Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Congressional research reportMar 15, 2011

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Educational Assistance Programs

Administered by the U.S. Department of

Veterans Affairs

Cassandria Dortch

Analyst in Education Policy

March 15, 2011

Congressional Research Service

7-5700

www.crs.gov

R40723

CRS Report for Congress

Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), previously named the Veterans Administration,

has been providing veterans educational assistance benefits since 1944. Although the programs

are administered by the VA, the Department of Defense (DOD) pays for certain benefits and

provides additional benefits to certain persons with critical skills or lengthy service. The benefits

have been intended, at various times, to compensate for compulsory service, encourage voluntary

service, avoid unemployment, provide equitable benefits to all who served, and promote military

retention. In general, the benefits provide grant aid to eligible individuals enrolled in approved

educational and training programs.

The newest program, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, has the largest number of individuals receiving

benefits. The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides benefits to veterans and servicemembers who serve on

active duty after September 10, 2001. The program is designed to provide individuals who served

on active duty for 36 months and who are pursuing undergraduate studies at public colleges and

universities with the full cost of attendance: tuition and fees, housing, books and supplies, tutorial

and relocation assistance, and fees for testing and certification, as needed. The Post-9/11 Veterans

Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-377), enacted on January 4, 2011,

makes several amendments to eligibility and benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Before the Post-9/11 GI Bill was effective, the most popular program was the Montgomery GI

Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD). The MGIB-AD provides a monthly allowance primarily to

veterans and servicemembers who enter active duty after June 30, 1985.

The Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) provides a lower monthly allowance than

the MGIB-AD to reservists who enlist, re-enlist, or extend an enlistment after June 30, 1985. The

Reserves Educational Assistance Program (REAP) provides a monthly allowance that is higher

than the MGIB-SR but lower than the MGIB-AD to reservists with active duty service.

The program with the fewest individuals receiving benefits is the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans’

Educational Assistance Program (VEAP). VEAP provides a monthly allowance to veterans who

first entered active duty service between December 31, 1976, and July 1, 1985.

Finally, the dependents of individuals with military service may be eligible for educational

assistance. The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program provides

benefits to the spouse and children of servicemembers who, as a result of service, are seriously

disabled, die, or are detained. The Army allows certain servicemembers to transfer their MGIBAD benefits to their dependents. Servicemembers who stay in the military for several years are

able to transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to their dependents. Also, the Post-9/11 GI Bill

includes a scholarship program for the children of servicemembers who die in the line of duty, the

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship Program.

This report provides a description of the eligibility requirements, benefit availability, and benefit

payments of the veterans educational assistance benefit programs. See Table 4 for a summary of

selected characteristics of the programs. The report also provides some summary statistics and

comparisons between the programs.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................1

History of the Programs ..............................................................................................................2

Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill).......................................4

Eligible Individuals ...............................................................................................................5

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments ..........................................7

Benefit Payments prior to the Improvements Act ...................................................................8

Payments for Tuition and Fees, Housing, and Books and Supplies ...................................9

Yellow Ribbon Program Payments ................................................................................ 12

Tutorial Assistance........................................................................................................ 12

Licensing and Certification Test Fees ............................................................................ 12

Relocation and Travel Assistance .................................................................................. 12

Additional Benefit Payments......................................................................................... 12

Benefit Payments as Enacted by the Improvements Act ....................................................... 13

Payments for Tuition and Fees, Housing, and Books and Supplies ................................. 13

Yellow Ribbon Program Payments ................................................................................ 19

Tutorial Assistance........................................................................................................ 19

Licensing and Certification Test Fees ............................................................................ 19

National Tests ............................................................................................................... 20

Relocation and Travel Assistance .................................................................................. 20

Additional Benefit Payments......................................................................................... 20

Benefit Availability and Duration ........................................................................................ 21

Yellow Ribbon Program...................................................................................................... 21

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship Program.......................................... 22

Transferability to Dependents.............................................................................................. 23

Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) .................................................................................................... 24

Montgomery GI Bill—Active Duty (MGIB-AD)................................................................. 25

Eligible Individuals ....................................................................................................... 25

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments .................................. 27

Benefit Payments .......................................................................................................... 28

Benefit Availability and Duration .................................................................................. 30

MGIB-AD Death Benefit .............................................................................................. 31

Transferability to Dependents........................................................................................ 31

Montgomery GI Bill—Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) .......................................................... 32

Eligible Individuals ....................................................................................................... 32

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments .................................. 32

Benefit Payments .......................................................................................................... 33

Benefit Availability and Duration .................................................................................. 33

Transferability to Dependents........................................................................................ 34

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA) ......................................... 34

Eligible Individuals ............................................................................................................. 34

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments ........................................ 35

Benefit Payments ................................................................................................................ 35

Benefit Availability and Duration ........................................................................................ 37

Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) ..................................................................... 37

Eligible Individuals ............................................................................................................. 37

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments ........................................ 38

Benefit Payments ................................................................................................................ 38

Benefit Availability and Duration ........................................................................................ 38

Transferability to Dependents.............................................................................................. 39

Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) ........................................ 39

Eligible Individuals ............................................................................................................. 39

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments ........................................ 40

Benefit Payments ................................................................................................................ 42

Benefit Availability and Duration of Use ............................................................................. 43

Summary and Comparison of Programs .................................................................................... 43

Combinations of Program Benefits...................................................................................... 43

Permanent Authorization of Programs ................................................................................. 44

Veterans Counseling............................................................................................................ 44

Comparison of Educational Assistance Programs ................................................................ 45

Related Department of Veterans Affairs Programs ..................................................................... 48

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program (VR&E)............................................. 48

Veterans Work Study Program............................................................................................. 50

Participation and Cost ............................................................................................................... 51

Figures

Figure 1. Total Veterans, Active-Duty Servicemembers, Reservists and Dependents

Receiving VEAP, MGIB-AD, MGIB-SR, REAP, and DEA Education Benefits each

Year (1978-2010) ................................................................................................................... 52

Tables

Table 1. Chronology of Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the VA......................3

Table 2. Percentage of Maximum Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits Based on Aggregate Length

of Active Duty Service .............................................................................................................9

Table 3. Maximum Payments for Tuition and Fees, Housing, and Books and Supplies, as

Enacted by the Improvements Act .......................................................................................... 14

Table 4. Selected Characteristics of Veterans’ Educational Assistance Programs ........................ 45

Table 5. Undergraduate Veterans’ Educational Assistance Recipients and Average Amount

of Aid by Type of Military Service for Individuals Receiving Veterans’ Educational

Assistance.............................................................................................................................. 52

Table 6. Obligations and Participation of Selected Programs

Administered by the VA: FY2010 .......................................................................................... 53

Table A-1. Original GI Bill Participation ................................................................................... 57

Table B-1. Korean Conflict GI Bill Participation ....................................................................... 61

Table C-1. Post-Korea and Vietnam Era GI Bill Participation .................................................... 67

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Appendixes

Appendix A. Educational Assistance Under the Original GI Bill of Rights................................. 54

Appendix B. Korean Conflict GI Bill ........................................................................................ 58

Appendix C. Post-Korea and Vietnam Era GI Bill ..................................................................... 62

Appendix D. Veterans and Dependents Education Loan Program............................................... 68

Contacts

Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 68

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Introduction

This report provides a detailed description of the six educational assistance programs that are

available to veterans or other eligible individuals through the Department of Veterans Affairs

(VA). Although the programs are administered by the VA, some of the funding for the programs is

provided by the Department of Defense (DOD).1 DOD transfers monies from its education trust

fund to the VA for disbursement.

The report is organized into five sections. The first section provides an explanation of the

rationale and impetus behind veterans’ educational assistance programs (GI Bills). The second

section describes the eligibility requirements and uses of the existing GI Bills. The GI Bills are

discussed in descending order based on the number of participants. The third section reviews the

linkages and commonalities between the programs. A summary of selected characteristics of the

various programs is presented in Table 4. The fourth section provides a brief overview of related

VA programs. The final section provides information on participation and expenditures for the

programs. A detailed look at the earlier inactive GI Bills and the lessons learned is available in the

appendices.

Over the decades during which the programs have been in existence, two themes have been

emphasized. The benefits promote development of work related skills to facilitate entry or reentry into the workforce, and the base benefit is equitable regardless of rank or military

occupation specialty. Educational assistance programs offered by DOD are targeted to

servicemembers with specific skills or individuals. All of the educational assistance programs

administered by the VA require some period of military service before benefits can be received.

The most salient ongoing conflicts have been related to how much eligible individuals should

contribute to their education in time or money, which type of service warrants a benefit, and how

liberal (i.e., valuable) the benefit should be.

All of the benefit programs provide eligible persons an entitlement to educational assistance. This

entitlement is measured in dollars and/or time—months and days. A dollar value is also

associated with each month and day of entitlement. Educational assistance payments reduce the

total dollars of entitlement, if applicable. Educational assistance payments also reduce the

entitlement period at a rate of one month per payment or in proportion to a base payment amount.

Eligible persons may run out of dollars of entitlement before running out of the entitlement period

or vice versa. Once either runs out, the total entitlement is exhausted. In general, once the

entitlement period or dollars of entitlement are exhausted eligible persons continue receiving

educational assistance through the end of the academic term if more than halfway through, or a

12-week period if not on an academic term schedule. Neither the entitlement period nor the

dollars of entitlement are reduced if an individual is called to active duty under sections 12301(a),

12301(d), 12301(g), 12302, or 12304 of Title 10 U.S.C. and if, as a result, the individual must

discontinue studies and fails to receive credit or training time.

References to DOD include the Department of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not

operating as a service in the Navy.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

History of the Programs

Since the Revolutionary War, the United States has provided benefits to injured or disabled war

veterans; however, benefits were not provided to the same extent to their able-bodied peers. Prior

to World War II (WWII), “poor, jobless, and disgruntled veterans … had led to unrest and fear of

revolt throughout American history.” In 1932, after World War I, the military was called in to

forcibly remove 20,000 still unemployed and often homeless veterans and burn their encampment

near the Capitol and White House. 2

Despite the draft, military service was thought of as “a fundamental obligation of [male]

citizenship.”3 Because the 16.1 million personnel4 who served in the U.S. Armed Forces5 during

WWII accounted for over one-third of the 41.1 million6 working-age males (between 20 and 64

years of age) in 1947, fears of the consequences of mass unemployment were legitimate. Before

the end of WWII, Congress and the American Legion7 worked together to pass the original GI

Bill, or Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (P.L. 78-346).8 The act provided a full range of

resources to veterans including the construction of additional hospitals; educational assistance to

non-disabled veterans; home, business, and farm loans; job counseling and employment

placement services; and an unemployment benefit.

The original GI Bill was generally considered successful in averting unemployment, raising the

educational level and thus the productivity of the U.S. workforce, and confirming the value that

Americans place on those that provide military service. 9 Subsequent GI Bills providing

educational assistance have been passed (Table 1). The Korean Conflict GI Bill was enacted

under the Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952 (P.L. 82-550) and codified in Title 38,

U.S.C., Chapter 33. The purpose of the program was to prepare returning veterans to enter the

workforce. It allowed the same types of education and training as the original GI Bill—on-the-job

training, on-the-farm training, correspondence courses,10 and traditional college education.

Several provisions were also added to prevent avocational or recreational educational pursuits and

to ensure the quality of education provided.

Edward Humes, “The Greatest Generation: The Accidental Remaking of America,” in Over Here: How the G.I. Bill

Transformed the American Dream, 1st ed. (Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., 2006), pp. 4-20.

Suzanne Mettler, Soldiers to Citizens: The G.I. Bill and the Making of the Greatest Generation (New York: Oxford

University Press, 2005), p. 26.

Facts for Features, U.S. Census Bureau, April 29, 2004, http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2004/cb04ffse07.pdf.

The Armed Forces are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard of the United States.

U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Years of School Completed by Persons 14 Years Old and Over, by Age, Color, and

Sex, for the United States: Civilian Population, April 1947, and Total Population, April 1940.

The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic wartime veterans organization devoted to

mutual helpfulness. It is a not-for-profit community-service organization.

Suzanne Mettler, Soldiers to Citizens: The G.I. Bill and the Making of the Greatest Generation (New York: Oxford

University Press, 2005), pp. 18-22.

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Readjustment Benefits: General Survey and Appraisal, A

Report on Veterans’ Benefits in the United States, committee print, prepared by The President’s Commission on

Veterans’ Pensions, 84th Cong., 2nd sess., September 11, 1956, House Committee Print No. 289 (Washington: GPO,

1956), pp. 107-142.

Correspondence training differs from distance learning or online education in that individuals in correspondence

training usually receive lessons in the mail and have a certain amount of time to complete and return them for a grade.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Table 1. Chronology of Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the VA

Year

Enacted

Common Name

Establishing Legislation

U.S. Code

1944

Original GI Bill

Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944

Title 38, Chapter 12

1952

Korean Conflict GI Bill

Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act

of 1952

Title 38, Chapter 33

(repealed in 1966)

1956

DEA (Survivors’ and Dependents

Educational Assistance)

War Orphans’ Educational Assistance

Act of 1956

Title 38, Chapter 35

1966

Post-Korean Conflict and Vietnam

Era GI Bill

Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of

1966

Title 38, Chapter 34

1974

Veterans and Dependents

Education Loan Program

Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act

of 1974

Title 38, Chapter 36

(repealed in 1981)

1976

VEAP (Post-Vietnam Era Veterans

Educational Assistance)

Veterans’ Education and Employment

Assistance Act of 1976

Title 38, Chapter 32

1981

Educational Assistance Test

Program (Sec. 901)

Department of Defense Authorization

Act, 1981

Title 10, Chapter 106A

1981

Educational Assistance Pilot

Program (Sec. 903)

Department of Defense Authorization

Act, 1981

Title 10, Chapter 106A

1985

MGIB-AD (Montgomery GI BillActive Duty)

Department of Defense Authorization

Act, 1985

Title 38, Chapter 30

1985

MGIB-SR (Montgomery GI BillSelected Reserves)

Department of Defense Authorization

Act, 1985

Title 10, Chapter 1606

2005

REAP (Reserves Educational

Assistance Program)

Ronald W. Reagan National Defense

Authorization Act for FY2005

Title 10, Chapter 1607

2008

Post-9/11 GI Bill

Post-9/11 Veterans Educational

Assistance Act of 2008

Title 38, Chapter 33

2009

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John

David Fry Scholarship

Supplemental Appropriations Act of

2009 (P.L. 111-32)

Title 38, Chapter 33

Source: Prepared by CRS based on a review of the legislation.

