"Money for college" is cited consistently as the number one reason people join the military. With the Montgomery G.I. Bill now paying more than $ 1,000 per month to qualified students, program rewards are significant and applicable toward a broad range of educational opportunities. One might expect that for such an extraordinary benefit, usage would be extremely high. Sadly, the data indicate otherwise—more than 40% of G.I. Bill benefits go wasted. Despite Department of Defense and Veterans' Affairs efforts to raise awareness, the G.I. Bill remains a mystery to many. Those who take time to understand the program will find this hard-earned benefit is both easy to use and quite flexible.
Created during the Servicemembers Readjustment Act of 1944, the G.I. Bill of Rights transformed the United States. It was the first program to make a college education broadly available to the public. Since 1944, millions of service members and veterans have taken advantage of the G.I. Bill, using more than $1.4 billion in benefits each year. Although the program has seen countless updates and innovations, this Department of Veterans' Affairs-administered program continues to help nearly 400,000 each year realize their educational aspirations.
* Real Dollars. In 2004, Congress passed legislation increasing the maximum monthly G.I. Bill payment to $1,004 for up to 36 months—for a total benefit of $36,144. In some cases, service members can earn more or less depending on the length of their enlistments and participation in programs such as the Navy College Fund. In addition, service members have the option to increase their benefits by $150 a month by contributing an extra $600 at any point during their enlistments.
The G.I. Bill also can be used to supplement existing Department of Defense tuition-assistance programs through the "Top-up" program. It is wise for service members to use tuition assistance before the G.I. Bill, allowing them to save their benefits for later. For both active-duty and veteran participants, students can start and stop the benefit usage at will—the 36 months are simply drawn down as they are used. With the exception of Top-up, all G.I. Bill money is paid directly to the student, not the academic institution.
* Qualifications. For the most part, all active-duty service members are eligible to enroll in the program on entering active duty-enlisted personnel are enrolled automatically (officers are not). Officers who are commissioned through a service academy or ROTC students who received more than $3,400 in any academic year are not eligible for the G.I. Bill. Eligible enrollees must agree to a $100-per-month reduction in salary for 12 months. Service members can choose to disenroll (and keep the $100 per month) by completing DD Form 2366—a permanent and irrevocable decision. In most cases, service members and veterans are qualified if they contributed the full $1,200 while on active duty (or qualify under Veterans Education Assistance Program conversion), were honorably discharged, and served for at least two years. In addition, they must have a high school diploma, a GED, or have earned at least 12 college credits.
Reserve and National Guard personnel have more complicated eligibility requirements, but they do have meaningful G.I. Bill and/or state tuition assistance programs available. Fortunately, new legislation makes the G.I. Bill more broadly available to them. On 28 October 2004, H.R. 4200 (Chapter 1607) authorized G.I. Bill benefits for reserve/guard personnel activated after 11 September 2001. The benefits are dependent on the amount of time served on active duty, from 40% ($14,000) for those personnel serving between 90 and 360 days and up to 80% ($28,800) for personnel activated for two years or more. In addition, reserve and guard members who are activated for more than two years may elect to pay the standard $1,200 contribution and receive the active-duty G.I. Bill benefit.
* Program Flexibility. G.I. Bill benefits are not just for four-year degrees; they are quite flexible and can be used for postgraduate studies, flight training, college/vocational courses, distance learning, and certification tests. Veterans and reserve/guard personnel also can use the program to fund some apprenticeship and job-training programs. To receive the full benefit, however, they must be full-time students enrolled in regionally or nationally accredited educational institutions.
Unfortunately, G.I. Bill benefits have an expiration date. Once someone separates from active duty, he or she has up to ten years to use all G.I. Bill benefits. Getting started is easy-service members and veterans can apply for the G.I. Bill by completing VA Form 22-1990, which can be found at www.GIBILL.VA.GOV or by calling (88S)GI-BILL-1.
Mr. Michel is president of Military.com, a company focused on connecting service members, veterans, and their families to all the benefits earned in service to America. He is a former naval officer.