Veterans who served two or more separate periods of military service will be eligible for up to 12 months of additional education benefits under new plans unveiled by Veterans Affairs leaders on Friday.
The announcement, made by VA Secretary Denis McDonough during remarks at the Student Veterans of America national convention in Colorado, comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling last April which found the department unfairly limited access to college tuition benefits in certain cases.
Department officials said the move could impact more than 1 million veterans nationwide, although legal experts have said the figure could be closer to 2 million.
“Every veteran has earned the right to get a good, affordable education,” Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs said in a statement. “And under this new policy, many veterans will get additional 12 months of GI Bill benefits.”
To qualify, veterans must have served at least two separate periods of service in the military, each meeting standards for either the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill programs.
Veterans who served at least two years before being honorably discharged and paid into the Montgomery GI Bill during their time in service can qualify for that program. It pays out roughly $2,400 a month in education benefits to individuals.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is more generous, awarding full tuition costs for state universities plus housing stipends and other education assistance payments for individuals who served three years on active-duty after September 2001. Partial benefits are available for anyone who served on active-duty for at least 90 days.
Veterans cannot access both benefits simultaneously, and have been required to give up eligibility for one program to access the other.
But the Supreme Court, in the Rudisill v. McDonough case, ruled that requirement is unfair for individuals who had enough time in service to qualify for both programs.
Under the new policy announced by VA, a veteran, for example, who served for five years in the Army but then re-enlisted for three years in the Air Force would be eligible to use both education benefit programs.
Because of other federal regulations, individuals are limited to 48 months of government education benefits. So a veteran eligible for both programs could use the full 36 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and then access 12 additional months of Montgomery GI Bill payouts, but would be prevented from receiving more federal assistance after that.
The department has set up a page on its website to help veterans better understand the policy updates and their potential eligibility for additional education benefits.
In addition, VA officials announced they will extend the expiration dates for GI Bill benefits to any eligible veterans. If a veteran had five years of eligibility left at the time they gave up their Montgomery GI Bill benefits, VA will grant them five years and 90 days of new eligibility to use the benefit, starting now.
“This policy will not only help veterans who apply for GI Bill benefits in the future – it will also allow VA to provide additional benefits to many veterans who used GI Bill benefits in the past,” Jacobs said.
VA pays out more than $8 billion in education payments annually. Since its inception, the Post-9/11 GI Bill alone has benefited more than 2.7 million individuals.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
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