WHAT IS THE MARINE GUNNERY SERGEANT JOHN DAVID FRY SCHOLARSHIP?
Public Law 111-32 created the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship effective August 1, 2009. This benefit amended the Post-9/11 GI Bill® to include the children of service members who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001. Public Law 113-146, The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, expanded eligibility for the Fry Scholarship to surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001. This amendment was effective January 1, 2015. Eligible beneficiaries attending school may receive:
• Full tuition & fees paid directly to the school for all public school in-state students. For those attending private or foreign schools tuition & fees are capped at a statutory maximum amount per academic year.
• A monthly housing allowance
• A books & supplies stipend
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Children and surviving spouses of an active duty member of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, are eligible for this benefit. A child may be married or over 23 and still be eligible, although their eligibility ends on their 33rd birthday. A spouse will lose eligibility to this benefit upon remarriage.
Eligible persons are:
• Entitled to 36 months of benefits at the 100% level
• Not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program
RULES FOR ELIGIBLE CHILDREN SERVING, OR WHO HAVE SERVED, IN THE ARMED FORCES:
• If the child is eligible under the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty, Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve, and/or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP), then he or she must relinquish eligibility under one of those programs to receive benefits under Post-9/11 GI Bill
• A child’s character of discharge from his or her own service does not impact eligibility resulting from the line of duty death of a parent
• A child on active duty will receive benefits at the active duty benefit rate
• A child may qualify for up to 36 months of benefits under the Fry Scholarship Program and possibly another 36 months of benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on their own service. An individual may also receive additional entitlement if another parent transfers entitlement to the individual.
CHILDREN WHO HAVE USED OR WISH TO USE ENTITLEMENT UNDER DEPENDENTS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE (DEA)
• If a child is eligible for the Fry Scholarship, he or she may be eligible for DEA. Although the benefits cannot be used at the same time, a child may be eligible for up to 48 months of benefits between the two programs. Find out more about DEA at Survivor and Dependent Education Assistance
• Surviving spouses must make an irrevocable election of which benefit he or she wishes to receive. An election to receive DEA will forfeit the individual’s right to receive Fry Scholarship in the future, and an election to receive the Fry Scholarship will forfeit the individual’s right to receive DEA in the future. The election cannot be changed once it has been submitted, so you should carefully review eligibility and entitlement under both programs before making a decision.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, obtain and complete VA Form 22-5490, Dependents’ Application for VA Education Benefits. Send it to the VA Regional Processing Office with jurisdiction over the state where you will advance your education and training. If you are a son or daughter, under legal age, a parent or guardian must sign the application.
Be sure to explore potential programs and how much you could receive using the GI Bill by visiting the GI Bill Comparison Tool at GI Bill comparison tool.
For More Information, Call Toll-Free 1-888-GIBILL-1 or Visit Our Web Site at Survivor Education and Training
Section 702 of the Choice Act
Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (“Choice Act”), requires VA to disapprove programs of education for payment of benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty at public institutions of higher learning if the schools charge
qualifying Veterans and dependents tuition and fees in excess of the rate for resident students for terms beginning after July 1, 2015.
These new requirements will ensure that our Nation’s recently discharged Veterans, and their eligible family members, will not have to bear the cost of out-of-state charges while using their well-deserved education benefits.
DO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE TO OFFER IN- STATE RATES TO ALL VETERANS AND DEPENDENTS TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 702?
No. To remain approved for VA’s GI Bill programs, schools must charge in-state tuition and fee amounts to “covered individuals.” A “covered individual” is defined in the Choice Act as:
• A Veteran who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• A spouse or child using transferred benefits who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within 3 years of the transferor’s discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship who lives in the state in which the institution of
higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within 3 years of the transferor’s discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of the Servicemember’s death in the line of duty following a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
WHERE CAN I GO TO GET MORE INFORMATION?
Questions regarding the provisions of Section 702 may be submitted to
Section702.Vbavaco@va.gov.
VA will provide updates on its website at
www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.