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Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits - Post 9-11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008

Graphic image showing soaring stylistic airplanes representing the Post 9-11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 The Post- 9/11 GI Bill is a new benefit providing educational assistance to individuals who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, for training pursued on or after August 1, 2009. Preliminary information below is presented in a question and answer format.

When Can I Receive Benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill?

Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are payable for training pursued on or after August 1, 2009. No payments can be made under this program for training pursued before that date.

Am I Eligible?

At a minimum, you must have served at least 30 days of continuous active duty service after September 10, 2001 and be discharged due to a service-connected disability, or served an aggregate of 90 days of active duty service after September 10, 2001, and--

· Be honorably discharged from Armed Forces; or

· Be released from Armed Forces with service characterized as honorable and placed on the retired list, temporary disability retired list, or transferred to the Fleet Reserve or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; or

· Be released from the Armed Forces with service characterized as honorable for further service in a reserve component; or

· Be discharged or released from Armed Forces for:

o EPTS (Existed Prior to Service)

o HDSP (Hardship) or

o CIWD (Condition Interfered with Duty); or

· Continue to be on active duty.

If I am eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill (chapter 30), Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (chapter 1606), or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (chapter 1607), am I eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill?

You may elect to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill if, on August 1, 2009, you have met the requirements to qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and you are eligible for Montgomery GI Bill (chapter 30), Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (chapter 1606), Reserve Educational Assistance Program (chapter 1607), or are serving in the Armed Forces.

How many months of assistance can I receive?

Generally, you may receive up to 36 months of entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

How much will I receive?

You are entitled to a percentage, as determined by your length of active duty service, of the following:

· Amount of tuition and fees charged, not to exceed the most expensive in-State undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher education (paid to school);

· Monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing (BAH) amount payable to a military E-5 with dependents, in same zip code as school* (paid to you); and

· Yearly books and supplies stipend of up to $1000* per year (paid to you); and

· A one time payment of $500 may be payable to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas. (paid to you)

*NOTE: Housing allowance and books and supplies stipend is not payable to individuals on active duty. Housing allowance is not payable for those pursuing training at half time or less or to individuals taking distance learning.

Individuals must serve an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of:

Member Serves	Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable
At least 36 months	100
At least 30 continuous days on active duty and discharged due to service-connected disability	100
At least 30 months, but less than 36 months	90
At least 24 months, but less than 30 months	80
At least 18 months, but less than 24 months	70
At least 12 months, but less than 18 months	60
At least 06 months, but less than 12 months	50
At least 90 days, but less than 06 months	40

Examples:

Tuition and Fees charged for full time: $6700

Highest In-State Tuition and Fees: $7000

Example 1: If you served for three years on active duty and separated, and you are going to school full-time, in the above example you would be eligible for $6700 for tuition and fees, the monthly housing allowance, and $1000 for books and supplies.

Example 2: If you aggregated 12 months of active duty service in the guard or reserves, and were going to school full-time, you would be eligible for $4020 (60% of $6700) for tuition and fees, $600 (60% of $1000) for books and supplies stipend, and 60% of the monthly housing allowance.

How long am I eligible?

You will be eligible for benefits for 15 years from your last period of active duty of at least 90 consecutive days. If you were released for a service-connected disability after at least 30 days of continuous service, you will also be eligible for benefits for 15 years.

What does The Post- 9/11 GI Bill cover?

You may receive benefits for training programs approved for chapter 30 that are offered by an institution of higher learning. This includes graduate and undergraduate training, and vocational/technical training. You may also receive benefits for tutorial assistance and reimbursement of one licensing and certification test.

Additionally, if you were eligible for chapter 30, 1606 or 1607, and you elected to use benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you would be eligible to receive benefits for on-the-job training, apprenticeship training, correspondence courses, flight training, preparatory courses, and national exams.

Can I transfer my entitlement to my dependents?

If you are a member of the Armed Forces on August 1, 2009, the Department of Defense (DoD) may offer you the opportunity to transfer benefits to your spouse or dependent children. DoD and the Military Services will issue policy on use of transferability in the coming months.

Are there any enrollment fees?

There are no enrollment fees to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

I have a service-connected disability. Should I use the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Vocational Rehabilitation?

If you are eligible for both the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (CH31), you should speak with your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to determine which benefit is most beneficial to your situation.

Additional Information

A calculator providing the current Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) based on zip code, year, and rank is available at the Department of Defense Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee at:
http://perdiem.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html

Source

Some information for this topic was drawn from the VA website at:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/
http://www.gibill.va.gov/s22.htm
http://www.gibill.va.gov/S22/Post_911_Factsheet.pdf

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