Both the Montgomery and Post 9/11 bills send veterans monthly checks or direct deposits. However, veterans can only receive this assistance while enrolled in an eligible educational program; veterans cannot simply get cash out of the GI Bill.
Those who have already used up the MGIB entitlement and switch to the Post 9/11 GI bill to get the additional 12 months, they don't get any of their contribution back. Once they use up their last entitlement, they will get either a full or partial refund back included with their last housing allowance check.
No, unfortunately, unlike the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill does not have a transfer-to-dependents option to it. Additionally, the Montgomery GI Bill for Selected Reserve is also non-transferrable.
You'll need to request a new Certificate of Eligibility letter to check your GI Bill benefit status. To request a COE, please call the Education Call Center at 888-442-4551. We're here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET.
If you didn't decline MGIB, and received loan repayment, you can still be eligible for MGIB. But the months counted toward your loan repayment will be subtracted from your total months of MGIB benefits. The maximum number of months you receive under MGIB is 36.
The Montgomery GI Bill offers eligible recipients a monthly stipend while they are attending classes at a qualified training institution. The checks are sent on a monthly basis and are made payable to the student. Payments to students who are on active duty status are limited to the reimbursement of tuition and fees.
Service members who choose to go the Post-9/11 route are eventually eligible for a refund from the VA, calculated by dividing their unused Montgomery GI Bill benefits by 36 months, then multiplying that number by 1,200. The $600 fee for increased benefits is nonrefundable.
Children. Don't have to use the benefit within 15 years after your separation from active duty, but can't use the benefit after they've turned 26 years old.
Expand full GI Bill benefits to all Purple Heart recipients. Currently, a veteran must be medically retired from the military or have 36 months of active-duty service to qualify.
Wyoming. Wyoming offers free tuition and fees for the surviving spouse and dependents of qualifying resident veterans.
The transferability option under the Post-9/11 GI Bill allows Service members to transfer all or some unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children. If you're eligible, you may transfer benefits to the following individuals: Your spouse. One or more of your children.
As the spouse or dependent child of a Veteran or service member, you may qualify for certain benefits, like health care, life insurance, or money to help pay for school or training. If you're caring for a Veteran, you may also be eligible for support to help you better care for the Veteran—and for yourself.
It pays tuition and fees up to the resident rate for 36 months at public schools; if attending a private or foreign school, it can pay up to $21,085.89 per year. Regardless if public or private, veteran students also get a housing allowance averaging $1,300 per month and up to $1,000 per year for books.
Educational Assistance Allowance for trainees under the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program (
Chapter 35 of title 38, U.S.C.). The following basic
monthly rates are effective October 1, 2019.
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2019.
| Training Time | Monthly rate |
|---|
| ¾ time | $657.00 |
| ½ time | $436.00 |
The College Tuition Fee Waiver for the Dependents of Veterans -- sometimes called the CalVet Fee Waiver -- is a state benefit that provides a tuition-free education at the CSU and the other state public post-secondary colleges and universities.
Veterans who have served at least 90 days of active duty service after September 10, 2001 and received an honorable discharge will qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. To qualify for the full benefit a Veteran must have served at least 3 years of active duty after September 10, 2001.
With the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD), a full-time student has to pay tuition, fees, books and other education-related expenses out of the $1,717 received each month while in school. Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the $4,000 in tuition and fees would be paid by the VA directly to the school.
Many veterans today have both the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). And while each GI Bill provides up to 36 months of benefits singularly, students can get up to 48 months combined if they know how to use the benefits. Then switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill to use the additional 12 months of benefits.
If you desire to transfer your Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) to Post 9-11 education benefits, you will need to go to the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP) website and set up a login and password for access. The basic MGIB provides a flat monthly rate entitlement.
Only people with Honorable discharges are eligible for the GI Bill. If you have a less than Honorable discharge, the only way to get GI Bill eligibility is with a discharge upgrade.)
The Montgomery Bill has no housing allowance, no books, no Yellow Ribbon Program.
Calculating your Full-time Summer Rate for Housing Allowance
| Credits required for Full Time status for Graduate Student |
|---|
| Summer Session | Credits required for full time |
| 14 week | 7 |
| 12 week | 6 |
| 6 week | 3 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill also pays a Monthly Housing Allowance based on the ZIP code of the location of the school or campus you are attending the majority of your classes. This stipend currently averages $1,833 a month, but can exceed $2,700 depending on where you go to school.
How to use your GI Bill benefits
- Undergraduate and graduate degrees. Help paying for tuition, books, and housing at an institution of higher learning (like a 4-year university, community college, or graduate school)
- Foreign programs. Funding for tuition and housing at a school located outside the U.S.
- Tuition Assistance Top-Up.
- Tutorial assistance.
