Post-9/11 GI Bill Eligibility
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is available to help you pay for school or job training if you served on active duty after September 10, 2001.
You may be eligible for Post-9/11 education benefits if you meet at least one of these requirements.
At least one of these must be true. You:
- Served at least 90 days on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service) on or after September 11, 2001, or
- Received a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged after any amount of service, or
- Served for at least 30 continuous days (all at once, without a break in service) on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged with a service-connected disability, or
- Are a dependent child using benefits transferred by a qualifying Veteran or service member.
Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits
If you choose the Post-9/11 GI Bill can receive up to 36 months of benefits. These benefits include:
- Tuition and fees. If you qualify for the maximum benefit, the full cost of public, in-state tuition and fees will be covered.
- The rates are capped for private and foreign schools, but updated each year on the VA website.
- Money for housing (if you’re in school more than half time). Your monthly housing allowance will be based on the cost of living where your school is located.
- Money for books and supplies. You can receive up to $1,000 per school year.
- Money to help you move from a rural area to go to school. You may qualify for this one-time payment of $500 if you live in a county with 6 or fewer people per square mile and you’re either moving at least 500 miles to go to school or have no other option but to fly by plane to get to your school.
Post-9/11 GI Bill Expiration and Usage
If you plan to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill you need to be aware of the timeline for expiration.
- If your service ended before January 1, 2013, your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits will expire 15 years after your last separation date from active service. You must use all of your benefits by that time or you’ll lose whatever’s left.
- If your service ended on or after January 1, 2013, your benefits won’t expire thanks to a new law called the Forever GI Bill – Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act.
Once you’ve decided the Post-9/11 GI Bill is right for you, you’ll need to apply online at VA.gov.
The benefit amount you’ll receive will depend on which school you go to, how much active-duty service you’ve had since September 10, 2001, and how many credits or training hours you will be taking.
Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty Eligibility
The Montgomery GI BIll Active Duty will help you pay for education and training programs if you’ve served at least two years on active duty. You may be eligible for education benefits through this program if you were honorably discharged and you meet the requirements of one of the categories below.
Category I
All of these are true. You:
- Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
- Entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985, and
- Had your military pay reduced by $100 a month for the first 12 months of service
And at least one of these is true. You served continuously (without a break) for:
- 3 years, or
- 2 years if that was your agreement when you enlisted, or
- 4 years if you entered the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty (called the 2 by 4 program)
Category II
All of these are true. You:
- Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
- Entered active duty before January 1, 1977 (or before January 2, 1978, under a delayed enlistment program contracted before January 1, 1977), and
- Served at least 1 day between October 19, 1984, and June 30, 1985, and stayed on active duty through June 30, 1988 (or through June 30, 1987, if you entered the Selected Reserve within 1 year of leaving active duty and served 4 years), and
- Had at least 1 day of entitlement left under the Vietnam Era GI Bill (Chapter 34) as of December 31, 1989
Category III
All of these are true. You:
- Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
- Don’t qualify for MGIB under categories I or II, and
- Had your military pay reduced by $1,200 before separation
And one of these is true. You:
- Were on active duty on September 30, 1990, and involuntarily separated (not by your choice) after February 2, 1991, or
- Involuntarily separated on or after November 30, 1993, or
- Chose to voluntarily separate under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) program or the Special Separation Benefit (SSB) program
Category IV
Both of these are true. You:
- Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1,200 lump-sum contribution (meaning you paid it all at once)
And one of these is true. You:
- Were on active duty on October 9, 1996, had money left in a VEAP account on that date, and chose MGIB before October 9, 1997, or
- Entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between July 1, 1985, and November 28, 1989, and chose MGIB between October 9, 1996, and July 9, 1997
Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty Benefits
If you choose to use the Montgomer GI Bill you may get up to 36 months of education benefits, which will be paid monthly. The amount you’ll receive depends on the following factors:
- Your length of service, and
- The type of education or training program you choose, and
- Your category (as defined above), and
- Whether you qualify for a college fund or kicker, and
- How much you’ve paid into the $600 Buy-Up program
Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty Expiration and Usage
You typically have 10 years to use your Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty benefits, but his may change depending on your situation.
Once you’ve decided this GI Bill is right for you you’ll need to verify the program and school you’ve selected is supported by the VA. As long as you’re school is supported the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty will cover
- Remedial courses (classes some students must take to build up their basic skills in math, reading, or English before they can take regular college courses)
- Deficiency courses (classes some students must take in order to be admitted to a certain college)
- Refresher courses (brief courses that help people review and improve their knowledge in a certain subject area)
We hope that this breakdown of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill will be valuable in helping you determine which GI Bill is right for you. If you need any further explanation on the GI Bills you can always visit VA.gov.