transfer pilot project, I doubt if you have any GI Bill to use, however, it sounds you might qualify for the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance Program (DEA).
Under that program, you can get up to 45 months of education benefit, payable at $936 per month starting on October 1, 2010, if you go to school full-time. You will have to pay all your education-related expenses from that amount – tuition, fees, books, room and board, etc.
To be eligible for the program, your dad would have had to pass away as a result from a service-connected disability, injury or accident. To apply, send in VA Form 22-5490.
If you qualify for DEA benefits, you can start using the program once you turn 18 and you must finish using your 45 months of benefits before turning age 26. Any unused benefits at that point, you lose.
by GIBillExpert
No, you probably won’t be able to get your $1,200 contribution to enroll in the Montgomery GI Bill refunded to you. Once you put the money in, it is essentially gone, and even if you don’t use the education benefits, or you lose them due to waiting more than 10 years, you can’t get the money back.
There is one exception. If you change over to the new Post 9/11 GI Bill (assuming you are eligible), and completely use up the benefits of that bill, then with your last check from that bill you receive a refund for the money you put into the older Montgomery GI Bill. But that’s a lot of work to get that $1,200 back.
by Jeffery Anderson
Hi Richard, I’m afraid there’s not a lot you can do as far as transferring your GI Bill to your daughter. You don’t mention which GI Bill you’re eligible for, but the Montgomery GI Bill doesn’t have a transfer of benefits provision so if that’s the GI Bill you have, only you can use those benefits.
If you have the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you can’t transfer those benefits once you have left active duty. A service member with the Post 9/11 GI Bill must have been in the military for at least 6 years before they are eligible to transfer their benefits to a spouse or dependent child, and they must agree to remain on active duty for 4 years after the transfer is approved. If the transferred benefits are going to a dependent child, the service member must complete 10 years of military service before the child can use the benefits.
You should have your daughter contact the Army Emergency Relief as they often have grant and scholarship programs for the children of Army veterans.
by Ron Kness
Your question was “Why can’t I receive the same benefits for the school I have chosen to attend?” I agree with you, but the reason is because of rules – the Post 9/11 GI Bill has different rules than the Montgomery GI Bill. If you think about it, it makes sense. After all, there wouldn’t be much sense in having both GI Bills, if each covered the same thing.
The Post 9/11 GI Bill is geared toward degree-producing schools – those schools where you earn anywhere from an associate’s degree all the way to a doctorate. On the other hand, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) also pays for degree-producing, but in addition, it also covers:
- Trade;
- Technical;
- Licenses;
- Certification training.
There is a caveat to the Post 9/11 GI Bill in that some non-degree courses are covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill if they are taught by a school that also teaches degree-producing courses, so that is something you probably should check out.
I looked for your school in the VA-approved schools list, but I did not see it, unless it is listed under something else. I would ensure it is, in fact, a VA-approved school first before enrolling.
by Ron Kness
Your GI Bill from your first tour has expired. The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), which is what you had, has a 10-year delimiting date, so it expired in 2006. However, you do qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill from your last tour ending in 2005. Under the Rule of 48, if you are eligible for two GI Bills, the maximum combined entitlement is capped at 48 months.
You had 36 months of the Montgomery GI Bill, and you will have 36 months of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Because you had the Montgomery GI Bill, and never used it and it expired, you won’t be able to get the additional 12 months, but you should be able to switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill and get your 36 months being you never used them the first time around.
by Jeffery Anderson
Hi Douglas, The VA has a web-page where service members and veterans can look for approved programs and schools within specific states and countries. You or the soldier you are helping should look under the Ohio heading and see what schools might have the program you are looking for and be fairly close to Cambridge.
One thing I will mention before you get too far into it is that a lot is going to depend on the GI Bill the soldier is eligible for. If they plan on using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, then they are going to have to find a truck driving school that is affiliated with a degree awarding institute of higher learning. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is designed to be used to earn a college degree and because of that it is only approved for use at a school that has the capability to award at least an associate’s degree.