In 1956, the War Orphans’ Educational Assistance Act of 1956 (P.L. 84-634) was passed to

provide educational assistance to the children of servicemembers who died as a result of injury or

disability incurred in the line of duty. This program was later expanded to include spouses and

children of servicemembers who died, became permanently or totally disabled, were missing-inaction, were captured, or were hospitalized as a result of service.

The Post-Korean Conflict and Vietnam Era GI Bill was enacted under the Veterans Readjustment

Benefits Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-358) and codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 34. In addition to

providing benefits to veterans, it provided benefits to active duty servicemembers to encourage

retention in the Armed Forces. The Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-508)

created a short-lived veterans and dependents education loan program to cover educational costs

not provided for under the GI Bill. It was codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 36 before being

repealed in 1981.

Beginning with the Korean Conflict GI Bill, there has been much debate on the level of

educational assistance that should be provided to veterans and servicemembers. Some believed

that requiring individuals to make a monetary contribution in addition to their military service

would increase their sense of responsibility and purpose. Some believed that the educational

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assistance benefits were a necessary compensation for compulsory service or reimbursement for

voluntary service. Some believed that high levels of assistance promote attrition from the

military. And some believed that the benefits are a necessary recruitment tool.

Congress allowed the compulsory military draft to expire on June 30, 1973. The educational

assistance programs enacted subsequently were designed to encourage recruitment and retention

of high-quality military personnel while still providing a considerable benefit to those who

choose to leave active duty military service. Since 1973, there has also been a consistent attempt

to limit the options to a more traditional college education although other types of education and

training were generally added as the programs mature.

Currently, there are several educational assistance programs are available to veterans,

servicemembers, and their spouses and children. The oldest of these programs for veterans and

servicemembers is the Post-Vietnam Era GI Bill enacted in 1976. Several hundred individuals are

still receiving benefits from this program, which provides educational assistance in direct

proportion to contributions deducted from servicemembers’ pay while on active duty. The

Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD) requires most servicemembers to contribute an

established amount, although the eventual benefits are not related to the contribution. The Army

allows some dependents to use the servicemembers’ MGIB-AD benefits. The Montgomery GI

Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) only provides educational assistance to those currently serving

in the Selected Reserve. Because reliance on the Reserves and National Guard increased after

September 11, 2001, the Reserves Educational Assistance Program (REAP), enacted in 2005,

allows reservists to receive an increased educational assistance benefit in comparison to the

MGIB-SR after serving on active duty. The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance

(DEA) program provides benefits to the spouse and children of servicemembers who, as a result

of service, are seriously disabled, die, or are detained.

Finally, the Post-9/11 GI Bill increases the educational assistance benefit for all individuals with

active duty service after September 10, 2001, in recognition that the United States has not been at

peace since 2001. Servicemembers who stay in the military for several years are able to transfer

their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to their dependents. Also, the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes a

scholarship program for the children of servicemembers who die in the line of duty, the Marine

Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship Program. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational

Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 (Improvements Act; P.L. 111-377), enacted on January 4,

2011, made several amendments to the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other veterans educational

assistance programs. The effective dates of the amendments are staggered from January 4, 2011,

through October 1, 2011. The amendments of the Improvements Act and their effective dates will

be highlighted in the descriptions, as applicable. The following section describes the active

programs in greater detail, in descending order based on the number of participants. A description

of the inactive programs is provided in the appendices.

Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program

(Post-9/11 GI Bill)

There were four main drivers for the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (P.L.

110-252): providing parity of benefits for reservists and members of the regular Armed Forces,

ensuring comprehensive educational benefits, meeting military recruiting goals, and improving

military retention through transferability of benefits. There was a desire for reservists to receive

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benefits equivalent to members of the regular Armed Forces for equivalent, though often not

continuous, active duty service. It was recognized that veterans and servicemembers would be

eligible for other U.S. Department of Education student financial assistance benefits such as Pell

Grants and Stafford Loans;11 DOD educational assistance; and various state, local, and other

federal benefits on top of the basic GI Bill benefits. Members of Congress hoped that a benefit

that exceeded that available under the other active GI Bills would ameliorate military recruiting

challenges and reduce the higher unemployment rate among veterans compared with nonveterans of the same age group.12

There was some discussion about whether increasing the monthly benefit might result in lower

retention in the Armed Forces. Some DOD research suggested that education is not a very

important factor in the decision to stay in or leave the military, while other evidence suggested

that very high benefits would encourage discharge. The ability to transfer benefits to dependents

was considered critical to retention. The Administration was interested in transferability as well,

and President Bush advocated for transferability in a State of the Union address.13

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is codified under Title 38 U.S.C., Chapter 33. The stated purpose is to

reward members of the Armed Forces for service on active duty since September 11, 2001;

maintain a history of offering educational assistance to veterans; respond to the needs of the

Armed Forces when not at peace; demonstrate the high esteem with which military service is

held; recognize the difficult challenges involved in readjusting to civilian life after serving; and

enhance the educational assistance benefits to those who serve on active duty after September 10,

2001. The program became effective August 1, 2009. The program is permanently authorized.

Eligible Individuals

Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, veterans and servicemembers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air

Force, and Coast Guard, including the reserve components and commissioned officers of the

Public Health Service (PHS) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA), may

be eligible. Individuals must serve an aggregate minimum of 90 days on active duty after

September 10, 2001, or individuals must have been discharged or released after a minimum of 30

continuous days after September 10, 2001, for a service-connected disability. Only a call or order

Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, authorizes several student aid programs: Pell Grant

program, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (DL) Program, American Competitiveness Grant program, National

Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant program, Federal Supplemental Educational

Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program, Federal WorkStudy (FWS) program, Federal Perkins Loan program, and Grants for Access and Persistence (GAP) program. See

CRS Report R41437, Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: Background, Recent Changes, and

Current Legislative Issues, by Shannon M. Mahan; CRS Report RL31618, Campus-Based Student Financial Aid

Programs Under the Higher Education Act, by David P. Smole; and CRS Report R40122, Federal Student Loans Made

Under the Federal Family Education Loan Program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program: Terms

and Conditions for Borrowers, by David P. Smole.

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Pending

Montgomery GI Bill Legislation, 110th Cong., 2nd sess., January 17, 2008, HRG-2008-VAH-0003 (Washington: GPO,

2008), pp. 3, 6, 9, 10, 14; and U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Hearing on Pending Benefits

Legislation, 110th Cong., 2nd sess., May 7, 2008, S. Hrg. 110-675 (Washington: GPO, 2008), pp. 15, 21, 34, 49.

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Pending

Montgomery GI Bill Legislation, 110th Cong., 2nd sess., January 17, 2008, HRG-2008-VAH-0003 (Washington: GPO,

2008), pp. 3, 6, 9, 10, 14; and U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Hearing on Pending Benefits

Legislation, 110th Cong., 2nd sess., May 7, 2008, S. Hrg. 110-675 (Washington: GPO, 2008), pp. 15, 21, 34, 49.

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to active duty under section 688, 12301(a), 12301(d), 12301(g), 12302, or 12304 of Title 10

U.S.C. may be included in the active duty service eligibility period required of reservists. The

Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 (Improvements Act; P.L.

111-377) allows National Guard members to include full-time duty under a Title 32 call to order

toward their Post-9/11 GI Bill-qualifying active duty service effective August 1, 2009; however,

benefit payments on behalf of eligible individuals will be issued after September 30, 2011.

The active duty service period includes service on active duty in entry-level and skill training14 if

the total active duty service period is at least 24 months.15 The Post-9/11 GI Bill active duty

service period excludes time assigned to a civilian institution for an education or training program

similar to those offered to civilians, excludes time spent as a cadet or midshipman at one of the

service academies, excludes other active duty service periods required to meet a service academy

or Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) obligation, excludes service that is terminated

because of a defective enlistment and induction, and excludes active duty service periods required

to meet a student loan repayment obligation (10 U.S.C., Chapter 109). Once the active duty

service period is met, individuals must continue on active duty or be discharged with an

honorable discharge; be released with honorable service and retired, or transferred to the Reserves

or temporary disability list; or be discharged or released from active duty service characterized as

honorable for a pre-existing medical condition, hardship, or an interfering physical or mental

condition.

Individuals who have not used or who retain an entitlement period under the MGIBs, REAP, and

Chapter 107 of Title 10 U.S.C. (professional military education) and individuals who withdrew

from the MGIB-AD may make an irrevocable election to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill educational

assistance benefits. The individuals must be otherwise eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The

decision to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits after using some MGIB-AD benefit does not extend

the number of months in the entitlement period. Unused contributions made by the individual to

be eligible for the MGIB-AD, up to $1,200, will be refunded as an addition to the last Post-9/11

GI Bill monthly housing allowance once the entitlement period is exhausted. If the individual is

not eligible for the monthly housing allowance or fails to exhaust the entitlement period, the

unused MGIB-AD contribution will not be refunded. Individuals who make an irrevocable

election remain eligible for supplemental assistance (Kickers); however, they lose any

contributions to the MGIB-AD $600 Buy-Up program.16 The military service branches may

augment an individual’s basic GI Bill benefit with supplemental assistance in a few instances:

•

an individual who enlists in the regular Armed Forces with a skill or specialty of

which there is a critical shortage or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the

case of critical units, retain personnel;

Entry-level and skill training is defined as basic combat training, advanced individual training, and one station unit

training (OSUT) in the Army; recruit training (or boot camp) and skill training (or so-called ‘A’ school) in the Navy;

basic military training and technical training in the Air Force, recruit training and Marine Corps training (or school of

infantry training) in the Marine Corps; and basic training and skill training (or so-called ‘A’ school) in the Coast Guard.

If the period of active duty service including entry-level and skill training is at least 24 months but the period of

active duty service excluding entry-level and skill training is less than 18 months, the applicable active duty period is

18 months.

Department of Veterans Affairs, “Post-9/11 G.I. Bill: Final Rule,” 74 Federal Register 14659, March 31, 2009.

Under the MGIB-AD, servicemembers were allowed to contribute up to an additional $600 while on active duty in $20

monthly increments and receive up to an additional $5 monthly for each $20 contributed over the life of their

entitlement period under what is known as the $600 Buy Up Program.

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•

an individual with a skill or specialty of which there is a critical shortage or for

which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain personnel who

agrees to serve in the Selected Reserve after separating honorably from the

regular Armed Forces; and

•

an individual who agrees to remain on active duty for at least two years after

completing at least five years of continuous service.

Under the MGIB-AD $600 Buy-Up program, a servicemember may contribute up to $600 to the

military service branch in multiples of $20 and receive for every $20 contributed up to an

additional $5 every month (up to $5,400 total) in which the individual receives MGIB-AD

benefits.

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments

Prior to October 1, 2011, the eligible programs of education are courses offered by an IHL.17

Effective October 1, 2011, the Improvements Act expands the approved programs of education to

include the following:

•

courses at an educational institution (see below for the definition of an

educational institution) that lead to a predetermined educational, vocational, or

professional objective or objectives if related to the same career (this includes

traditional undergraduate and graduate programs);

•

courses required by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration as a

condition for obtaining financial assistance under the provisions of section 7(i)(1)

of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(i)(1));

•

licensing or certification tests for a predetermined vocation or profession,

provided such tests and the licensing or credentialing organizations or entities

that offer such tests are approved;

An “institution of higher learning” is an institution offering postsecondary level academic instruction that leads to an

associate’s or higher degree if the school is empowered by the appropriate state education authority under state law to

grant an associate’s or higher degree, or in the absence of a state education authority, if the school is accredited for

degree programs by a recognized accrediting agency. Institutions of higher learning are also hospitals offering

educational programs at the postsecondary level and foreign educational institutions that offer courses leading to a

standard college degree, or the equivalent, and that are recognized as such by the secretary of education (or a

comparable official) of the country or other jurisdiction in which the institution is located. A standard college degree is

an associate’s or higher degree awarded by (1) an IHL that is accredited as a collegiate institution by a recognized

regional or national accrediting agency; (2) an IHL that is a “candidate” for accreditation as that term is used by the

regional or national accrediting agencies; or (3) an IHL upon completion of a course that is accredited by an agency

recognized to accredit specialized degree-level programs. An IHL is not the same as an institution of higher education

(IHE) as defined in sections 101 and 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended. An IHE admits as

regular students only those who have a high school diploma or its equivalent or who are beyond the age of compulsory

school attendance. Also, an IHE may be a less-than-two-year postsecondary vocational institutional or may provide

one-year programs of education or training without having to provide an associate’s or higher degree. With exceptions

and the possibility of waivers, no more than 50% of an IHE’s courses can be correspondence courses; no more than

50% of an IHE’s students can be enrolled in correspondence courses; no more than 25% of the IHE’s students may be

incarcerated; and no more than 50% of an IHE’s students may be without a high school diploma or its equivalent unless

it offers an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. With exceptions, neither the IHE nor its affiliates can have filed for

bankruptcy, and the IHE’s owner or chief executive officer cannot have been guilty of a crime involving the

acquisition, fraud, use, or expenditure of HEA Title IV funds. In addition, postsecondary institutions outside the United

States must meet additional criteria to be considered IHEs.

