VA Education Benefits Information

• GI Bill® Hotline: (888) GI-Bill (442-4551)
• GI Bill® Comparison Tool – Learn about education programs and compare estimated benefits by school. This tool will help you make the most of your GI Bill® Benefit.
• GI Bill® Information – This link will direct you to the Veterans Administration page concerning education and training options.
• GoArmyEd/TA – GoArmyEd is the virtual gateway for all eligible active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers to request tuition assistance (TA) online, anytime, anywhere for classroom and distance learning. It allows soldiers to manage their education records including college classes, testing, on-duty classes, and Army Education Counselor support.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides to eligible servicemembers and veterans up to 36 months of education benefits. Your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits may include financial support for school tuition and fees, books and supplies, and housing. You may also receive reimbursement for license or certification tests (broker, private investigator, and CPA), national tests (SAT, CLEP, ACT, GMAT, and LSAT), or assistance for apprenticeships/on-the-job training. A one-time payment to help you relocate from certain rural areas to attend school is also available.

Each type of benefit, such as tuition or books, has a maximum rate. Based on the length of your active service, you are entitled to a percentage of the maximum total benefit.

You may be eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits if you:

• Have at least 90 aggregate days of qualifying active service after September 10, 2001 or
• Were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability after serving at least 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001

If you are in the Armed Forces, you may be able to transfer your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits to your spouse and child(ren). Generally, you must use your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits within 15 years from your last period of active service of at least 90 days.

Montgomery GI Bill® -Active Duty (MGIB-AD) or Chapter 30 provides up to 36 months of financial assistance for educational pursuits, including college, vocational/technical training, correspondence courses, apprenticeships/on-the-job training, flight training, high-tech training, licensing and certification tests, entrepreneurship training courses, and national examinations. Generally, your MGIB-AD benefits are paid directly to you on a monthly basis.

You may be eligible for MGIB-AD benefits while you are on or after you separate from active duty. At a minimum, you must have a high school diploma or GED. To receive benefits after separating, you must have received an honorable discharge. You generally have 10 years from your last date of separation from active duty to use your MGIB-AD benefits.

The Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) or Chapter 1607 is an education benefit that provides up to 36 months of educational assistance to obtain graduate and undergraduate degrees, vocational/technical training, apprenticeships/on-the-job training, correspondence training, and flight training. REAP benefits are available to members of a reserve component called or ordered to active duty or full-time National Guard duty in response to a war or national emergency, as declared by the President or Congress. Eligible reserve components include: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Reserve; the Army National Guard and Air National Guard; and Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps Individual Ready Reserves (IRR).

Montgomery GI Bill® -Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) or Chapter 1606 provides up to 36 months of financial assistance for educational pursuits, including college, vocational/technical training, correspondence courses, apprenticeships/on-the-job training, flight training, high-tech training, licensing and certification tests, and national examinations. MGIB-SR benefits are available to members of the Selected Reserve of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or the Army or Air National Guard. Generally, your MGIB-SR benefits are paid directly to you on a monthly basis.

You may be eligible for MGIB-SR benefits if you have a 6-year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve, complete your Initial Active Duty for Training, serve in a drilling unit and remain in good standing, and obtain a high school diploma or equivalency. The Guard and Reserves decide if you are eligible, while VA makes the payments for the program. Generally, your eligibility for MGIB-SR benefits ends on the day you leave the Selected Reserve.

You may be eligible for REAP benefits if you are a member of a reserve component and served on active duty after September 10, 2001, for at least 90 consecutive days under a contingency operation. “Contingency operation” includes the current Iraq and Afghanistan operations and may include other operations. The educational assistance allowance payable under REAP is a percentage of the Montgomery GI Bill® -Active Duty rate based on the number of continuous days you served on active duty. Generally, you have 10 years from the day you leave the Selected Reserve or the day you leave the IRR to use your REAP benefits.

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) or Chapter 35 provides assistance for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeships/on-the-job training, correspondence courses, and other programs. You must be the son, daughter, or spouse of:

• A veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise from active service in the Armed Forces.
• A veteran who died from any cause while such permanent and total service-connected disability existed.
• A servicemember forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government or power.
• A servicemember missing in action or captured in the line of duty by a hostile force.
• A servicemember who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability.
• A servicemember who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability.

The program offers up to 45 months of education benefits. If you are the child, you generally must use your benefits between the ages of 18 and 26. If you are the spouse, your benefits end 10 years from the date VA finds you eligible or from the date of death of your spouse.

A surviving spouse who meets the criteria below may be eligible for benefits for 20 years from the date of death:

• VA rated the veteran permanently and totally disabled with an effective date within three years from discharge, or
• The veteran died on active duty