Getting Started: Your GI Bill Application

To begin using GI Bill benefits, you first have to submit an application. For the older Montgomery GI Bill, this is often initiated by the university that you attend. You submit a form to the school and they send in forms that verify you are enrolled and ready to draw on your GI Bill benefits. Most universities have a military office to assist servicemembers and veterans by providing information on what the student must do.

Applying for the New Post-9/11 GI Bill

If you are applying for benefits through the new Post-9/11 GI Bill or if you are using the older Bill and wish to perform a GI Bill transfer to the new Post-9/11 version, you can do this online at the Veterans Affairs Web site using the automated Veterans Online Application (VONAPP).

How Important Is GI Bill Verification?

After you initiate your benefits, you must verify your GI Bill eligibility each month on the VA Website's Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) system. Verifying your GI Bill with WAVE is a crucial step to receiving continued benefits.

What About the Buy-Up Program?

If you are still in the military, and you are eligible for benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill, you can apply for the Buy-Up program. For this program, you pay $600 from your paycheck to increase the amount of your GI Bill benefits. The $600 payment can be split into smaller amounts if that's more convenient. The payoff: the GI Bill benefits are increased by $100 per month when you begin to use them, which amounts to $5,400 over 3 years. The buy-up program is not available under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.