Congressional Research Service

Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

•

courses offered by a qualified provider of entrepreneurship courses;

•

national tests for admission to IHLs or graduate schools (such as the Scholastic

Aptitude Test (SAT));

•

national tests providing an opportunity for course credit at IHLs (such as the

Advanced Placement (AP) exam);

•

a preparatory course for a test that is required or used for admission to an

institution of higher education or a graduate school;

•

full-time programs of apprentice or other on-the-job training, for individuals not

on active duty; and

•

cooperative programs18 for individuals not on active duty.19

Educational institutions are defined as

•

public or private elementary or secondary schools;

•

vocational, correspondence, business, normal, or professional schools;

•

colleges or universities;

•

scientific or technical institutions;

•

other institutions offering education for adults;

•

state-approved alternative teacher certification program providers;

•

private entities that offer courses toward the attainment of a license or certificate

generally recognized as necessary for a profession or vocation in a high

technology occupation; and

•

qualified providers of entrepreneurship courses.

Benefit Payments prior to the Improvements Act

Instead of a single allowance for subsistence, tuition and fees, supplies, books, and equipment

paid directly to recipients, as in the other GI Bills, several types of benefit payments are available

under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Prior to the Improvements Act going into effect, these payments are

available to eligible individuals enrolled in IHLs, depending on their active duty status and

enrollment rate. The payments specified below are available until contrary provisions of the

Improvements Act go into effect.

A cooperative program is a full-time program of education, which consists of institutional courses and alternate

phases of training in a business or industrial establishment with the training in a business or industrial establishment

being strictly supplemental.

All programs of education must be approved by the VA and other relevant approving agencies.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Payments for Tuition and Fees, Housing, and Books and Supplies

Non-active Duty Individuals Enrolled More than Half-Time

Eligible individuals who are not on active duty, are pursuing a program of education at an IHL,

and are enrolled more than half-time may receive the payments described below for tuition and

fees, housing, and books and supplies. In most instances, the payments, as described, will be in

effect for degree-seeking individuals until July 31, 2011, and until September 30, 2011, for

individuals enrolled in flight training and for non-degree-seeking individuals.

•

Tuition. A per credit hour enrolled tuition payment is made directly to the IHL for

each academic term in an amount equal to that charged to the veteran or a

percentage of the maximum amount of undergraduate in-state tuition charged for

the same number of credit hours at the most expensive public institution in the

state in which the individual is enrolled, whichever is less. The percentage of the

maximum undergraduate tuition is determined by the length of time served on

active duty (Table 2). There is great variation among the states, ranging from a

low of $90 per credit hour in Puerto Rico to a high of $1,549 in Texas for the

2010-2011 academic year.20

Table 2. Percentage of Maximum Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits Based on

Aggregate Length of Active Duty Service

Aggregate Time Served on Active Duty

Since 9/11/2001

Percentage of Maximum

Benefit Payable

At least 36 months

100

At least 30 continuous days on active duty and discharged due to serviceconnected disability

100

At least 30 months, but less than 36 months

At least 24 months, but less than 30 months

At least 18 months, but less than 24 months

At least 12 months, but less than 18 months

At least 6 months, but less than 12 months

At least 90 days, but less than 6 months

Source: Prepared by CRS based on Title 38 U.S.C. § 3313 and data available from the U.S. Department of

Veterans Affairs.

As an example, a Post-9/11 GI Bill eligible veteran with 18 months of qualifying

active duty service may choose to enroll as an undergraduate in eight credit hours

during one semester at Centralia College in Washington. The veteran will receive

Although California’s public colleges and universities only charge fees and do not charge resident undergraduate

tuition, the VA and the California state approving agency reached an agreement to break up the fees into a tuition

charge and fees charge for the purposes of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2010-11

Maximum In-State Tuition and Fees, available at http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Tuition_and_fees.htm,

last updated August 30, 2010.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

70% of the maximum benefit because the veteran has only 18 months of active

duty service. The maximum tuition benefit in Washington state was $380 per

credit hour for the 2009-2010 academic year. In the 2007-08 academic year,

Centralia College charged $74 per credit hour for in-state part-time

undergraduate tuition. 21 Assuming the veteran does not receive institutional aid,

Centralia College will charge the veteran $592 ($74 per credit hour × 8 credit

hours) for tuition, based on rates for the 2007-08 academic year. Assuming the

veteran is only eligible for the basic Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, the veteran could

receive the lesser of $2,128 (70% × $380 per credit hour × 8 credit hours) in

Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits for the semester or the actual tuition charged

($592). The VA will send $592 to Centralia College on behalf of the veteran for

tuition. The VA will not remit more tuition than the veteran was charged by the

institution.

•

Fees. A fees payment is made directly to the IHL for each academic term in an

amount equal to that charged to the veteran or a percentage of the maximum

amount of undergraduate fees charged at the most expensive public institution in

the state in which the individual is enrolled, whichever is less. The percentage of

the maximum undergraduate fees is determined by the length of time served on

active duty (Table 2). There is great variation among the states, ranging from a

low of $249 in Guam to a high of $85,255 in Utah22 for the 2010-2011 academic

year.23

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals who are on active duty or enrolled half-time or

less are not eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill housing allowance. Individuals in a

program offered exclusively through distance learning24 are not eligible for a

Post-9/11 GI Bill housing allowance until September 30, 2011. Individuals not so

excluded may directly receive a percentage of an amount which equals the

monthly basic allowance for housing for a member of the Armed Forces with

dependents in pay grade E-5 (E-5 with dependents BAH) in the military housing

area in which the IHL is located. 25 The percentage of the monthly housing

allowance is determined by the length of time served on active duty (Table 2).

There is great variation among the localities in the United States, ranging from a

Tuition was reported to the U.S. Department of Education in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

(IPEDS).

High fees are often related to flight training and schools of pharmacy.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2010-11 Maximum In-State Tuition and Fees, available at

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Tuition_and_fees.htm, last updated August 30, 2010.

Distance education is defined in 20 U.S.C. § 1003(6) as education to deliver instruction to students who are separated

from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor,

synchronously or asynchronously, that uses one or more of the following technologies: the Internet; one- and two-way

transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or

wireless communications devices; audio conferencing; or video cassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, if the cassettes,

DVDs, or CD-ROMs are used in a course in conjunction with the Internet, one- and two-way transmissions, or audio

conferencing.

BAH is a DOD benefit to uniformed servicemembers to provide housing compensation when government quarters

are not provided. The amount is based on housing costs in local civilian housing markets and is payable based on

geographic duty location, pay grade, and dependency status.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

low of $747 in the Mansfield, OH, area to a high of $2,754 in the New York City

area in calendar year 2011.26

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals who are not on active duty and

individuals who are enrolled more than half-time may also receive a percentage

of the annual stipend for books and required educational expenses. The

maximum stipend is $1,000 per year. The percentage of the stipend is determined

by the length of time served on active duty (Table 2). The stipend is paid each

term based on the number of credit hours, or their equivalent, in which the

individual is enrolled. Each credit hour, or its equivalent, is worth $41.67.27 This

stipend does not reduce the entitlement period and does not reduce other benefit

payments.

Active Duty Individuals

•

Tuition and Fees. Individuals on active duty may only receive (payable to the

IHL) for each academic term the amount of tuition and fees charged by the IHL,

but the amount cannot duplicate any amounts received through a DOD Tuition

Assistance Program. 28 This amount could exceed the amounts charged by the

most expensive public institution in the state.

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals on active duty may not receive a housing

allowance from the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals on active duty may not receive a books

and supplies stipend.

Individuals Enrolled Half-Time or Less

•

Tuition and Fees. Individuals enrolled half-time or less may only receive

(payable to the IHL) for each academic term the amount charged by the IHL, but

not more than the amount the individual would have been eligible to receive if

enrolled full-time. 29

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals enrolled half-time or less may not receive the

housing allowance.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals enrolled half-time or less may receive a

books and supplies stipend that is a percentage of the maximum stipend of

$1,000 per year, reduced in proportion to their enrollment rate. The percentage of

the stipend is determined by the length of time served on active duty (Table 2).

U.S. Department of Defense, 2011 BAH Rates—WITH DEPENDENTS, available at

http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/pdcFiles.cfm?dir=/Allowances/BAH/ASCII/ as of February 1, 2011.

The VA has determined in 38 CFR 21.9640 that a lump sum books and supplies stipend for each academic term

equals $41.67 multiplied by the number of credit hours enrolled and multiplied by the ratio of the number of credit

hours enrolled to the number of credit hours required for full-time pursuit.

The entitlement period is reduced one month for each month enrolled.

The entitlement period is reduced a fraction of a month for each month enrolled. The fraction is the ratio of the

number of credit hours enrolled to the number of credit hours required for full-time pursuit of the degree program in

which the student is enrolled.

Congressional Research Service

Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Yellow Ribbon Program Payments

In cases in which an IHL’s tuition and fees are not fully covered by the tuition and fees payment

benefits, the IHL may voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Program agreement with the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to match an equal percentage of some portion of the

remaining tuition and fees (see “Yellow Ribbon Program” section below).

Tutorial Assistance

An individual is entitled to payment, not to exceed $100 monthly and up to a maximum of $1,200

over the course of the entitlement period, for tutorial assistance provided it is certified by the IHL

that the individual needs tutoring to pass a course required for the approved program of

education. The maximum tutorial assistance is not reduced depending on the length of active duty

service.

Licensing and Certification Test Fees

Prior to August 1, 2011, a fee of up to $2,000 for one approved licensing or certification test may

be paid to an individual regardless of whether the individual passes the test. The maximum fee is

not reduced depending on the length of active duty service. Prior to August 1, 2011, the fee does

not reduce the entitlement period and does not reduce other benefit payments under the Post-9/11

GI Bill.

Effective August 1, 2011, the Improvements Act removes the limit on the number of licensing and

certification tests, which may be reimbursed as long as each payment for each test does not

exceed $2,000 or the individual’s remaining Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement. Entitlement will be

charged at the rate of one month of entitlement for each amount equal to $1,460.30 Neither the

benefit nor the entitlement charge will depend on the length of qualifying active duty service.

Relocation and Travel Assistance

An individual who resides in a rural county and who has to relocate a distance of at least 500

miles, or an individual who must travel by air to attend an IHL, is entitled to a single payment of

$500. The relocation assistance does not reduce the entitlement period, does not reduce other

benefit payments, and is not reduced depending on the length of qualifying active duty service.

Additional Benefit Payments

Individuals may be eligible for advance payments, supplemental assistance for additional years of

service, 31 supplemental assistance for critical skills,32 and Tuition Assistance Top-Up. For

The equivalent entitlement charge of $1,460 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, will increase annually

thereafter according to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S.

Department of Education (ED).

Supplemental assistance for additional years of service augments an individual’s basic GI Bill benefit and is provided

by the military service branch to an individual who agrees to remain on active duty for at least two years after

completing at least five years of continuous service.

Supplemental assistance for critical skills augments an individual’s basic GI Bill benefit and is provided by the

(continued...)

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

individuals who have not received educational assistance benefits in 30 days or more, an advance

payment of the first partial and first full month of the housing allowance may be sent to the

educational institution to disburse within 30 days of the start of the academic to the student

planning to enroll more than half-time term. Tuition, fees, and books and supplies costs cannot be

advanced.33

The Tuition Assistance “Top-Up” program was established under the Floyd D. Spence National

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (P.L. 106-398) to promote retention. Through

Tuition Assistance programs, military service branches may pay a certain amount of tuition and

expenses for the education and training of active duty personnel. Under Tuition Assistance TopUp, Post-9/11 GI Bill-eligible servicemembers who have served for at least two years on active

duty and who are approved for Tuition Assistance benefits may elect to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill

benefits to pay for education and training expenses above the amount paid by their military

service branch. Use of the Top-Up benefit results in a reduction of future Post-9/11 GI Bill

benefits.

Individuals who pursue all courses online are not eligible for supplemental assistance (Kickers)

because Kickers are added to the monthly housing allowance, which they do not receive.

Individuals who enroll half-time or less or who are serving on active duty are also not eligible for

Kickers.34 The supplemental assistance for additional years of service and Kickers may be

reduced depending on the individual’s time served on active duty. Individuals in the Post-9/11 GI

Bill forfeit any contributions to the $600 Buy Up program.35

Benefit Payments as Enacted by the Improvements Act

The Improvements Act amends the Post-9/11 GI Bill to provide several payments to eligible

individuals, depending on the length of qualifying active duty service, program of education,

educational objective, their active duty status, and enrollment rate or rate of pursuit.

Payments for Tuition and Fees, Housing, and Books and Supplies

The maximum payment levels for tuition and fees, housing, and books and supplies, as enacted

by the Improvements Act, are summarized in Table 3, along with the effective date for these

payment levels. Many individuals will receive payments that are lower than these maximum

payments as a result of the length of their qualifying active duty service (see Table 2), their

(...continued)

military service branch to an individual who enlists in the regular Armed Forces with a skill or specialty in which there

is a critical shortage or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain personnel and to an

individual with a skill or specialty in which there is a critical shortage or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case

of critical units, retain personnel who agrees to serve in the Selected Reserve after separating honorably from the

regular Armed Forces.

Department of Veterans Affairs, “Post-9/11 GI Bill: Final Rule,” 74 Federal Register 14656, 14689, March 31, 2009,

clarifies the eligibility requirements for advance payments.

U.S. Department of Defense, Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 09-003: Post 9/11 GI Bill, June 22, 2009, p. 13,

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/DTM%2009-003%20Post%209-11%20GI%20Bill%20Optimized1.pdf.

Under the MGIB-AD $600 Buy-Up program, a servicemember may contribute up to $600 to the military service

branch in multiples of $20 and receive for every $20 contributed up to an additional $5 every month (up to $5,400

total) in which the individual receives MGIB-AD benefits.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

enrollment rate or rate of pursuit, actual charges, active duty status, being enrolled exclusively

through distance learning, and receipt of DOD Tuition Assistance.

Table 3. Maximum Payments for Tuition and Fees, Housing, and Books and Supplies,

as Enacted by the Improvements Act

Type of

Education/Training

Tuition and Fees

Monthly Housing

Allowance

Books and

Supplies Stipend

Effective Date

E-5 with

dependents BAHd

in the military

housing area in

which the IHL is

located

$1,000 per year

Aug. 1, 2011

None

$1,000 per year

Tuition and fees

are effective 60

days after Jan. 4,

2011.

