VA announced that it changed its procedure for distributing VA G.I. Bill benefits. Many Veterans who spent many years of military service—those who reenlisted—may therefore be eligible for extra benefits for themselves or their dependents.
VA GI Bill Benefits
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said Friday that veterans who have performed numerous years of military service—that is, those who reenlisted—may be qualified for up to an extra 12 months of schooling benefits.
Veterans who completed at least two periods of duty were previously restricted to a maximum of 36 months of G.I. Bill benefits, Which included both the Montgomery G.I. Bill and the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The revised policy eliminates this restriction, therefore enabling qualified veterans to qualify for up to 48 months of total VA GI Bill Benefits.
Under the former approach, qualified veterans who completed at least two periods of duty were compelled to choose between the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill for a maximum of 36 months of G.I. Bill benefits.
VA GI Bill Benefits Application Date
The VA is starting a campaign to inform veterans about the development. For eligible veterans who apply by October 1, 2030, expiration periods for using the education benefits are being extended.
Joshua Jacobs, who is the VA’s undersecretary for benefits, said that this policy will not only help veterans who apply for GI bill benefits in the future, but it will also let the VA give veterans who have already used GI bill benefits more benefits.
The VA unlawfully denied Army veteran Jim Rudisill any educational benefits for his military service before and after Sept. 11, 2001, the Supreme Court decided in April 2024 that Rudisill had two distinct enlistments.
For up to 48 months or four years, the court said service members eligible for the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI bills might spend their benefits in any sequence. Still, the advantages cannot be taken advantage of concurrently.
How to Apply for VA Benefits?
Many types of VA educational benefits are available to you. You should weigh your alternatives before choosing a benefit program as enrolling for one education benefit may compromise your eligibility for others. The VA offers tools to let you and your family choose the finest benefits available:
- For the Montgomery Bill or school aid after 9/11, go to www.gibill.va.gov to apply.
- Click on Education & Training and then “Apply for Benefits” to find out how to fill out an application and send it in (online, in person, or by mail).
- If approved you will get an Eligibility Certificate.
VA GI Bill Benefits Amount
VA is likewise following this guideline in extending the expiration dates for qualifying Veterans using GI Bill benefits. VA will restore the time each Veteran with many eras of service selected between the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill had left at the time of their election plus ninety days.
If a Veteran decided to utilize the Post-9/11 GI Bill at a time when they had five years remaining to use the Montgomery GI Bill, for instance, They would have five years plus ninety days to take advantage of any further Montgomery GI Bill savings.
Since it began after September 11, 2001, the GI Bill has given more than 2.7 million people more than $143 billion. Long utilized as a recruitment and retention tool for the military, the GI Bill. For one person, it pays out around $2,400 a month in educational benefits.
VA GI Bill Benefits Eligibility
Those who served at least two years before being honorably discharged and paid into the Montgomery GI Bill will be qualified for that program. Those who spent at least ninety days on active service might get partial benefits.
For those who spent three years on active duty after September 2001, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is more substantial; it awards full tuition fees for state colleges plus housing stipends and other education aid payments.
Veterans have had to forfeit eligibility for one program to access another; they cannot receive both benefits at once. In the Rudisill v. McDonough decision, however, the Supreme Court decided that for those who had enough time in service to qualify for both programs, the condition is unreasonable.
Under the VA’s new approach, a veteran—say, a five-year Army soldier—who then re-enlisted for three years in the Air Force would be qualified to utilize both school benefit programs. Other federal rules restrict people to 48 months of government educational benefits.
A veteran qualified for both programs may therefore utilize the full 36 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and then access 12 further months of Montgomery GI Bill payments, but will be denied extra government support after the date.