Learn to Use Your GI Bill Benefits

The term GI Bill refers to any Department of Veterans Affairs education benefit earned by members of Active Duty, Selected Reserve and National Guard Armed Forces and their families. The benefit is designed to help servicemembers and eligible veterans cover the costs associated with getting an education or training. The GI Bill has several programs and each is administrated differently -- depending on a person's eligibility and duty status.

Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) benefits are available for servicemembers to help with education and training costs. This guide includes the following topics:

• A MGIB (GI Bill Chapter 30) Benefit Overview
• Step-by-Step Application Instructions
• Related GI Bill Programs

Note: MGIB benefits differ greatly from the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Click here to learn more about Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33).

Your GI Bill can be used to pay for many different programs including the following:

• College, Business Technical or Vocational Courses
• Distance Learning including Correspondence Courses
• Certification Tests
• Apprenticeship/Job Training (Veterans and Reserve Only)
• Flight Training

The Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30) is an education benefit worth more than $53K. This amount is based on the 2011-2012 monthly full-time student payment rate of $1473 multiplied by the 36-month limit. This "payment rate" automatically increases on the first of October each year. You get the annual increase no matter when you became eligible or begin using it.

The term "36 months of benefits" refers to academic months - time actually enrolled at the full-time rate of pursuit.  This means you will have up to 8 semesters (four years) of traditional academic education.

Note: Your actual benefits may be higher if you signed up for the Army, Navy or Marine Corps College Funds.

MGIB Eligibility

You qualify for the GI Bill if:

• You contribute $100 a month for the first 12 months you are in active duty, or qualify under VEAP conversion.
• 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.

Check out the GI Bill Eligibility Fact Sheet for more details.

Your MGIB Payment Rate - How much you get.

Your GI Bill monthly payment rate is determined by two factors: your student status (full time, half time, or part time) and your duty status. In most cases you would be considered a full time student if you are taking 12 or more credits per semester.

If you are on active duty the GI Bill will only reimburse you for the actual tuition and expenses. But once you leave active duty service the GI Bill will pay the full payment rate no matter how much the tuition costs. 

Click here to see the current GI Bill payment rates.

Note: Two-Year enlistees can qualify for a reduced GI Bill of $1196 a month for full-time students.

When To Use The GI Bill

You can begin using your benefit after 2 years of service, however before you choose to use the GI Bill you should know that it is usually not a good idea to use it while on active duty, because VA administers the Montgomery GI Bill differently for active duty and veterans. For instance a veteran is charged one month of benefits for each $1473 - the current GI Bill "payment rate" - in education benefits used .

Example - If a veteran receives $5472, and if the current full-time payment rate is $1388, divide $5472 by $1368. The veteran will be charged 4 months of the 36 months of benefits.

However if you are on active duty and go to school full-time for 4 months, you will still be charged 4 months of benefits even if your tuition is only $1,000.  

Considering this, it only makes sense to use your GI Bill on active duty ifyour tuition costs are high or you use your "GI Bill Top-up" benefit.

The GI Bill has a time limit - expiration date. Once you have left the service you have ten years to use it. Any benefit remaining after the tenth anniversary is lost, and you will lose your $1,200 initial contribution.

Note: You should ALWAYS consult your Education Service Officer or Navy College representative before using your GI Bill or taking any college classes. They are trained to give you the counseling that will help you avoid wasting your time and benefits.

How to Apply - Step-by-Step Application Instructions

Although the GI Bill application process can be time consuming it is relatively easy. In most cases the process will take you 4 steps, or less!

Step One

Find a school that has VA approved training or education programs. Be sure to ask the admissions counselor if the school meets the requirements to use the GI Bill. You can use the Military.com School Finder to locate a school or institution that fits the bill.

Note: Most regionally and nationally accredited colleges and universities have VA approved programs.