More than half-time enrollment

Degree-seeking, nonactive duty individuals

At a public IHL,a “actual

net cost for in-state

tuition and fees” less

certain student aidb

At a private or foreign

IHLa, up to $17,500c

Degree-seeking,

active duty individuals

At a public IHLa, the

“actual net cost for instate tuition and fees”

less certain student aidb

At a private or foreign

IHL,a $17,500c

Books and

supplies stipend

is effective Oct.

1, 2011.

Apprenticeship or

on-the-job training

None

E-5 with

dependents BAHd

where the

employer is located

$83 per month

Oct. 1, 2011

Flight training

$10,000c

None

Oct. 1, 2011

Correspondence

training

$8,500c

None

Oct. 1, 2011

Non-degree-seeking

individuals

$17,500c

E-5 with

dependents BAHd

where the

educational

institution is

located

$83 per month

Oct. 1, 2011

None

Aug. 1, 2011

Half-time or less enrollment

Individuals enrolled

half-time or less

At a public IHL,a “actual

net cost for in-state

tuition and fees” less

certain student aidb

At a private or foreign

IHL,a $17,500c

Source: Table prepared by CRS based on the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of

2010 (P.L. 111-377).

Notes: Payments for many individuals will be lower than the maximum payments shown above based on the

individual’s length of qualifying active duty service, enrollment rate or rate of pursuit, active duty status, actual

charges, being enrolled exclusively through distance learning, and receipt of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

Tuition Assistance. Under the DOD Tuition Assistance program, military service branches may pay a certain

amount of tuition and expenses for the education and training of active duty personnel.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

IHL is an institution of higher learning.

The forms of student aid that may be used to offset the “actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees” are

certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and assistance. The applicable scholarships and sources of

assistance used to offset the actual tuition and fees are those provided directly to the IHL for the sole

purpose of defraying tuition and fees from the federal government, state governments, the IHL, or an

employer. Loans and Pell Grants are specifically excluded from being used to offset the tuition and fees. Pell

Grants are authorized by section 401(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. For more

information on Pell Grants, see CRS Report R41437, Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act:

Background, Recent Changes, and Current Legislative Issues, by Shannon M. Mahan.

This is the maximum for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011. The amount increases annually

thereafter according to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by

the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

The E-5 with dependents BAH is the monthly basic allowance for housing for a member of the Armed

Forces with dependents in pay grade E-5.

Degree-Seeking, Non-Active Duty Individuals Enrolled More than Half-Time

Effective August 1, 2011, eligible individuals who are not on active duty, are pursuing a program

of education leading to a degree (degree-seeking individuals) at an IHL, and are enrolled more

than half-time may receive the following payments for tuition and fees, housing, and books and

supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. Degree-seeking individuals attending public IHLs are eligible to

receive payments equal to the “actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees” for the

program of education, reduced according to the length of time served on active

duty (Table 2) and less certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and

assistance. 36 Degree-seeking individuals attending private or foreign IHLs are

eligible to receive the lesser of $17,500,37 reduced according to the length of time

served on active duty (Table 2), or the “actual net cost for tuition and fees” for

the program of education less certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and

assistance. The applicable scholarships and sources of assistance used to offset

the “actual net cost for tuition and fees” are those provided directly to the IHL for

the sole purpose of defraying tuition and fees from the federal government, state

governments, the IHL, or an employer. The applicable scholarships and

assistance specifically exclude loans and Pell Grants.38 The tuition and fees

benefit is paid directly to the IHL for each academic term.

•

Housing Allowance. For individuals not enrolled exclusively through distance

learning, the monthly housing allowance equals the E-5 with dependents BAH in

the military housing area in which the IHL is located, reduced according to the

length of time served on active duty (Table 2) and the individual’s enrollment

rate. For example, an individual enrolled in 10 credit hours, assuming 12 credit

hours as full-time, will receive 80% of the E-5 with dependents BAH where the

The “actual net cost for tuition and fees” is not defined.

The maximum of $17,500 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, increases annually thereafter according

to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S. Department of

Education (ED).

Pell Grants are authorized by section 401(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. For more information

on Pell Grants, see CRS Report R41437, Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: Background,

Recent Changes, and Current Legislative Issues, by Shannon M. Mahan.

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

IHL is located, reduced according to the length of time served on active duty

(Table 2). The E-5 with dependents BAH for attendance at foreign institutions

equals the national average of the E-5 with dependents BAH. Effective October

1, 2011, for individuals enrolled exclusively through distance learning, the

monthly housing allowance is 50% of the national average of the E-5 with

dependents BAH, reduced according to the length of time served on active duty

(Table 2) and the individual’s enrollment rate. The housing allowance is paid

directly to the eligible individual monthly.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals also receive a maximum stipend of

$1,000 per year for books and required educational expenses. The stipend is paid

monthly directly to the eligible individual based on the number of credit hours, or

their equivalent, in which the individual is enrolled each term. Each credit hour,

or its equivalent, is worth $41.67, reduced according to the length of time served

on active duty (Table 2).39

Degree-Seeking, Active Duty Individuals Enrolled More than Half-Time

Degree-seeking individuals serving on active duty while enrolled more than half-time may

receive the following payments for tuition and fees, housing, and books and supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. The tuition and fees benefit is paid directly to the IHL on behalf

of the eligible individual for each academic term. Effective 60 days after January

4, 2011, the benefit amount is the lesser of

•

at a public IHL, the “actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees” for the

program of education, reduced according to the length of time served on

active duty (Table 2) and less certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and

assistance;

•

at a private or foreign IHL, the lesser of $17,500,40 reduced according to the

length of time served on active duty (Table 2), or the “actual net cost for

tuition and fees” for the program of education less certain waivers,

reductions, scholarships, and assistance; or

•

the tuition and fees for the program of education that are not paid by the

DOD Tuition Assistance Program.

•

Housing Allowance. Degree-seeking individuals serving on active duty are

ineligible to receive a Post-9/11 GI Bill housing allowance.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Effective October 1, 2011, a degree-seeking

individual enrolled more than half-time while on active duty receives for each

academic term a lump sum stipend for books and supplies in the amount of

$1,000, reduced according to the length of time served on active duty (Table 2)

The VA has determined in 38 CFR 21.9640 that a lump sum books and supplies stipend for each academic term

equals $41.67 multiplied by the number of credit hours enrolled and multiplied by the ratio of the number of credit

hours enrolled to the number of credit hours required for full-time pursuit.

The maximum of $17,500 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, increases annually thereafter according

to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S. Department of

Education (ED).

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

and according to the proportion of a complete academic year that such academic

term constitutes.

Individuals Pursuing Apprenticeship or On-the-Job Training More than

Half-Time

Effective on October 1, 2011, individuals pursuing apprenticeship or on-the-job training more

than half-time may receive the following payments for tuition and fees, housing, and books and

supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. Individuals pursuing apprenticeship or on-the-job training more

than half-time are ineligible to receive a tuition and fees benefit.

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals pursuing apprenticeship or on-the-job training

more than half-time receive a monthly housing allowance equal to 100%, 80%,

60%, 40%, and 20% of the E-5 with dependents BAH where the employer is

located for the first six months, second six months, third six months, fourth six

months, and thereafter, respectively. The housing allowance is further reduced

depending on the length of time served on qualifying active duty (Table 2) and

by the proportion of working/training hours completed each month that is below

120.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals pursuing apprenticeship or on-the-job

training more than half-time receive a books and supplies stipend each academic

term in the amount of $83 per month, reduced according to the length of time

served on active duty (Table 2).

Flight Trainees Enrolled More than Half-Time

Effective on October 1, 2011, individuals enrolled more than half-time in programs of education

consisting of flight training, regardless of the type of institution, may receive the following

payments for tuition and fees, housing, and books and supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. Individuals enrolled more than half-time in flight training

receive a tuition and fees benefit equal to the lesser of $10,000,41 reduced

according to the length of time served on qualifying active duty (see Table 2), or

the “actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees” for the program of education less

certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and assistance. The tuition and fees

benefit is paid to the educational institution after the individual completes the

training.

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals pursuing flight training are ineligible to receive a

housing allowance while enrolled more than half-time.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals pursuing flight training are ineligible to

receive a books and supplies stipend while enrolled more than half-time.

The maximum of $10,000 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, will increase annually thereafter

according to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S. Department of

Education (ED).

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Correspondence Trainees Enrolled More than Half-Time

Effective on October 1, 2011, individuals enrolled more than half-time exclusively in

correspondence training programs, regardless of the type of institution, may receive the following

payments for tuition and fees, housing, and books and supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. Individuals enrolled exclusively in correspondence training

more than half-time receive a tuition and fees benefit equal to the lesser of

$8,500,42 reduced according to the length of time served on qualifying active

duty (see Table 2), or the “actual net cost for tuition and fees” for the program of

education less certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and assistance. The

tuition and fees benefit is paid to the educational institution after the individual

completes the training.

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals pursuing correspondence training exclusively

are ineligible to receive a housing allowance while enrolled more than half-time.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals pursuing correspondence training

exclusively are ineligible to receive a books and supplies stipend while enrolled

more than half-time.

Non-Degree-Seeking Individuals Enrolled More than Half-Time

Effective on October 1, 2011, active duty and non-active duty individuals who are enrolled more

than half-time in pursuit of a certificate or non-college degree at an institution or establishment

other than an IHL and who are not in on-the-job and apprenticeship, flight, or correspondence

training may receive the following payments for tuition and fees, housing, and books and

supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. Non-degree-seeking individuals enrolled more than half-time

receive a tuition and fees benefit equal to the lesser of $17,500,43 reduced

according to the length of time served on qualifying active duty (see Table 2), or

the “actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees” less certain waivers, reductions,

scholarships, and assistance. The tuition and fees benefit is paid to the

educational institution each academic term.44

•

Housing Allowance. For individuals pursuing a program of education inresidence, the monthly housing allowance is equal to the E-5 with dependents

BAH where the educational institution is located, reduced according to the length

of time served on qualifying active duty (see Table 2) and in proportion to the

enrollment rate. Individuals pursuing a program of education through distance

The maximum of $8,500 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, will increase annually thereafter according

to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S. Department of

Education (ED).

The maximum of $17,500 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, will increase annually thereafter

according to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S. Department of

Education (ED).

Entitlement is charged one month for each payment of tuition and fees that is equal to $1,458 ($17,500 divided by

12), reduced according to the length of time served on qualifying active duty (see Table 2).

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learning receive 50% of the amount received by individuals pursuing a program

of education in-residence.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Non-degree-seeking individuals enrolled more than

half-time receive a books and supplies stipend in the amount of $83 per month

paid to the individual for each academic term, reduced according to the length of

time served on qualifying active duty (see Table 2).

Individuals Enrolled Half-Time or Less

Effective August 1, 2011, individuals enrolled half-time or less in any program of education and

regardless of the active duty status may receive the following payments for tuition and fees,

housing, and books and supplies:

•

Tuition and fees. Individuals enrolled half-time or less will be eligible for a

tuition and fees benefit of the “actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees”

assessed by the IHL less certain waivers, reductions, scholarships, and assistance,

but not more than the amount for which the individual would have been eligible

if enrolled more than half-time in a program of education leading to a degree at

an IHL.

•

Housing Allowance. Individuals enrolled half-time or less are ineligible to

receive a housing allowance.

•

Books and Supplies Stipend. Individuals enrolled half-time or less are ineligible

to receive a books and supplies stipend.

Yellow Ribbon Program Payments

In cases in which an IHL’s tuition and fees are not fully covered by the tuition and fees payment

benefits, the IHL may voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Program agreement with the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to match an equal percentage of some portion of the

remaining tuition and fees (see “Yellow Ribbon Program” section below).

Tutorial Assistance

An individual is entitled to payment, not to exceed $100 monthly and up to a maximum of $1,200

over the course of the entitlement period, for tutorial assistance provided it is certified by the IHL

that the individual needs tutoring to pass a course required for the approved program of

education. The maximum tutorial assistance is not reduced depending on the length of active duty

service. Tutorial assistance under the Post-9/11 GI Bill does not reduce the entitlement period and

does not reduce other benefit payments.

Licensing and Certification Test Fees

Effective August 1, 2011, a fee of up to $2,000 for each approved licensing or certification test or

the individual’s remaining Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement, whichever is less, is available to an

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individual regardless of whether the individual passes the test. Entitlement is charged at the rate

of one month of entitlement for each amount equal to $1,460.45

National Tests

Effective August 1, 2011, individuals receive reimbursement for a national test for admissions to

an IHL and a national test providing an opportunity for course credit at an IHL. The maximum

benefit for a test will be the individual’s remaining Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement. Entitlement is

charged at the rate of one month of entitlement for each amount equal to $1,460.46

Relocation and Travel Assistance

An individual who resides in a rural county and who has to relocate a distance of at least 500

miles, or an individual who must travel by air to attend an IHL, is entitled to a single payment of

up to $500. The relocation assistance does not reduce the entitlement period, does not reduce

other benefit payments, and is not reduced depending on the length of active duty service.

Additional Benefit Payments

Individuals may be eligible for advance payments,47 supplemental assistance for additional years

of service, 48 supplemental assistance for critical skills, 49 and Tuition Assistance Top-Up. 50

Individuals who pursue all courses online are not eligible for supplemental assistance (Kickers)

because Kickers are added to the monthly housing allowance, which they do not receive.

Individuals who enroll half-time or less or who are serving on active duty are also not eligible for

Kickers.51 Effective August 1, 2011, for individuals who make an irrevocable election to receive

The equivalent entitlement charge of $1,460 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, will increase annually

thereafter according to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S.

Department of Education (ED).

The equivalent entitlement charge of $1,460 for the academic year beginning August 1, 2011, will increase annually

thereafter according to the average increase in undergraduate tuition in the United States as determined by the U.S.

Department of Education (ED).

For individuals who have not received educational assistance benefits in 30 days or more, an advance payment of the

first partial and first full month of the housing allowance may be sent to the educational institution to disburse within

30 days of the start of the academic to the student planning to enroll more than half-time term. Tuition, fees, and books

and supplies costs cannot be advanced.

