ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ACTIVE DUTY GI BILL

General Eligibility

• You must have first enlisted on or after July 1, 1985
• You must have had a pay reduction of $1,200.00
• You must have had continuous active duty equal to or greater than your initial enlistment period
• Some VEAP participants were able to convert to the GI Bill during special conversion programs

Special rules for early discharges

Persons who were discharged early for:

• reduction in force
• disability
• hardship
• a physical or mental condition which interfered with duty
• a medical condition which existed prior to service

are eligible for GI Bill entitlement for a time period that is the same as the number of months served.

Persons discharged for Convenience of the Government must serve 20 months of a 2 year enlistment or 30 months of a 3 year enlistment to be eligible for GI Bill benefits.

If you are recalled to active duty:

Immediately notify your school and the VA, you may be able to keep the benefits you've already received and you may be eligible to extend your ending date for benefits.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The first thing you should do is complete a VA Form 22-1990 (Application for VA Education Benefits), this form is available at your school, by contacting the VA, or at http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/How_to_Apply.htm. If applying online you must send the VA a signature card, we can't process any application without a signature.

Send any supporting documentation you think is necessary. This includes:

• copies of your Member 4 DD214 form
• proof of any payments to the GI Bill
• call-up orders
• college fund contracts
• LES's
• anything else you think is important

If in doubt about the VA needing a specific document, send a copy just to be safe and avoid any delay in processing your claim due to missing documents. Ensure you send copies of any materials, NOT originals. The VA will return any original documents we receive, but you may need them to apply for other benefits such as VA home loans or state benefits.

Application processing times vary and average processing times are posted on the specific processing office website http://www.gibill.va.gov/Contact/contact.htm

EDUCATION PROGRAMS COVERED UNDER THE GI BILL

You can receive GI Bill payments for:

• attending classes that lead to a college degree like an Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate Degree
• vocational programs> that lead to a degree or certificate
• independent study such as online or internet training
• correspondence training (55% of approved costs)
• on-the job (OJT) or apprenticeship training - reimbursed at:
  • 85% of the fulltime GI Bill rate for the first six months of training
  • 65% for the second six months
  • 45% for the remainder of the training
  • you also receive a salary from your employer
• flight training - up to 60% of approved charges (must have private pilot license and valid medical certificate)
• licensing & certification, up to $2000.00 per exam - pass or fail
• entrepreneurship classes offered through the Small Business Development Center or the National Veterans Business Development Center
• high cost/high tech courses - up to 60% of the charges may be reimbursed

Who notifies the VA of your enrollment?

• For colleges, vocational schools, independent study, flight, correspondence, and high-tech training, the school reports your enrollment to the VA
• For OJT and apprenticeship training, your employer or union notifies the VA
• For licensing & certification tests, you must report your enrollment and provide the VA with a receipt, your test results, and written permission for VA to view your records
• For entrepreneurship classes the Small Business Development Center of the National Business Development Center will report your enrollment to the VA

PAYMENTS, PROCEDURES AND TIME LIMITS FOR USE OF GI BILL BENEFITS

Payment rates are based on a number of issues including:

• the length of your original enlistment
• the type of training taken
• the amount of classes you are enrolled in
• participation in the GI Bill $600 buy-up program
• participation in a college fund program
• rates are determined by Congress and usually change each fiscal year

Current Payment Rates

Current payment rates can be found at http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/rates.htm

Buy-up Program

The GI Bill buy-up program allows eligible active duty members to contribute an additional $600.00 to the GI Bill before discharge, this will give them up to an extra $150.00 a month as a full time student. Contact your payroll office for more information.

College Funds

Some members are eligible for college fund programs, these are usually given to members who enlisted in specific job specialties. The college fund payments are added to the regular GI Bill payments and are prorated the in the same manner as regular GI Bill payments.

How to Receive Payments

You will normally receive your payments monthly, payments are prorated for less than fulltime training and training that is less than a full month. Payments are always issued after the month is complete, you must certify your attendance with the VA each month. In some cases payments are issued in a lump sum.

You can certify your attendance either online or over the phone. If you have direct deposit, the payment usually takes about 3 working days before it reaches your bank, if you receive a paper check it will take up to 2 weeks to receive your check via domestic mail, longer for overseas.

Time Limits

You have 10 years from your date of discharge to use your benefits, you may have this time period extended if you have another period of active duty that lasts for at least 90 consecutive days. Of course, you will need to submit paperwork to prove you qualify for this extension. Extensions for other reasons are extremely rare, contact your local VA office for more information.

Amount of Benefits

You are entitled to 36 months of full time benefits, this is also prorated. For example, if you are only enrolled as a half time student you would receive 72 months of half time benefits.