Veterans Gain Access to Expanded Education Benefits Under New VA Guidelines
Veterans who have served in multiple military periods might soon enjoy up to an additional 12 months of educational support, thanks to fresh guidelines rolled out by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
During his speech at the Student Veterans of America national convention in Colorado, VA Secretary Denis McDonough shared this significant update.
The announcement comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling from April, which found that the VA had previously imposed unfair limitations on educational benefits in certain scenarios.
Department officials believe that this positive change could impact over 1 million veterans nationwide.
However, some legal analysts estimate that the true number benefiting from this could be as high as 2 million.
New Policy Details
Joshua Jacobs, the Under Secretary for Benefits, emphasized the importance of access to quality education for all veterans.
He underscored how this policy change would be pivotal for many who stand to gain from an extra year of support from the GI Bill.
To qualify for these extended benefits, veterans need to have completed at least two separate terms of military service, with each term eligible under either the Post-9/11 GI Bill or the Montgomery GI Bill.
Veterans who honorably completed a minimum of two years of service and contributed to the Montgomery GI Bill could receive about $2,400 per month for education.
In contrast, the Post-9/11 GI Bill offers more extensive assistance, covering full tuition costs for public universities.
This program also provides housing stipends and other educational payments for veterans who served on active duty for three years or more following September 2001, with partial benefits available for those who served at least 90 days.
Previously, veterans had to choose between the two benefit programs, losing eligibility for one to access the other.
However, the recent Supreme Court decision in Rudisill v. McDonough deemed this approach inequitable for those eligible for both programs.
Impact of New Regulations
Under the new VA policy, a veteran with five years of service in the Army followed by three years in the Air Force can now effectively access both educational benefits.
Federal regulations allow for a maximum of 48 months of educational support.
This means a veteran eligible for both the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill could tap into the full 36 months of the Post-9/11 program, plus an extra 12 months from the Montgomery GI Bill.
After hitting this limit, they would no longer qualify for additional federal educational assistance.
The VA has also launched a dedicated webpage to help veterans understand these new policy changes and check their eligibility for the extra benefits.
Additional Benefits and Support
Additionally, there are new expiration date extensions for GI Bill benefits.
If a veteran had five years left when they opted out of the Montgomery GI Bill, they will now have five years and 90 days to utilize their benefits.
This updated policy is not just beneficial for fresh applicants seeking GI Bill assistance.
It also allows the VA to provide extra support to veterans who have previously used their benefits, according to Jacobs.
Currently, the VA disburses over $8 billion annually in educational payments, and since the inception of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, it has served over 2.7 million individuals.
Source: Militarytimes