Supplemental assistance for additional years of service augments an individual’s basic GI Bill benefit and is provided

by the military service branch to an individual who agrees to remain on active duty for at least two years after

completing at least five years of continuous service.

Supplemental assistance for critical skills augments an individual’s basic GI Bill benefit and is provided by the

military service branch to an individual who enlists in the regular Armed Forces with a skill or specialty in which there

is a critical shortage or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain personnel and to an

individual with a skill or specialty in which there is a critical shortage or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case

of critical units, retain personnel who agrees to serve in the Selected Reserve after separating honorably from the

regular Armed Forces.

Through Tuition Assistance programs, military service branches may pay a certain amount of tuition and expenses

for the education and training of active duty personnel. Under Tuition Assistance Top-Up, Post-9/11 GI Bill-eligible

servicemembers who have served for at least two years on active duty and who are approved for Tuition Assistance

benefits may elect to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to pay for education and training expenses above the amount

paid by their military service branch.

U.S. Department of Defense, Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 09-003: Post 9/11 GI Bill, June 22, 2009, p. 13,

(continued...)

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Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits in lieu of benefits under the MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR, the Kicker will

be reduced in proportion to the enrollment rate.52

The supplemental assistance for additional years of service and Kickers may be reduced

depending on the individual’s time served on active duty. Individuals in the Post-9/11 GI Bill

forfeit any contributions to the $600 Buy Up program. 53

Benefit Availability and Duration

The entitlement period is 36 months. One major difference for veterans discharged with a service

connected disability is that under the Post-9/11 GI Bill they are eligible for the maximum (100%)

benefit over 36 months, whereas the MGIB-AD only provides one month of entitlement for each

month of active duty service, but no more than 36 months. Veterans and servicemembers, many

of whom will be eligible for more than one program, can combine benefits with other educational

benefit programs administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to receive up to

48 months of educational benefits. By law, no educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill

can be paid 15 years or more after discharge or release from active duty.54

Yellow Ribbon Program

The Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program covers a portion of the tuition and fees

that exceed the base Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit. The Yellow Ribbon Program payment is paid

equally by the IHL and the VA. The program allows IHLs to enter into agreements with the VA to

match a certain amount of the tuition and fees not already covered by the basic Post-9/11 GI

Bill.55 Each IHL must establish the number of eligible individuals it is willing to support and how

much it is willing to contribute for each individual. VA regulations allow IHLs to specify their

support by each sub-element: college or professional school; and by student status:

undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral.56 The program is only available to individuals who have

served on active duty for 36 months and those who were discharged due to a service-connected

disability after 30 consecutive days of active duty service. As long as the IHL remains in the

Yellow Ribbon Program, an individual admitted under the program who maintains satisfactory

(...continued)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/DTM%2009-003%20Post%209-11%20GI%20Bill%20Optimized1.pdf.

Funding for the additional educational assistance for critical skills or specialties will be paid from the DOD

Education Benefits Fund (10 U.S.C. § 2006) or from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations.

Under the MGIB-AD $600 Buy-Up program, a servicemember may contribute up to $600 to the military service

branch in multiples of $20 and receive for every $20 contributed up to an additional $5 every month (up to $5,400

total) in which the individual receives MGIB-AD benefits.

The 15-year limitation does not include periods when an individual was ineligible for the program but their discharge

status was later amended to make them eligible for the program, and periods when an individual was detained by a

foreign government or power and any related recovery period in a hospital. Individuals incapable of beginning

education as a result of a physical or mental disability can be granted an extension for the period of incapacity.

This program is not related to the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program authorized by the National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (P.L. 110-181). The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program consists of

informational events and activities for reservists, their families, and community members to facilitate access to services

supporting their health and well-being through the pre-deployment, deployment, demobilization, and post-deploymentreconstitution.

38 CFR 21.9700 as of March 31, 2009.

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progress will continue to be supported under the program. As of June 24, 2009, the VA had

entered into over 2,500 Yellow Ribbon agreements with about 700 public and private schools in

all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The schools have agreed to support

between one and an unlimited number of eligible students for $50 per semester to the maximum

amount needed by the student.

For example, a Post-9/11 GI Bill eligible veteran with 36 months of qualifying active duty service

may choose to enroll as a graduate student in eight credit hours during one semester at Gonzaga

University in Washington. The base Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit covers the maximum amount of

undergraduate tuition charged at a public institution in the state. The veteran will receive 100%

of the maximum benefit because the veteran has 36 months of active duty service. In the 2007-08

academic year, Gonzaga University charged $670 per credit hour for part-time graduate tuition

and $176 per year in full-time graduate student fees.57 For the 2009-2010 academic year, the

maximum charge per credit hour at the most expensive public institution in Washington is $380,

and the maximum fees for an academic term at the most expensive public institution in the state

are $14,444.50. Assuming the veteran does not receive institutional aid, Gonzaga University will

charge the veteran a total of $5,448, composed of $5,360 ($670 per credit hour × 8 credit hours)

in tuition and $88 ($176 fees per year × ½ for one semester) in fees. Assuming the veteran is only

eligible for the basic Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, the veteran could receive the lesser of $3,040

(100% × $380 per credit hour × 8 credit hours) in Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits for the

semester or the actual tuition charged ($5,360), and the lesser of $14,444.50 in Post-9/11 GI Bill

fees benefits for the semester or the actual fees charged ($88). For the basic Post-9/11 GI Bill

benefits, the VA will send $3,040 to the University on behalf of the veteran for tuition. For the

basic Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, the VA will send $88 to the university on behalf of the veteran

for fees. In summary, the veteran has been charged $5,448 in tuition and fees, and the VA has paid

$3,128 ($3,040 tuition + $88 fees) in basic benefits, leaving an unpaid balance of $2,320 ($5,448

- $3,128). Under the Yellow Ribbon Program in 2009-2010, Gonzaga University has agreed to

support 25 students for up to $11,420 per student per year. If the veteran in this example is one of

the 25 students, the VA will match the university’s payment up to $11,420 per year or $5,710 per

semester. Therefore, the VA will make a Yellow Ribbon payment of $1,160, the lesser of half of

the unpaid balance $1,160 ($2,320 ÷ 2) or $5,710. The VA will have paid $4,288 ($3,128 in basic

tuition and fees + $1,160 in Yellow Ribbon payments) on behalf of the veteran. The Post-9/11 GI

Bill will provide the veteran a total of $5,448 ($4,288 from the VA + $1,160 from the university)

for tuition and fees. The veteran will not need to provide any additional out-of-pocket funds for

tuition and fees charges.

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship Program

The Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-32) amended the Post-9/11 GI Bill to

create the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship. The scholarship program is

available to the children of individuals who, on or after September 11, 2001, die in the line of

duty while serving on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces. The definition of children is

the same as it is in the MGIB-AD, but also includes married children and children over 23 years

of age. 58 The Armed Forces include the Reserves and National Guard, but exclude the Public

Tuition and fees were reported to the U.S. Department of Education in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data

System (IPEDS).

Under the MGIB-AD, children are defined as unmarried persons under the age of 18, unmarried persons who became

permanently incapable of self-support before the age of 18, or unmarried persons between the ages of 18 and 23 who

(continued...)

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Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scholarship recipients are

eligible to receive most Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for 36 months at the maximum 100% rate.

Scholarship recipients are not eligible to receive Yellow Ribbon payments. No scholarship

program benefits can be paid 15 years or more after the child’s 18th birthday. Although the

program took effect August 1, 2009, payments, including retroactive payments, were not made

until August 1, 2010.

The VA has established rules for individuals who are eligible for the scholarship and who have

served in the Armed Forces. Children who are eligible under the MGIBs or REAP must relinquish

eligibility under one of those programs to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Children

who are serving on active duty will receive benefits like other servicemembers on active duty. 59

Transferability to Dependents

The DOD allows the transfer of benefits from individuals eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill to

certain family members.60 The Post-9/11 GI Bill-eligible individual must be a member of the

Armed Forces (active duty or Selected Reserves) on or after August 1, 2009. Effective August 1,

2011, the Secretary of Defense may authorize commissioned officers of the PHS and NOAA to

transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to dependents if it is in the national security interests of the

United States.

Per DOD Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 09-003, three categories of individuals in the

Armed Forces, excluding PHS and NOAA, may transfer some or all of their benefits. The first

category includes servicemembers who have completed at least six years of service (active duty

or Selected Reserves) and agree to serve four additional years. The second category includes

servicemembers who have completed ten years of service and are precluded from serving an

additional four years but agree to serve the maximum amount of time allowable. The third

category includes servicemembers who become retirement eligible between August 1, 2009, and

August 1, 2013. Servicemembers in the third category are required to serve an additional 0-3

years, depending on their retirement eligibility date. 61

Individuals eligible to transfer their benefits can transfer up to 36 months of benefits to their

child, to their spouse, or to some combination of children and spouse.62 The family members must

be enrolled in the DOD Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) and be

eligible for benefits at the time the transfer is designated. The eligible servicemember can

(...continued)

are in school. Children must be legitimate children, acknowledged illegitimate children, legally adopted, or stepchildren

who are members of the eligible individual’s household.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Post-9/11 GI Bill: Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship,”

press release, http://www.gibill.va.gov/documents/Fry_Scholarship.pdf.

U.S. Department of Defense, Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 09-003: Post 9/11 GI Bill, June 22, 2009,

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/DTM%2009-003%20Post%209-11%20GI%20Bill%20Optimized1.pdf.

Servicemembers who become eligible for retirement on August 1, 2009, or who have an approved retirement date

after August 1, 2009, and before July 1, 2010, are not required to serve additional time. Servicemembers who become

eligible for retirement after August 1, 2009, and before August 1, 2010, are required to serve one additional year of

service. Servicemembers who become eligible for retirement on or after August 1, 2010, and before August 1, 2011,

are required to serve two additional years of service. Servicemembers who become eligible for retirement on or after

August 1, 2011, and before August 1, 2012, are required to serve three additional years of service.

The transferred benefits cannot be considered marital property in divorce proceedings.

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designate the family member, the number of months of the entitlement period, and the period

during which it may be used, and can modify or revoke the designation at any time. After

retirement or separation from the Armed Forces, the individual can only modify the number of

months of the transferred entitlement period or revoke the designation for those family members

who have received transferred benefits before the retirement or separation. After retirement or

separation from the Armed Forces, the individual cannot add new family members. As the

dependent uses the transferred benefit, the remaining entitlement periods of both the dependent

and servicemember are reduced. The designees can use the benefit for the same purposes as the

eligible individual and for the completion of a high school diploma or its equivalent.

A spouse can begin using the benefit after the servicemember completes at least six years of

service or the length of service required by regulation. A spouse who subsequently divorces the

Post-9/11 GI Bill-eligible individual is still eligible to use the transferred benefits unless the

eligible individual revokes the transfer. The spouse receives payments according to the current

status of the eligible individual. The spouse may use the benefit within 15 years of the eligible

individual’s discharge or release from active duty service.

Children have to achieve a high school diploma or its equivalent or reach 18 years of age before

using the benefit. The servicemember has to complete at least ten years of service or the length of

service required by regulation before the designated children can use the benefit. Children receive

payments as if the eligible individual were not on active duty. Children must use the benefit

before reaching 26 years of age. 63

Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB)

House hearings examining the possible need for a new GI Bill in the early 1980s focused on the

difficulties the military was experiencing in recruiting and retaining a highly qualified allvolunteer force: active duty, Reserves, and National Guard.64 Although recruiting problems were

not uniformly distributed by branch, rank, grade, or military occupational specialty (MOS), some

suggested reinstating the draft. DOD was concerned about the high cost of attrition: training new

recruits and loss of experience and expertise. Some witnesses argued for the elimination of the

servicemember’s monetary contribution toward the benefit because retention rates were not

appreciably increased by the prior GI Bill, VEAP, which required a contribution from

servicemembers. Only 20-25% of new recruits contributed to VEAP, and 40% had disenrolled

from the program to recoup their contribution, which equaled 5% to 20% of the after-tax pay for

some enlisted members. Despite a strong desire to increase retention by allowing universal

Effective August 1, 2011, the Improvements Act grants an extension of the entitlement period to children to whom

Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are transferred and who are incapable of pursuing their chosen program of education before

age 26 as a result of being the primary caregiver, according to the family caregiver assistance program (38 U.S.C.

§1720G(a)).

Honorable Bob Edgar indicated in his prepared statement that “up to an estimated one-third of active duty male first

term enlistees from fiscal year 1976 to fiscal year 1978 failed to complete three years of initial service.” U.S. Congress,

House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation, New Educational

Assistance Program for the Military to Assist Recruiting, 97th Cong., 1st and 2nd sess., June 24, September 10, 16, 17,

24, 30, October 1, 7, 21, 28, November 17, 1981, and March 11, 1982, HRG-1981-ASH-0030 (Washington: GPO,

1982).

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transfer of dollars of entitlement and the entitlement period to spouses and children after ten years

of service, such a proposal was deemed too expensive. 65

Montgomery GI Bill—Active Duty (MGIB-AD)

The Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD), originally called the All-Volunteer Force

Educational Assistance Program, was initially enacted as part of the Department of Defense

Authorization Act, 1985 (P.L. 98-525), as a three-year pilot program.66 The program was finally

codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 30. The original purpose of the permanent program was to

provide educational readjustment assistance and to aid in the recruitment and retention of highly

qualified personnel for both the active and reserve components of the Armed Forces. It was also

expected to promote and assist the All-Volunteer Force program and the Total Force Concept of

the Armed Forces67 based upon service on active duty or a combination of service on active duty

and in the Selected Reserve, including the National Guard. To ensure the recruitment of higher

quality individuals, more likely to stay in the military, the program requires that all individuals

complete a high school diploma, its equivalent, or 12 credit hours of postsecondary education in

order to be eligible for benefits.68

Eligible Individuals

Educational assistance benefits are available to individuals defined in four categories.

