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The Post-9/11 GI Bill
 
Last year, Congress enacted the new GI Bill for the 21st Century - the "Post-9/11 GI Bill" - to restore the promise of a full, four-year college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. That measure takes effect on August 1st, 2009 and as of May 1st, 2009 veterans can begin to apply for a certificate of eligibility for the new college benefits at the VA website https://www.gibill.va.gov/.
 
The Post-9/11 GI Bill will become effective for training on or after August 1, 2009. This program will pay:
After World War II, the first G.I. Bill provided a college education and job training to nearly 8 million veterans, opening the door for millions of families to live the American Dream. This also helped to set the American economy on the right course after a draining war. It returned $7 to the economy for every $1 spent on it.
    
While Congress has passed a number of other GI bills that also provided educational benefits to veterans in recent decades, none of these provided benefits as expansive as the original GI bill.  Current GI educational benefits pay only about 70 percent of a public college education and 30 percent of a private college education.  The Post-9/11 GI Bill fully reestablishes full, four-year college scholarships for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – equal with the educational benefits available after World War II.  
 
This bill will make Iraq and Afghanistan veterans part of an American economic recovery, just as the veterans of World War II helped grow and strengthen the American middle class.
 
For more information or help:
Key Provisions
 
Increases education benefits for those who have served at least 3 months on active duty since 9/11
Under the bill, increased educational benefits would be available to all members of the military who have served for at least three months on active duty since September 11, 2001, including activated reservists and National Guard.  
 
Links educational benefits to amount of active duty served since 9/11
Under the GI Bill for the 21st Century, those who have served on active-duty for three years or more would qualify for the full educational benefit – i.e., the costs of a four-year education up to the level of the most expensive in-state public school.  Those who have served between three months and three years of active duty would qualify for a proportion of that full benefit – e.g., those serving on active duty for at least three months would receive 40 percent of that benefit and those serving on active duty for at least 12 months would receive 60 percent of that benefit.   This scale rewards all active service, whether by regular component troops or by National Guard and Reservists.
 
Covers up to the cost of the most expensive in-state public school
The GI Bill for the 21st Century allows veterans pursuing an approved program of education to receive payments covering the established charges of their program, up to the cost of the most expensive in-state public school – covering 100 percent of tuition, fees and books.  The bill also provides a monthly stipend equivalent to housing costs in their area.  It would allow additional payments for tutorial assistance, as well as licensure and certification tests.
 
Yellow Ribbon Program - Matches voluntary contributions for more expensive schools
The GI Bill for the 21st Century also creates a new program in which the government will agree to match, dollar for dollar, any voluntary additional contributions from institutions whose tuition is more expensive than the maximum educational assistance provided under this legislation.
 
Transfer to spouses and children
Because it is never just the soldier who serves his or her country, but rather his or her family as well, the education benefits can be transferred to service members' children and spouses if they have served six years or longer in the Armed Forces.
 
Provides veterans more time to use educational benefit
The GI Bill for the 21st Century also provides veterans up to 15 years – instead of the current 10 – after they leave active duty to use their education assistance entitlement.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:

Am I eligible to receive educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill?
You are eligible for benefits if you have completed at least 90 days of active duty service on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged. It also covers individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days who were honorably discharged. The benefits are correlated on a sliding scale to years served. To receive full benefits, you must have served on active duty for three years.

This chart shows the percentage of costs covered, based on the length of your service:

Individuals serving an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of:
Percentage of Maximum Benefit
At least 36 months
100
At least 30 continuous days on active duty (Discharged due to service-connected disability)
100
At least 30 months, but less than 36 months 90
90
At least 24 months, but less than 30 months
80
At least 18 months, but less than 24 months
70
At least 12 months, but less than 18 months
60
At least 6 months, but less than 12 months
50
At least 90 days, but less than 6 months
40

What does the Post-9/11 GI Bill pay for?

  • Tuition and fees of up to the maximum in-state tuition and fees at a public institution in your state;
  • A monthly housing allowance at the location of the school, based on the Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents; and
  • An annual books and supplies stipend of up to $1,000.

How do I access benefits?
You can apply for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill online, using the Veterans Online Application System (VONAPP). Select Form 22-1990. You can also download Form 22-1990 here, and mail it in.

Do I need to claim my benefits before a certain date?
You generally have 15 years following release from active duty to use the benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Can I transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to my spouse or children?
If you are a member of the Armed Forces on August 1, 2009, the Department of Defense (DOD) may offer you the opportunity to transfer benefits to your spouse or dependent children. While rules on transferability are still being finalized, for most servicemembers, to transfer benefits to a spouse, you must have served six years and reenlist to serve at least four more. To give education benefits to a child, you must have served for at least ten years.

Will the benefits cover an education at a private university or college, or those at out-of-state schools?
Because the Post-9/11 GI Bill generally only covers tuition and fees up to the maximum of a public institution in your state, the Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the bill that can help you to afford the higher cost of a private education. The Yellow Ribbon Program provision allows schools to enter in an agreement with the VA to fund tuition costs above the highest in-state tuition rate. The VA will match each additional dollar that a school contributes toward an eligible student's tuition costs, up to 50 percent of the difference between the tuition and fees covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the total cost of tuition and fees. You must be eligible to receive the maximum benefit rate (having served three years on active duty, or those discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days). Learn more about the Yellow Ribbon Program>>

What if I have additional questions?
You can call 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor. You can also visit the VA's Frequently Asked Questions page>>

Additional Resourse