Veterans Benefits GI Bill

For families that are relying on the family transferability option with the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the authorization of short term extensions will cease come the end of the year. This means that the only way to qualify for family transferability is to serve six or more years and also agree to serve four more years.

This is unsettling for several military members and stirs up a debate. On one hand, the benefits are part of the earnings of serving the military and should be available to the spouse and children of someone that’s been in the military for 10+ years, regardless of if they’re retired. On the other hand, the military needs some form of military retention so that recruitment demands are not as high, and the Post 9/11 GI Bill’s family transferability is one way to do it. The previous Montgomery GI Bill did not even allow family transferability.

Are you the spouse of a military member looking for an alternative to the family transferability option for the Post 9/11 GI Bill? The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts, or MyCAA, is available to the spouses of members of the military. This $6,000 financial aid program is often referred to as “Spouse Tuition Assistance” and is available through Military One Source at 1-800-342-9647.

Eligibility

Spouses of military members that are recognized under: Department of Defense active duty; and federally activated members of the National Guard and the Reserve Components; qualify for MyCAA. Spouses of Guard and Reserve members only qualify for MyCAA from the date of the Alert of Warning Order for Military Recall or Mobilization until 180 days following De-Mobilization.

The Department of Defense uses Defense Elibility and Enrollment Reporting Systems (DEERS) to determine the spouse’s eligibility. It is the responsibility of the service member to ensure that all information provided to DEERS is correct. MyCAA does not correct the information contained in DEERS. The spouse will not be considered eligible for the financial aid benefit until after passing their DEERS screen.

Military spouses must be recognized as marital partners by state law or court order. Spouses who are also members of the military waive the rights of eligibility because they can utilize GI Bill benefits instead. Coast Guard spouses, unfortunately, do not qualify; this is found under Public Law 110-417 Sec 582.

Spouses of the military members killed in action (KIA), taken as prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) are also eligible, along with spouses of military members that are injured, ill, or wounded.

Once a military personnel transitions from active duty to veteran, they have ten years to take advantage of their Montgomery GI Bill benefits. Ten years might seem like a long time, but over 40% of the Montgomery GI Bill benefits available were not used due to the fact that military personnel either (1) never intended to go to school or, (2) had no idea that their benefits would expire. More than one military benefits forum/comments section tells the story of a veteran that waited to use their benefits until graduate school, only to find out they were no longer available.

Does the same hold true for the Post 9/11 GI Bill? According to the Q&A and the V.A.’s website, the answer is thankfully no! Military members that qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill have 15 years until the benefits expire, a 150% increase to the Montgomery GI Bill’s time of forfeit.

With all the hustle and bustle about family transferability in the Post 9/11 GI Bill program and military members wanting to offer their benefits to their spouses, I thought I’d share a military spouse benefit program at a college located in the United States, but on the far reaches of our country where global studies really shine: Hawai’i Pacific University. This scholarship is available only to those that do not receive other benefits, such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Hawai’i Pacific University’s Military Spouse Benefits Scholarship Program covers 25% of the educational expenses of all the HPU MCP (Military Campus Program) undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is available to non-active duty spouses of active duty military (and Coast Guard, and members of the Reserve / National Guard). The active duty/military member must fulfill the following requirements for the spouse to qualify…

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs requested more compatibility with the U.S. Department of Defense. This was prompted by a necessity to provide better service to veterans. The secretary seeks for the paperwork for disabled soldiers to push through the system faster. This involves making VA’s VISTA system and the DoD’s AHLTA system more in-sync.

Retired General Eric K. Shinseki spoke to over 2,000 Army healthcare professionals at the Army Medical Symposium, located in San Antonio, Texas, on July 22. He was specifically addressing this issue.

Veterans are at the top of the nation when it comes to homelessness, depression, substance abuse and suicide. The VA and DoD recognize flaws in the system and seek to rectify these statistics. They claim it should not take 6 to 12 months to process a healthcare request.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill Facebook page has reached 1,000 fans with a week remaining before the Post 9/11 GI Bill goes into effect. If you or one of your dependents have applied for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the Facebook and Youtube dedicated to the new GI Bill have valuable information to help you move smoothly through the entire financial aid process. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affair’s site also has a wealth of information.

As the Post 9/11 GI Bill’s August 1st, 2009 launch date approaches, the Veterans Benefits GI Bill thought it would be beneficial to compile a list of useful resources pertaining to new GI Bill applicants. The following resources will help you better understand this military financial aid program:

It’s approaching the month of August, where the Fall Semester 2009 starts off with the first Post 9/11 GI Bill benefactors! Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has scheduled a timely Q&A for military students to answer all of their questions, needs, and concerns.

Keith Wilson, the Director of Education Services at the U.S. Department of Education, will be available for a Q&A session on July 24, 2009. He will be available on the Pentagon Channel.

Several readers have expressed concern about their application for family transferability for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The U.S. Department of Defense has received an overwhelming amount of applications pertaining to the transferability option of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.