•

Category 1 individuals entered active-duty for the first time after June 30, 1985,

and served a minimum of three continuous years on active duty, or two

continuous years if the initial obligated period of active duty was less than three

years. Category 1 individuals may also have been discharged with a serviceconnected disability, hardship, pre-existing condition, certain reductions-in-force,

a physical or mental condition that did not result from the individual’s own

willful misconduct, or for the government’s convenience after serving a

minimum of 30 months active duty, or 20 months if the initial obligated period of

active duty was less than three years. However, individuals who receive an

officer’s commission following graduation from one of the service academies69

or following graduation as a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation, New

Educational Assistance Program for the Military to Assist Recruiting, 97th Cong., 1st and 2nd sess., June 24, September

10, 16, 17, 24, 30, October 1, 7, 21, 28, November 17, 1981, and March 11, 1982, HRG-1981-ASH-0030 (Washington:

GPO, 1982).

The New GI Bill Continuation Act (P.L. 100-48) permanently authorized the All-Volunteer Force Educational

Assistance Program and the Selected Reserve Component. It also changed the name of the program to the Montgomery

GI Bill.

Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird introduced the Total Force Concept of the Armed Forces in 1970 to reduce

military expenditures by calling on the Reserves and National Guard to serve an increased active duty role.

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation, New

Educational Assistance Program for the Military to Assist Recruiting, 97th Cong., 1st and 2nd sess., June 24, September

10, 16, 17, 24, 30, October 1, 7, 21, 28, November 17, 1981, and March 11, 1982, H.A.S.C. 97-45 (Washington: GPO,

1982).

The applicable service academies are the United States Military Academy (USMA), the United States Naval

Academy (USNA), the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), or the Coast Guard Academy (USCGA).

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recipient are not eligible. 70 Category 1 individuals also include Selected

Reservists and National Guard members who serve two continuous years of

honorable active duty service upon first entry into the military after June 30,

1985, and who serve a minimum of four continuous years of service in the

Reserves beginning within a year of completing the active duty service. For

reservists and National Guard members, the active duty service period includes

only duty under Title 10 U.S.C. and certain full-time National Guard duty for the

purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the

National Guard under Title 32 U.S.C. commissioned officers of the Public Health

Service (PHS) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) are

also eligible.

•

Category 2 individuals had a remaining period of entitlement under the PostKorean Conflict GI Bill (see Appendix C) as of December 31, 1989, and were

on active duty after June 30, 1985.71 Category 1 and 2 individuals exclude

officers commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Military, Naval, Air Force,

or Coast Guard Academy after December 31, 1976. Category 1 and 2 individuals

also exclude officers who complete training as cadets and midshipmen if the

officer entered active duty before October 1, 1996, or entered active duty after

September 30, 1996, and received more than $3,400 for each year of such

participation.

•

Category 3 individuals elected MGIB-AD before receiving an involuntary

separation, voluntary separation incentive, or special separation benefit.

•

Category 4 individuals are VEAP participants who either had a remaining period

of entitlement; were on active duty on October 9, 1996; or elected to transfer to

the MGIB-AD by October 9, 1997; and made the requisite $1,200 contribution.

VEAP participants who served on active duty from October 9, 1996, through

April 1, 2000; elected to transfer to the MGIB-AD by October 31, 2001; and

made a $2,700 contribution are also in Category 4. A small group of National

Guard members who first served on full-time National Guard active duty under

Title 32 U.S.C. between June 30, 1985, and November 29, 1989, were eligible to

make the requisite $1,200 contribution during an open period from October 9,

1996, to June 8, 1997.

The active duty service period requirements exclude time assigned to an education or training

program similar to those offered to civilians unless assigned by the military full-time, exclude

Officers who received their commission after December 31, 1976, following graduation as Reserve Officer Training

Corps (ROTC) scholarship recipients are not eligible for the MGIB-AD if they entered active duty before October 1,

1996, and they are not eligible if they entered active duty after September 30, 1996, and received more than $3,400 for

each year of ROTC participation.

Individuals eligible for the Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill who have been on continuous active duty since October 19,

1984, and served at least three years of continuous active duty after June 30, 1985, or were discharged or released from

active duty after June 30, 1985, for a service-connected disability or hardship, or were discharged for the government’s

convenience after serving a minimum of 30 months active duty after June 30, 1985, are also eligible to MGIB-AD

educational benefits. Category 2 individuals also include reservists eligible for the Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill who

serve two continuous years of honorable active duty service in the military after June 30, 1985, and who serve a

minimum of four continuous years of service in the Reserves immediately following the active duty service. Category 2

includes individuals eligible for the Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill who were not on active duty on October 19, 1984, but

re-enlisted and served three continuous years on active duty or were discharged or released for reasons similar to those

of other individuals eligible for the Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill.

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time spent as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, and exclude the initial 12week period of active duty for training in the National Guard and the Reserves. The active duty

service period requirements include time spent organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing,

or training the National Guard while on full-time Army National Guard or Air National Guard

duty and include time spent at a service academy or preparing to attend a service academy if the

individual fails and returns to active duty. Individuals in all categories must have completed a

high school diploma, its equivalent, or 12 semester hours in a program of education leading to a

standard college degree. Also, all individuals must continue on active duty or in the Reserves, as

appropriate; be discharged under fully honorable conditions; be placed on the retired or

temporary disability retired list; or be transferred to certain reserve components.

To become eligible for MGIB-AD benefits, Category 1 individuals must not decline the benefit in

writing, and must allow the first 12 months of their military pay to be reduced by $100 per

month. 72 This is in contrast to the VEAP, which required servicemembers to elect to participate by

making contributions. In certain circumstances, servicemembers who initially declined the benefit

were allowed to enroll in the program. 73 To discourage experienced personnel from leaving the

military, servicemembers remaining in service are eligible to receive educational benefits after

serving two continuous years on active duty.

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments

The approved programs of education are the following:

•

courses at an educational institution (see below for the definition of an

educational institution) which lead to a predetermined educational, vocational, or

professional objective or objectives if related to the same career (this includes

traditional undergraduate and graduate programs);

•

courses required by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration as a

condition to obtaining financial assistance under the provisions of section 7(i)(1)

of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(i)(1));

•

licensing or certification tests for a predetermined vocation or profession,

provided such tests and the licensing or credentialing organizations or entities

that offer such tests are approved;

•

courses offered by a qualified provider of entrepreneurship courses;

•

national tests for admission to IHLs or graduate schools (such as the Scholastic

Aptitude Test (SAT));

•

national tests providing an opportunity for course credit at IHLs (such as the

Advanced Placement (AP) exam);

Selected Reservists may make a one-time lump-sum contribution or 12-monthly contributions totaling $1,200 after

completing two years of active duty service. In the event of an individual’s service-connected death while on active

duty, the designated beneficiary, surviving spouse, children, or parents will be reimbursed any contribution by the

servicemember that had not already been used.

Servicemembers were allowed to withdraw their election to not enroll in the program during an open period between

December 1, 1988, and June 30, 1989; before being involuntarily separated; and before separating from the active

service with an honorable discharge and receiving certain voluntary separation incentives.

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•

a preparatory course for a test that is required or used for admission to an

institution of higher education or a graduate school;

•

full-time programs of apprentice or other on-the-job training, for individuals not

on active duty; and

•

cooperative programs74 for individuals not on active duty.75

Educational institutions are defined as

•

public or private elementary or secondary schools;

•

vocational, correspondence, business, normal, or professional schools;

•

colleges or universities;

•

scientific or technical institutions;

•

other institutions furnishing education for adults;

•

state-approved alternative teacher certification program providers;

•

private entities that offer courses toward the attainment of a license or certificate

generally recognized as necessary for a profession or vocation in a high

technology occupation; and

•

qualified providers of entrepreneurship courses.

Benefit Payments

Unlike the Post-9/11 GI Bill, a single monthly allowance for subsistence, tuition and fees,

supplies, books, and equipment is paid directly to recipients. Beginning in FY2010, and unless

Congress changes the amount, the maximum monthly benefit amounts is adjusted annually based

on the annual percentage increase in the average cost of undergraduate tuition in the United

States, as determined by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).76 Effective October

1, 2010, veterans may receive up to $1,426 monthly for full-time training.77 A reduced allowance

is provided for less than full-time training and for those who served less than three continuous

years on active duty. Individuals on active duty and those training less than half-time receive

actual tuition and fees or the monthly allowance, whichever is less. For an individual in

apprenticeship or on-the-job training, the monthly allowance is 75%, 55%, and 35% of the

A cooperative program is a full-time program of education, which consists of institutional courses and alternate

phases of training in a business or industrial establishment with the training in a business or industrial establishment

being strictly supplemental.

All programs of education must be approved by the VA and other relevant approving agencies.

Prior to FY2010, the maximum monthly benefit amounts could be adjusted at any time by Congress or be adjusted

annually according to the consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U).

The benefit payment has been increased several times since the program’s enactment. When the MGIB-AD program

was enacted in 1985, the maximum monthly benefit was $300. The maximum monthly benefit was increased to $400

by the Veterans’ Benefits Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-568), to $528 by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

(P.L. 105-178) in 1998, and to $650 by the Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2000 (P.L. 106419). The Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-103) provided three increases: $800 for

months beginning on or after January 1, 2002; $900 for months occurring during FY2003; and $985 for months

occurring during FY2004. For FY2009, the monthly benefit amount was increased to $1,321 by the Supplemental

Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252).

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monthly benefit otherwise payable to that individual for the first six months, second six months,

and thereafter, respectively.78 Individuals in cooperative training receive 80% of the monthly

allowance. 79 Individuals pursuing education exclusively by correspondence receive 55% of the

institution’s established charges for completed courses, and individuals pursuing education

consisting exclusively of flight training receive 60% of the institution’s established charges for

completed courses.80

Individuals may receive an accelerated payment of the basic educational assistance for education

leading to employment in a high technology occupation in a high technology industry. If the costs

of the program of education are more than double the monthly assistance allowance to which the

individual would have been entitled, the individual may receive the lesser of 60% of the

program’s costs for the term or the individual’s remaining dollars of entitlement. The individual’s

entitlement period is reduced at a rate in the proportion that the payment is to the monthly

assistance allowance to which the individual would have been entitled.

Individuals may receive up to $2,000 for each licensing or certification test taken, and individuals

may receive the actual fee for each admissions or course credit test taken.81 Individuals are also

eligible for payments of up to $100 monthly (for a maximum of $1,200 total) for tutorial

assistance. The individual must be enrolled at least half-time, and the educational institution must

certify as to the necessity and customary nature of the cost. The first $600 does not reduce the

entitlement period; however, the subsequent $600 reduces the entitlement period by one month

for each amount paid, which is equal to the monthly benefit otherwise payable to that individual.

There are four ways in which certain individuals are eligible for an increased allowance:

•

Individuals who were eligible for the Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill receive an

increase to the monthly allowance, depending on the type of training, rate of

pursuit, and number of dependents, for as many months as the individual has

remaining Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill entitlement. For example, effective

October 1, 2010, an individual in full-time institutional training with two

dependents may receive $1,681 monthly.

•

Each military branch may provide a College Fund/Kicker at recruitment, which

increases the monthly allowance by up to $950 for individuals with critical skills.

•

The military branches may also provide supplemental educational assistance for

additional service to active duty servicemembers after they serve an additional

five consecutive years on active duty after completing the initial two- or threeyear eligibility period of active duty service. Reservists may receive the

For apprentice or on-the-job training, an individual’s entitlement period is respectively reduced at 0.75, 0.55, or 0.35

months for each month of educational assistance received, depending on the payment. Individuals working/training

fewer than 120 hours monthly have their payment and entitlement period usage proportionately reduced.

The individual’s entitlement period is reduced at 0.8 months for each month of cooperative educational assistance

received.

The individual’s entitlement period is reduced one month for each educational assistance payment that equals the

monthly assistance allowance to which the individual would have been entitled. Individuals may only receive payment

for the minimum number of solo flying hours required by the Federal Aviation Administration for the desired flight

rating or certification.

For licensing, certification, admissions, or course credit testing, an individual’s entitlement period is reduced one

month for each amount paid that is equal to the monthly benefit otherwise payable to such individual.

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supplemental educational assistance for additional service after they serve an

additional two consecutive years on active duty and four consecutive years in the

Selected Reserves, in addition to the initial two-year active duty and four-year

Selected Reserves eligibility period. 82 The supplemental educational assistance

for additional service is $300 monthly for full-time training (reduced for less than

full-time training) and up to an additional $300 (for a total maximum additional

amount of $600) monthly for individuals with critical skills.

•

Servicemembers may also contribute up to an additional $600 while on active

duty in $20 monthly increments and receive up to an additional $5 monthly for

each $20 contributed over the life of their entitlement period under what is

known as the $600 Buy Up Program. In other words, each dollar contributed by

an individual is matched by the federal government with an additional $8 in

benefits. This benefit could equal up to $5,400 over 36 months for a $600

investment.

While MGIB-AD basic monthly benefit amounts are adjusted annually, no annual adjustments are

made to the additional allowance amounts.

The Tuition Assistance “Top-Up” program was established under the Floyd D. Spence National

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (P.L. 106-398) to promote retention. Through

Tuition Assistance programs, military service branches may pay a certain amount of tuition and

expenses for the education and training of active duty personnel. Under Tuition Assistance TopUp, MGIB-AD servicemembers who have served for at least two years on active duty and who

are approved for Tuition Assistance benefits may elect to receive MGIB-AD benefits to pay for

education and training expenses above the amount paid by their military service branch. Use of

the Top-Up benefit results in a reduction of future MGIB-AD benefits.83

Benefit Availability and Duration

By law, no educational benefits under the MGIB-AD can be paid more than ten years after

discharge or release from active duty, or in the case of a reservist, more than ten years after

completing the required four-year Selected Reserve duty.84 Most individuals are entitled to 36

Upon completing the additional years of active duty service and Selected Reserves service, if applicable, the

individual must remain on active duty; be discharged honorably; be placed on the retired or temporary disability retired

list, or be transferred to the Reserves.

