Montgomery GI Bill
The Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty, called MGIB for short, provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible veterans. These benefits, also known as Chapter 30, are generally payable for 10 years following the service members' release from active duty, and cover most, if not all, of the costs associated with:
- College
- Technical or Vocational Courses
- Correspondence Courses
- Apprenticeship/Job Training
- Flight Training
- High-tech Training
- Licensing & Certification Tests
- Entrepreneurship Training
- Certain Entrance Examinations
Today
Under this bill, you may receive benefits for a wide variety of training, including an undergraduate or graduate degree at a college or university, or a cooperative training program. You may also take an accredited independent study program leading to a degree.
Veterans from the reserve, eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve or chapter 1606, have different eligibility requirements and different rules on receiving military benefits.
Eligibility Requirements
You qualify for the Montgomery GI Bill if:
- You contribute $100 a month for the first 12 months you are in active duty
- You have completed High School or have an equivalency certificate before you apply for benefits
- You have served at least 2 years on active duty
Note that your eligibility and the amount of money that you qualify for depends on a number of factors.
Payments
The monthly benefit paid to you is based on the type of career training you take, length of your service, your category, and if the DoD contributed extra money in your MGIB Fund (called "kickers"). You usually have 10 years to use your MGIB benefits, but the time limit can be less or more under certain circumstances.
600 Buy-Up Program
Some service members may contribute up to an additional $600 to the GI Bill to receive increased monthly benefits. For an additional $600 contribution, you may receive up to $5,400 in additional GI Bill benefits. These extra contributions must be made while on active duty.
You can apply by filling out VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits. You can also apply online through our web site at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp.
(Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Military.com)
