Completing Your Post 911 GI Bill Application- Three Steps

Are you considering applying for the Post 9/11 GI Bill in the near future to get your education started at a military friendly college? The Department of Veteran Affairs outlines the steps to completing what can be a frustrating and time exhausting process. Veterans Benefits GI Bill is here to guide you through steps.

Step One: Find Out Which Post 9 11 GI Bill Benefits Are Available

Before applying for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, find out all the benefits you qualify for, including:

• Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33)
• Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB, chapter 30 and chapter 1606)
• Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP, chapter 1607)
• Post vietnam Era Veterans’ Educational Assistance program (VEAP, chapter 32)

There are cases where one benefits program may be better than the other. Representatives at the VA can answered specific/detailed questions regarding your scenario, but you are ultimately the best judge for which benefits program is right for you.

To assess each program, you’ll need to:

1. Gathering together your paperwork and find out which ones you qualify for
2. Look at the school or educational program you’re interested in and see which benefits apply to that schools program
3. Do some math to see which one has the most monetary gain
4. Begin the application process for that program

If you’re still on board for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, proceed to the next step! Different financial aid options are also available. Check to see if you qualify before you proceed to the next step.

Note that if you received a service-related disability, you may be eligible for additional benefits through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E, chapter 31).

Step Two: Submit Your New GI Bill Application

Applications are done through VONAPP, the Veterans Online Application. Your application does not guarantee you financial aid; you’ll need to do follow-up throughout the process (See Step Three.)

22-1990 is the application for military personnel. If you are a dependent that is looking to use a military personnel’s benefits, you must first get approval through the Department of Defense, then move on to the 22-1990E. The 22-1990E is not the Department of Defense’s application; that is only done after you’ve gone through the DoD.

Remember that once you apply through the 22-1990, you’re made an irrevocable decision to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill over the MGIB and other benefit programs. That is why Step One is so important.

You can print out your form. You can also save it in the middle of the process and return to it later, similar to the FAFSA.

Step Three: Check With Your Military Friendly School

Don’t stop at the VONAPP! It’s crucial for you to check in with your School Certifying Official (SCO) to confirm that your VA enrollment certification has been sent to the VA. If you school doesn’t send this, the VA will not know that you’re enrolled. It’s best to double check and make sure your school does this rather than expect it to get done in an unsupervised fashion.

Once the VA has received confirmation that you’re enrolled, your Post 9/11 GI Bill payments will begin.

These three steps may seem simple, but they’re a complicated process; you can imagine all the hiccups that could occur! To make sure you receive your Post 9/11 GI Bill funds in a timely manner, you should start your application process as early as possible. If your funds are not delivered as quickly as you’d like, there are other ways to occupy yourself in the meantime.

If you feel you need further information from actual schools which cater specifically to a military friendly education, check out some of the top military friendly schools: St. Leo University; Colorado State University. Or, for a more comprehensive look, check out the list of 25 Military Friendly Colleges.