The individual’s entitlement period is reduced at a rate determined by dividing the amount of the Top-Up payment

by the individual’s full-time monthly rate.

There are exceptions to the ten-year benefit availability period. Veterans who were ineligible for the program on

discharge or release but whose discharge status was later amended to make them eligible for the program are allowed

benefits for up to 10 years after the discharge status was amended. The 10-year period excludes periods detained by a

foreign government or power and any recovery period in a hospital. Veterans who were incapable of beginning

education as a result of a physical or mental disability can be granted an extension for the period of incapacity.

Individuals who were the primary caregiver according to the family caregiver assistance program (38 U.S.C. §

1720G(a)) after July 31, 2011, can extend the 10-year period of benefit availability for as long as they were incapable

of pursuing their chosen program of education as a result of being the primary caregiver. The 10-year period is reduced

for individuals eligible for the Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill by the length of time not on active duty service between

January 1, 1977, and October 18, 1984. Also, the 10-year period begins after discharge or release from active duty or

on January 1, 1990, whichever is later, for Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill participants who were on active duty after

October 18, 1984. For Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill participants who were not on active duty on October 19, 1984, the

10-year period begins on December 27, 2001.

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months (or the equivalent in part-time attendance) of educational assistance. Category 1 active

duty servicemembers discharged or released (other than for the convenience of the government)

before serving the minimum two or three years of active duty service are entitled to educational

benefits for a period equal to one month for each month of active duty service, but no more than

36 months. Reservists are entitled to one month for each month of active duty service and one

month for each four months served in the Selected Reserves, but no more than 36 months.85

Veterans and servicemembers can combine benefits with other VA administered educational

assistance programs to receive up to 48 months of education benefits, but benefits cannot be

received concurrently, and the eligibility periods cannot overlap.

MGIB-AD Death Benefit

The MGIB-AD death benefit is available to certain beneficiaries of MGIB-AD-eligible

individuals and to certain beneficiaries of individuals who served after June 30, 1985, and who

died for service-connected reasons while on active duty or who died for service-connected

reasons within one year of discharge or release from active duty. The beneficiary is the

beneficiary or beneficiaries of the individual’s Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance policy. If

the life insurance beneficiary or beneficiaries are no longer living, the death benefit is paid to the

individual’s surviving spouse. If the spouse is no longer living, the death benefit is split between

the individual’s surviving children. If the children are no longer living, the death benefit is split

between the individual’s surviving parents. The benefit is equal to the amount the servicemember

contributed in order to be eligible for the MGIB-AD less the proportion of entitlement used by the

servicemember.

Transferability to Dependents

Each DOD service branch is authorized to allow eligible individuals to transfer up to 18 months

of their MGIB-AD educational assistance benefits to family members, but only the Army offers

such a program as a pilot program. The Air Force offered a pilot program briefly but has

discontinued it. The purpose of the programs is to increase retention of highly qualified and

experienced servicemembers.

The Army pilot program is only available to MGIB-AD-eligible servicemembers in military

occupational specialty (MOS) eligible for reenlistment bonuses who elect to participate upon

reenlisting for four additional years after serving a minimum of six years. Reservists and National

Guard members are not eligible. Benefits may be transferred for up to 18 months to a child86 who

will have finished high school or reached 18 years of age, to a spouse, or to some combination of

children and spouse. The spouse may begin using the benefit after the servicemember completes

six years of service; the children must wait until the servicemember has completed ten years of

Reservists who are discharged or released with a service-connected disability or pre-existing medical condition

during the four-year Reserve period are eligible for 36 months of educational assistance.

Children are defined as unmarried persons under the age of 18, unmarried persons who became permanently

incapable of self-support before the age of 18, or unmarried persons between the ages of 18 and 23 who are in school.

Children must be legitimate children, acknowledged illegitimate children, legally adopted, or stepchildren who are

members of the eligible individual’s household.

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service. The transferred benefit must be used within ten years of the servicemember’s honorable

discharge or before the children reach 26 years of age.87

Montgomery GI Bill—Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)

The Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve88 (MGIB-SR), passed under the same legislation as

the MGIB-AD, is a Title 10 U.S.C. DOD program administered by the VA. 89 Each service

component of the Selected Reserve is authorized to establish an educational assistance program to

encourage membership in the Selected Reserve: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast

Guard Reserve; Army National Guard; and the Air National Guard. The benefit is an incentive to

stay in the Reserves and was established in recognition of the fact that many states offer

educational assistance to reservists.90

Eligible Individuals

The MGIB-SR program is available to individuals serving in the Selected Reserve, including the

National Guard, who agree to a six-year service obligation. Educational assistance benefits are

available to Selected Reservists who enlist, re-enlist, or extend an enlistment for six years after

June 30, 1985, and reserve officers who agree to serve an additional six years above any existing

obligation.91 The reservists also have to complete the initial period of active duty for training,

complete 180 days of service in the Selected Reserve, have a high school diploma or its

equivalent, and satisfactorily meet the necessary training requirements of the Selected Reserve.

Individuals who fail to satisfactorily meet the training requirements of the Selected Reserve may

be ordered to active duty or required to repay some or all of the educational assistance including

interest. The service requirement excludes full-time active duty or full-time National Guard duty

for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the reserve

components in a position which is included in the end strength.92

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments

The eligible programs of education, educational institutions, and training establishments are the

same as under the MGIB-AD.

Procedures and Guidance: Transfer of Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB) Benefits to Dependents: Expanded Army Pilot

Program, November 1, 2007, at http://www.gibill.va.gov/documents/Army_Transferability_to_Dependents.pdf.

Members of the Selected Reserve are generally required to participate in at least 48 scheduled drills or training

periods during each year and serve on active duty for training for at least 14 days annually. See CRS Report RL30802,

Reserve Component Personnel Issues: Questions and Answers, by Lawrence Kapp.

The MGIB-SR program is codified under Title 10 U.S.C., Chapter 1606 (10 U.S.C. § 16131 et seq.).

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation, New

Educational Assistance Program for the Military To Assist Recruiting, 97th Cong., 1st sess., June 24, 1981, HRG-1981ASH-0030, p. 70.

Individuals receiving financial assistance under the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps are not eligible.

Section 115(a) of Title 10 U.S.C. authorizes the number of military members in every branch and component. This

number is known as end strength.

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Benefit Payments

The educational assistance allowance, paid directly to recipients, is lower than that under the

MGIB-AD. Many states offer educational benefits to National Guard members. Reservists called

to active duty for extended periods may be eligible for increased benefits under the MGIB-AD,

Reserve Educational Assistance Program (discussed later), or Post-9/11 GI Bill. Maximum

monthly benefit amounts may be adjusted at any time by Congress and are adjusted annually

according to the consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U). Effective October 1,

2010, reservists receive up to $337 monthly according to a schedule based on full-time, threequarter-time, half-time, and less-than-half-time enrollment. Individuals enrolled less-than-halftime who are also eligible for DOD tuition assistance cannot receive MGIB-SR benefits. For an

individual in apprenticeship or on-the-job training, the monthly allowance is 75%, 55%, and 35%

of the monthly benefit otherwise payable to that individual for the first six months, second six

months, and thereafter, respectively. 93 Individuals pursuing education exclusively by

correspondence receive 55% of the institution’s established charges for completed courses, and

individuals pursuing education consisting exclusively of flight training receive 60% of the

institution’s established charges for completed courses. 94

Individuals may receive up to $2,000 for each licensing or certification test.95 To improve

completion rates, tutorial assistance of up to $1,200 is available under the same conditions as

those for the Post-Vietnam Era GI Bill and MGIB-AD.

To improve and target recruitment and retention, each military branch is authorized to provide a

College Fund/Kicker at recruitment, which increases the monthly allowance by up to $350 for

individuals with critical skills, a specialty in which there is a critical shortage, or a specialty for

which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain. For individuals with critical

skills who are also eligible for the MGIB-AD as a result of three years of active duty service,

each military branch is also authorized to provide up to an additional $350 (for a total maximum

additional amount of $700) monthly.

Benefit Availability and Duration

Since the obligatory service of six years is the same for all reservists, the duration of benefits

under MGIB-SR is the same for all reservists—36 months (or the equivalent for part-time

educational assistance). Reservists in the MGIB-SR can combine benefits with other educational

assistance programs administered by the VA to receive up to 48 months of educational benefits,

but cannot receive benefits concurrently from two or more programs. In general, no educational

benefits can be paid after separation from the Selected Reserve unless the separation is

involuntary or the result of a disability. 96

For apprenticeship or on-the-job training, an individual’s entitlement period is respectively reduced 0.75, 0.55, or

0.35 months for each month of educational assistance, depending on the payment. Individuals working/training fewer

than 120 hours monthly have their payment and entitlement period usage proportionately reduced.

The entitlement period is reduced one month for every amount paid that is equal to the regular full-time monthly

allowance. Individuals may only receive payment for the minimum number of solo flying hours required by the Federal

Aviation Administration for the desired flight rating or certification.

The entitlement period is reduced by the number of months equaling the proportion that the assistance is to the

regular full-time monthly allowance.

Educational assistance would not end on separation if it was an involuntary separation or resulted from a disability

(continued...)

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Transferability to Dependents

Each DOD service branch is authorized to allow eligible individuals to transfer their MGIB-SR

educational assistance benefits to family members, but no branch currently offers such a program.

After serving at least six years in the Selected Reserves and agreeing to serve an additional four

years or serving the number of years regulated by the service branch, the authorizing language

would allow a member of the Selected Reserve to transfer 18-36 months of benefits to a child

who will have finished high school or reached 18 years of age, to a spouse, or to some

combination of children and spouse. 97 The eligible Selected Reservist could designate the

dependent, the number of months of entitlement, and the period during which it may be used, and

modify or revoke the designation at any time. Use of the transferred entitlement period would

reduce the entitlement period of the dependent and servicemember. A spouse could begin using

the benefit after the servicemember completes at least six years of service or the length of service

required by regulation; the children would have to wait until the servicemember completes ten

years of service or the length of service required by regulation. The transferred benefit would

have to be used before the child reaches 26 years of age. The spouse and children could use the

benefit for the same purposes as the reservists and for the completion of a high school diploma or

its equivalent.

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance

Program (DEA)

The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA) was first established by

the War Orphans’ Educational Assistance Act of 1956 (P.L. 84-634). The DEA program is

codified under Title 38 U.S.C., Chapter 35. The benefit allows eligible individuals to attain the

education they would have or maintain the standard of living they would have if the

servicemember had not become disabled, delayed, 98 or died as a result of military service.

Eligible Individuals

Educational assistance benefits are available to

•

the child or spouse of a person who died of a service-connected disability

resulting from active duty service, has a total permanent disability99 as a result of

(...continued)

that was not the result of the individual’s own willful misconduct, the inactivation of the individual’s unit during

certain time periods, or other involuntary reasons. Individuals who were incapable of beginning education as a result of

a physical or mental disability could be granted an extension for the period of incapacity.

The transferred benefits could not be considered marital property in divorce proceedings.

A servicemember is delayed if the person is listed as missing in action, captured in the line of duty, or forcibly

detained as a result of active duty service

A total permanent disability is any disability rated total for the purposes of disability compensation, which is based

on an impairment reasonably certain to continue throughout the life of the disabled person.

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an active duty service-connected disability, or died while the active duty serviceconnected disability was being evaluated;100

•

the child or spouse of a person who has been listed as missing in action, captured

in the line of duty, or forcibly detained as a result of active duty service; and

•

the spouse or child of a person who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient

medical care, services, or treatment as a result of a total permanent disability

incurred in or aggravated by active duty service and who is likely to be

discharged or released as a result of the disability.

The military service of the person who was disabled, delayed, or died must not have terminated

under dishonorable conditions. The definition of children is the same as it is in the MGIB-AD,

but also includes married children and children over 23 years of age.101 Neither the spouse nor

child may receive educational assistance under DEA while in the Armed Forces or if released

under dishonorable conditions.

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments

The list of eligible educational institutions are the same as under VEAP. The eligible training

establishments are establishments providing apprentice or other on-the-job training. The eligible

programs of education are courses at an educational institution that lead to the attainment of a

predetermined educational, vocational, or professional objective; and preparatory course(s) for

IHE and graduate school admissions. Eligible programs also include licensing or certification

tests for a predetermined vocation or profession, provided such tests and the licensing or

credentialing organizations or entities that offer such tests are approved; national tests for

admission to institutions of higher learning or graduate schools (such as the Scholastic Aptitude

Test (SAT)); and national tests providing an opportunity for course credit at an IHL (such as an

Advanced Placement (AP) exam). Secondary education for those without a high school diploma

or its equivalent, secondary education in preparation for postsecondary education, specialized

vocational courses required because of a mental or physical handicap, and special restorative

training102 are also eligible programs of education.

Benefit Payments

An allowance for subsistence, tuition and fees, supplies, books, and equipment is paid directly to

recipients. Maximum monthly benefit amounts may be adjusted at any time by Congress and are

adjusted annually according to the consumer price index (all items, U.S. city average). Effective

October 1, 2010, individuals receive up to $936 monthly according to a schedule based on fulltime, three-quarter-time, and half-time institutional enrollment and $936 monthly for

100

Children of Commonwealth Army veterans and New Philippine Scouts who meet the requirements of serviceconnected disability or death are also eligible.

101

Under the MGIB-AD, children are defined as unmarried persons under the age of 18, unmarried persons who

became permanently incapable of self-support before the age of 18, or unmarried persons between the ages of 18 and

23 who are in school. According to the authorizing language in 38 U.S.C. § 101(4), children must be legitimate

children, acknowledged illegitimate children, legally adopted, or stepchildren who are members of the eligible

individual’s household.

102

Special restorative training is used to overcome, or lessen, the effects of a physical or mental disability that would

handicap an eligible person in the pursuit of a program of education.

