Apply for VA Education and Training Benefits

2021-01-22T10:21:27-05:00

Pay for higher education, including books and fees. Get trained for your post-military career. Earn certification or licensure. These are among the ways you can use your education and training benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

But which benefits are available to you and how should you begin the application process? The programs and eligibility rules can be complex, and your level of benefits may depend on your service era, VA service-connected disability rating and honorable discharge status. Get help in applying from a Veteran service officer (see links to VSOs and other assistance at the end of this post).

But even though your situation as a service member or Veteran can be different from your peer’s, taking two basics steps — program research and application preparation — can better position you to get the most out of these benefits:

1. Review the key assistance areas. Below are descriptions of the main VA education and training programs. Note that there may be other education programs you are eligible for, including at the state level. And you may need to choose carefully which benefit works best for your situation, because accepting benefits under one program may prohibit application under another.

Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33): Offers higher education and training benefits for up to 36 months if you’re a Veteran or service member who served on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001. Institutions of higher education participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program — such as private schools — may make additional funds available beyond the GI Bill benefit. You may receive tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance, an annual books and supplies stipend and one-time payment to travel from a rural area to school. If your service ended on or after Jan. 1, 2013, benefits don’t expire. If your service ended before that date, you have 15 years after separation to use your benefits. The ability to transfer these benefits is decided by the Department of Defense and must be exercised before you exit military service.

What’s funded: The program supports the following activities: co-op training and work study; correspondence, distance and independent learning; entrepreneurship training; flight training; high-tech programs; on-the-job training; testing reimbursement; tuition assistance top-up; tutorial assistance; and undergraduate and graduate degree pursuits and foreign studies.
Eligibility: View eligibility rules at http://rly.pt/3sHmlF4.
Learn more: Post-9/11 GI Bill, http://rly.pt/3sHmlF4; rules on transferring these benefits, http://rly.pt/2LNiw0J; and Forever GI Bill, http://rly.pt/3o7yzU5.

Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). Assists you with 36 months of education and training benefits if you fall into the categories of active duty service member or reservist pursuing higher education degrees, certificates, and other education and training. The two main programs are:

MGIB-Active Duty (AD): This program provides education benefits if you have at least two years of active duty service.
Eligibility: View eligibility categories at http://rly.pt/39YDGkr.

MGIB-Selected Reserve (SR): This program is if you’re a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard reserve, or Army or Air National Guard.
Eligibility: View eligibility rules at http://rly.pt/395scfK.

What’s funded: Generally, the programs support the same activities as the Post-9/11 GI Bill. They may also provide monies for pre-college remedial, make-up and refresher courses.
Learn more: MGIB-AD, http://rly.pt/39YDGkr; MGIB-SR, http://rly.pt/395scfK. You can also call [login to see] .

Edith Nourse Rogers Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Scholarship and National Call to Service. These programs offer the following educational and training benefits:

Rogers STEM scholarship: If you are pursuing an education in a high-demand field such as biomedical science or engineering, you may be able to extend your Post-9/11 GI Bill or Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship benefits for up nine months or up to $30,000 in added benefits.
Learn more: http://rly.pt/3oczNNM.

National Call to Service. If you’re a Veteran who performed military and national service, you could be eligible for benefits such as cash bonuses or loan repayments under this program, as an alternative to MGIB.
Learn more: http://rly.pt/2LT8tHa.

2. Prepare to apply. VA advises that you take these steps to start the application process:

- Review the eligibility rules in detail at the links above and for other benefit programs you may be interested in.
- Gather the documents you need, including Social Security number, bank account direct deposit, education and military history, forms such as DD Form 2384-1 (for MGIB-SD), and which school or training institution you want to attend.

- Evaluate benefits by school using the GI Bill Comparison Tool at http://rly.pt/2MiExUE.
- Apply online; by mail; in person at a regional office (when deemed safe from coronavirus); and with the help of trained professionals, as described at http://rly.pt/2MiRUnR.

- Seek assistance by calling [login to see] , viewing a list of claims processing offices (http://rly.pt/2KEw26b), locating a VA regional office (http://rly.pt/3sPULFV) and making an appointment with a VSO (http://rly.pt/3sN85dT).

Claims are processed in about 30 days, according to VA.

More resources
- Inquire about state-level education benefits for Veterans:
http://rly.pt/39UgF22
- Read about other public and private-sector education resources for Veterans:
http://rly.pt/3sN9123.

Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) | Veterans Affairs

Find out if you can get help paying for school or job training through the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33). You may qualify if you served on active duty after September 10, 2001, or if you're the qualified spouse or dependent child of a Veteran who meets these service requirements.

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Jan 22 at 2021 1:01 PM

2021-01-22T13:01:22-05:00

choose wisely. once used, benefits are gone.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Jan 31 at 2021 6:04 AM

2021-01-31T06:04:52-05:00

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2022-11-29T07:35:39-05:00

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