I have had veterans with the same concern who were looking for flight schools or police academies to use their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to attend. As long as the program is associated with a degree awarding school there is a chance the Post 9/11 GI Bill will be approved for use with the program.
If your soldier is eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, then it might be a little easier to find an approved program closer to Cambridge, Ohio. The benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill can be applied to a broader range of educational programs.
by Ron Kness
Heather, I’m going to assume you submitted VA Form 22-1990 telling the VA you were starting a new program. They need this form to match up with the one your school sends in once you are enrolled to get your Montgomery GI Bill payments restarted. If you have not submitted the form, then you will need to do so as soon as possible.
It normally takes about 8 to 10 weeks before you start seeing any money. After you get your first check, then you should see a monthly amount shortly after the beginning of each month.
Because of the lag time in getting the first check, I always advise students to have at least 3 months of funds in reserve to cover their bills during the initial period. If you don’t have that reserve, and it sounds as though you don’t, then you know it can get rough while you are waiting on your GI Bill payment.
by Jeffery Anderson
Hi Mike, before I answer your question I’ll ask you a question, “why would you want to do this at this point in time?” If you have already decided where you plan to go to school and what you are going to be majoring in, then I can understand it a little bit. But if you are just doing it because you are going to be getting out of the military in February and you want to tie up loose ends, then I think you are making a big mistake.
If you don’t switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill now, you will be getting out of the military armed with two different GI Bills that can assist you with just about any type of education program you decide to pursue. If you switch now, it will be almost impossible to switch back to the Montgomery GI Bill if you discover that it would have been a better benefits program for the education program you have chosen. I get questions all the time from veterans wondering why the Post 9/11 GI Bill won’t pay for their school or program.
In some cases the Post 9/11 GI Bill can be the best GI Bill for attending school and in other cases the Montgomery GI Bill provides more benefits. I suggest you wait until you know what you plan to do and then do a GI Bill comparison before deciding which one to use. One nice thing about the Montgomery GI Bill is that if you are eligible for both GI Bills, you can use your MGIB benefits first and then apply for 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits so you end up with a total of 48 months of benefits. If you switch now, you are only going to receive 36 months of benefits.
When the time comes, if you decide the Post 9/11 GI Bill is the best route for you to take, all you have to do is go to the VONAPP website and apply for the Post 9/11 GI Bill online. The VA will automatically switch you from the MGIB to the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
by GIBillExpert
No, I’m afraid that, if you had any educational benefits, that they have expired by now.
When you enlisted, you should have had the opportunity to sign up for the Montgomery GI Bill. If you did, and paid the required $1,200 into it over the course of your first year of service ($100 per month), then you could have used that bill when you left the service. However, Montgomery GI Bill benefits expire 10 years after you leave the service, so they would have expired in 2005. The only allowed extensions are for medical disabilities or having been held by a foreign power.
Even if you did have educational benefits available, there are no means of transferring those benefits to a spouse unless you do it while you are still in the military.
by Jeffery Anderson
Hi Lawrence, I’m not sure which GI Bill you’re planning on using, but I would think you are in good shape with either one. The Post 9/11 GI Bill can be used at approved institutions of higher learning to earn a degree. Every Bible College that I am aware of has the ability to award several types of degrees, so they should qualify. The best way to find out for sure is to go to this VA website and click on the state your school is in to see if your school is on the approved list of schools in that state.
If for some reason the school you are considering is not on the list, I would look for other Bible Colleges that are on there. I think there would almost have to be some that are approved for the Post 9/11 GI Bill and you may even be able to find some that are Yellow Ribbon Program schools. A Yellow Ribbon Program school could be a big help if you are considering attending college out of your resident state. If you are accepted into the school’s Yellow Ribbon Program, they will cover a portion of your tuition that exceeds what the Post 9/11 GI Bill pays and the VA will match their contribution.
If you are planning on using Montgomery GI Bill benefits to attend the school, I would think that as long as it is an approved program you should be able to use your benefits for the school.
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