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correspondence training. Individuals enrolled less than half-time but more than quarter-time at an

institution receive the lesser of actual tuition and fees or $466 monthly, and individuals enrolled

quarter-time or less receive the lesser of actual tuition and fees or $234 monthly. Individuals

receive up to $753 monthly according to a schedule based on full-time, three-quarter-time, and

half-time farm cooperative training. Only spouses may pursue education exclusively by

correspondence and receive 55% of the institution’s established charges for completed courses.103

For individuals in apprentice or on-the-job training, the monthly allowance is $682, $511, $337,

and $170 for the first six months, second six months, third six months, and thereafter,

respectively. 104 Tutorial assistance of up to $1,200 is available under the same conditions as those

for the Post-Vietnam Era GI Bill. Individuals may receive up to $2,000 for a licensing or

certification test, and individuals may receive the actual fee for an admissions or course credit

test.105

The DEA Program provides two categories of assistance to disadvantaged individuals:

•

Special assistance to the educationally disadvantaged allows individuals who do

not have a high school diploma or its equivalent and who are in need of some

secondary school preparation in order to pursue a postsecondary education to

receive a monthly educational assistance allowance. Benefits do not reduce the

basic entitlement period for the first five months. Individuals pursuing a high

school diploma may receive the lesser of actual tuition and fees or the full-time

institutional monthly rate.

•

The second category of assistance is special restorative training to overcome, or

reduce, the effects of a manifest physical or mental disability which would

handicap a person (other than the spouse of a person delayed) in the pursuit of a

program of education. The entitlement period may be extended beyond 45

months to accomplish the special restorative training. Individuals receive $936

monthly for full-time106 special restorative training and an increased amount

equal to the amount that the tuition and fees for the training exceeds $290

monthly.107

For those children and spouses who may also be eligible for pension, compensation, or

dependency and indemnity compensation, the legislation bars some recipients from accepting

DEA educational assistance and pension, compensation, or dependency and indemnity

compensation. A spouse, a child under 18 years of age, and a helpless child may receive DEA

educational assistance and pension, compensation, or dependency and indemnity compensation

concurrently. Once a child over 18 years of age begins receiving DEA educational assistance, the

child can no longer receive payment or increased rates, or additional amounts of pension,

compensation, or dependency and indemnity compensation based on school attendance. 108

103

The individual’s entitlement period is reduced one month each time the collective amount paid is equal to $925.

For apprentice or on-the-job training, an individual’s entitlement period is reduced one month each time the

collective amount paid is equal to the full-time institutional monthly benefit. Individuals working/training fewer than

120 hours monthly have their payment and entitlement period usage proportionately reduced.

105

For licensing, certification, admissions, or course credit testing, an individual’s entitlement period is reduced one

month each time the collective amount paid is equal to the full-time institutional monthly benefit.

106

Full-time training is determined by the capacities of the individual. Only full-time restorative training is eligible.

107

An individual’s entitlement period is reduced one day for each $30.83 in increase.

108

38 C.F.R. § 21.3023.

104

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Benefit Availability and Duration

Educational benefits may be paid to the spouse for ten years from the date of death of the veteran

or from the date of VA notification of eligibility due to the veteran’s condition.109 If the

servicemember dies on active duty, or total permanent disability as a result of a service-connected

disability is determined within three years of discharge, the spouse may use the benefits for 20

years. Educational benefits may be paid to children after they achieve a high school diploma or its

equivalent, or after they reach 18 years of age, but before they reach 26 years of age.110

Individuals are entitled to 45 months (or the equivalent in part-time attendance) of educational

and training benefits.

Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)

The Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) was enacted by the Ronald W. Reagan

National Defense Authorization Act for FY2005 (P.L. 108-375). It is codified in Title 10 U.S.C.,

Chapter 1607.111 Passage of the program was a direct reaction to the increased number and length

of calls to active duty of reservists that occurred as a result of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Reservists must serve at least two continuous years on active duty to receive the MGIB-AD, and

the benefits under the MGIB-SR are lower than under the MGIB-AD. REAP sought to provide

reservists with benefits proportional to their active duty service and commensurate with the

benefits of the regular Armed Forces.

The purpose is to provide educational assistance to reserve components called to active duty in

response to a declared call to war or national emergency. REAP, like the MGIB-SR, is a DOD

program administered by the VA. Each DOD branch is required to establish and maintain a

program. The program is permanently authorized.

Eligible Individuals

Educational assistance benefits are available to reservists who have served on active duty in

support of a contingency operation for at least 90 consecutive days after September 10, 2001.112

Benefits are also available to Army National Guard or Air National Guard members who have

served on full-time National Guard duty under section 502(f) of Title 32 U.S.C. for at least 90

consecutive days after September 10, 2001, when authorized by the President or Secretary of

109

A spouse who is incapable of beginning education as a result of a physical or mental disability may be granted an

extension of the 10-year entitlement period.

110

There are allowable exceptions. The VA may make an exception for a child who is under 18 years of age and whose

parent dies or has a total permanent disability as a result of a service-connected disability or has been delayed. The VA

may allow eight years of eligibility to a child whose parent dies or has a total permanent disability as a result of a

service-connected disability; may allow eight years of eligibility up to age 31 to a child whose parent has been delayed

or after his/her own discharge or release from the Armed Forces; and may allow completion of a program of education

suspended due to conditions beyond the child’s control. A child who suspends a program of education or who is unable

to complete the program during the benefit availability period because the child acted as a primary caregiver according

to the family caregiver assistance program (38 U.S.C. § 1720G(a)) after July 31, 2011, can extend the child’s

entitlement period for as long as the suspension or until age 31, whichever is earlier.

111

10 U.S.C. § 16161 et seq.

112

Individuals receiving financial assistance under the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps are not eligible.

Congressional Research Service

Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Defense for the purpose of responding to a national emergency declared by the President and

supported by federal funds. The 90-day service requirement is waived for individuals released

from duty because of an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

Increased benefits are available to individuals who serve at least one continuous year, two

continuous years, or three aggregate years.

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments

The eligible programs of education, educational institutions, and training establishments are the

same as under the MGIB-AD.

Benefit Payments

The monthly educational allowance for REAP is a percentage of the allowance provided under

the MGIB-AD. Reservists who serve on active duty for at least two continuous years or three

aggregate years may receive 80% of the maximum MGIB-AD allowance for that type of

education or training, and those serving at least one continuous year may receive 60%. Reservists

serving at least 90 consecutive days or released from active duty for an injury, illness, or disease

incurred or aggravated as a result of active duty service before serving 90 consecutive days may

receive 40% of the maximum MGIB-AD allowance for that type of education or training.

Effective October 1, 2010, the maximum allowance for at least two continuous or three aggregate

years of active duty service under REAP, $1,140.80, is currently lower than the maximum

allowance for at least two years but less than three years of active duty service under the MGIBAD, $1,158.113 Individuals may receive up to $2,000 for each licensing or certification test. 114

There are two options for eligible individuals to receive additional educational assistance. Each

military branch is authorized to provide a College Fund/Kicker of up to $350 monthly. The $600

Buy-Up program (see the discussion under the MGIB-AD) is also available.

Benefit Availability and Duration

As in the MGIBs, most individuals are entitled to educational benefits for a period of up to 36

months (or the equivalent in part-time educational assistance), regardless of the active duty

eligibility period. Benefits can be combined with other educational benefit programs administered

by the VA using different eligibility periods to receive up to 48 months of educational benefits. In

general, no educational benefits can be paid after separation from the Ready Reserve. 115 The

Ready Reserve is one of the three major reserve components along with the Standby Reserve and

Retired Reserve. The Ready Reserve is the primary manpower pool of the Reserves. Ready

Reservists will usually be called to active duty before the other components and include Selected

Reservists.116 However, individuals who complete the 90-day service requirement and who

113

Based on rates effective October 1, 2010.

The entitlement period is reduced by the number of months equaling the proportion that the assistance is to the

regular full-time monthly allowance.

115

Individuals who were incapable of beginning education as a result of a physical or mental disability could be

granted an extension for the period of incapacity.

116

See CRS Report RL30802, Reserve Component Personnel Issues: Questions and Answers, by Lawrence Kapp.

114

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

complete their service contract under honorable conditions remain eligible for benefits for 10

years after separation from the Selected Reserve (separation from other reserve types does not

qualify). Also, individuals separated from the Ready Reserve because of a disability which was

not the result of the individual’s own willful misconduct have ten years from becoming eligible

for benefits before the benefits expire.

Transferability to Dependents

Each service branch is authorized to allow eligible individuals to transfer their REAP educational

assistance benefits to family members, but no branch currently offers such a program.

After serving at least six years in the Selected Reserves and agreeing to serve an additional four

years or serving the number of years regulated by the service branch, the authorizing language

would allow a member of the Selected Reserves to transfer 18-36 months of benefits to a child

who will have finished high school or reached 18 years of age, to a spouse, or to some

combination of children and spouse. 117 The reservist could designate the dependent, the number

of months of entitlement, and the period during which it may be used, and modify or revoke the

designation at any time. The transferred entitlement period would be reduced for the dependent

and servicemember. A spouse could begin using the benefit after the servicemember completes at

least six years of service or the length of service required by regulation; the child would have to

wait until the servicemember has completed ten years of service or the length of service required

by regulation. The transferred benefit would have to be used before the child reaches 26 years of

age. The spouse and children could use the benefit for the same purposes as the reservist and for

the completion of a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance

Program (VEAP)

The Post-Vietnam Era Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) was established under

Title IV of the Veterans’ Education and Employment Assistance Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-502) and

codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 32. The program was established to make education

affordable and recruit qualified servicemembers. VEAP was designed as a recruitment incentive

for the Armed Forces during peacetime. 118

Eligible Individuals

VEAP was the first GI Bill to make educational benefits available to both active duty and reserve

components simultaneously from the outset.119 Under VEAP, educational assistance benefits are

available to individuals who entered active duty after December 31, 1976, and before July 1,

117

The transferred benefits could not be considered marital property in divorce proceedings.

U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Veterans Education and Employment Assistance Act of

1976, Hearings before the Subcommittee on Readjustment, Education, and Employment of the Committee on Veterans

Affairs on S. 969 and Related Bills, 94th Cong., 1st sess., October 1, 1975, S. Rept 761-4.

119

The Post-Korean Conflict GI Bill (see Appendix C) was amended to include reservists who served on active duty

for over a year.

118

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Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

1985. To be eligible for benefits, veterans must have been discharged or released other than

dishonorably after meeting the active duty service requirement, or they must have been

discharged or released for a service-connected disability. The active duty service requirement was

a minimum of 24 continuous months or the obligated period of active duty for individuals who

enlist in a regular component of the Armed Forces after September 7, 1980, or who enter on

active duty after October 16, 1981,120 or a minimum of 181 days of continuous service for other

individuals. Servicemembers remaining in service must have completed their first obligated

period of active duty121 or six years of active duty, whichever is less. The 180-day active duty

service period excludes time assigned to a civilian institution for an education or training program

similar to those offered to civilians, excludes time spent as a cadet or midshipman at one of the

service academies, and excludes periods of receiving an allowance from the College First

Program (10 U.S.C. § 511(d)) for a delayed enlistment in the Army National Guard or the Air

National Guard or while a member of the Reserves.

Individuals eligible for the prior GI Bill, the Post Korean Conflict GI Bill (see Appendix C), are

not eligible under VEAP, with one exception. Members of the National Guard122 or the Reserves

who participated in the College First Program and who served at least one consecutive year of

active duty after completing the period of active duty for training are eligible. The individual

must make an irrevocable decision to receive benefits under VEAP.

Since the benefit was established for an all-volunteer force serving during peacetime, it was

deemed appropriate to require participants to contribute to their educational fund during their

period of service in the military. Program participants had to agree to monthly pay deductions of

at least $25, but not more than $100, during the initial tour of obligated service or six years of

active duty service for a total contribution of up to $2,700.123 After making at least 12

contributions, individuals could withdraw from the program, receiving their contributions in

return and making them ineligible for program benefits.124 The U.S. Department of Defense

(DOD), as a recruitment or retention incentive, could also contribute additional monies, called

“Kickers,” into an individual’s educational fund or contribute in lieu of the servicemember.

Eligible Programs of Education, Institutions, and Establishments

The VEAP allows veterans and servicemembers to attend a wide array of educational institutions

and training establishments. Eligible educational institutions are

•

public or private elementary or secondary schools;

•

vocational, correspondence, business, normal, or professional schools;

120

An individual is exempt from the 24 month active duty requirement if the individual is discharged or released from

active duty under a hardship discharge (10 U.S.C. 1173), early-out discharge (10 U.S.C. 1171), disability incurred in or

aggravated in line of duty, or service-connected disability. An individual is exempt from the 24 month active duty

requirement if the individual who enters on a period of active duty after October 16, 1981, previously completed 24

continuous months of active duty or received an early-out discharge from a previous period of active duty.

121

Certain individuals in the Armed Forces who receive educational assistance or other benefits are required to serve an

obligated period of active duty or repay a portion of the benefit.

122

The National Guard includes the Army National Guard and Air National Guard.

123

In certain circumstances, individuals on active duty could make a lump-sum contribution in lieu of or in addition to

the monthly payments. The lump-sum payment is counted as if the individual made $100 monthly contributions.

124

Individuals on active duty could re-enroll at any time before July 1, 1985.

Congressional Research Service

Educational Assistance Programs Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs

•

colleges or universities;

•

scientific or technical institutions;

•

other institutions furnishing education for adults;

•

state-approved alternative teacher certification program providers;

•

private entities that offer courses toward the attainment of a license or certificate

generally recognized as necessary for a profession or vocation in a high

technology occupation; and

•

qualified providers of entrepreneurship courses.

Eligible training establishments are

•

providers of apprentice or other on-the-job training;

•

providers of self-employment on-the-job training that is needed or accepted to be

licensed to engage in a self-employment occupation or to own and operate a

franchise;

•

a state board of vocational education;

•

a federal or state apprenticeship registration agency;

•

the sponsor of a program of apprenticeship; and

•

an agency of the federal government authorized to supervise such training.

The eligible programs of education or educational expenditures are

•

courses which lead to the attainment of a predetermined educational, vocational,

or professional objective or objectives if related to the same career (this includes

traditiona

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