Step Two

Complete the Application for Education Benefits, VA Form 22-1990 . Your school's registrar's office usually has copies of the form on hand. If you are active duty you will need to have your Education Service Officer or Command representative complete and sign Section II of the VA Form 22-1990.

Tip: You should speak to a counselor in your Voluntary Education Services Office to determine if you are eligible to participate in the GI-Bill Buy-up program before you start using your GI Bill. It could be worth up to an extra $5,400 in benefits.

Step Three

Send in your application . In most cases, the school will take care of this step for you, by sending your application along with their paperwork to the nearest VA regional office. This will expedite the process. However if you have not found a school yet, you can still apply for your VA Eligibility Determination by mailing your completed VA Form 22-1990 to address found on the form.

Within 4-8 weeks you should receive a declaration of eligibility and a letter explaining your GI Bill benefits. Keep in mind that it is not uncommon to get a letter from the VA requesting more information. You will have to answer the Department of Veteran's Affairs requests to be determined eligible and complete the process.

Step Four

Once you begin receiving your benefit checks (Direct Deposit) you will have to complete the VA's Web Automated Verification of Eligibility (WAVE) process each month to continue to receive your monthly benefits payments.

The WAVE is a simple process that requires you to either log-on to the VA WAVE website or call their toll-free number at 1-877-823-2378. It only takes a couple of minutes, but you will not get your monthly payment until you do.

GI Bill Related Topics

The GI Bill offers several programs. The following links will help you learn to get the most of the GI Bill.

USMC Hot Sauce

USMC Hot Sauce. Guaranteed to be Hot...

Battle for Haditha (2008)

Description:

Iraqi insurgents bomb a convoy of US Marines, resulting in the death of their most popular officer. Enraged by this loss, his young Marine buddies carry out a brutal retaliation.

Israel pre-announces missile test to stem Iran war fears | Reuters

Missile trials from a launch base near Tel Aviv, most recently in November, were not published in advance. As a result, the first Israeli media reports on them were based on often breathless witness accounts, rocking world energy markets until defense officials provided explanations.

State-run Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said in a statement that it would conduct its first test of the Arrow 3, a system developed in cooperation with the United States to shoot down ballistic missiles in space, "in the near future."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made veiled threats to attack Iran should diplomacy fail to rein in its nuclear program. U.S. President Barack Obama, whom Netanyahu will visit next week, wants to pursue sanctions for now and has voiced concern about the risk of an Israeli-Iranian war.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Arrow 3 test would entail firing a missile into space from Palmachim base south of Tel Aviv. It would take place after Monday's White House talks between Obama and Netanyahu.

"Yes, it's new," the official told Reuters about the decision to issue the IAI statement on Thursday.

"We want to avoid misunderstandings."

The official confirmed Israel wanted to limit the risk of aggravating the stand-off with Iran. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weaponry and has vowed to retaliate for any attack with missile strikes against Tel Aviv and U.S. assets in the Gulf.

ISRAELI CAPABILITIES

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, questioned last month whether Israelis had the firepower to deliver lasting damage to Iran's distant, dispersed and well-defended nuclear facilities.

Some experts suspect Israel might be bluffing about an attack to maintain pressure on Iran by war-wary world powers.

But Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and some former members of his top brass have turned to the American media to signal their seriousness and capabilities against Iran.

Among them is Amos Yadlin. One of the Israeli pilots who bombed Iraq's atomic reactor at Osirak in 1981, a mission that astonished Washington for its long-range precision, Yadlin wrote in the New York Times on Wednesday: "The mistake then, as now, was to underestimate Israel's military ingenuity."

He went on to serve as Israel's head of military intelligence, helping plan a 2007 sortie againstSyria which the United States said razed a secret North Korean-built reactor.

Israel has never confirmed striking Syria nor discussed the nature of the target, which Damascus denied was a nuclear site.

But Yadlin, who left the military in 2010, broke with the official silence to argue in favor of Israel's strategy.

"After the Osirak attack and the destruction of the Syrian reactor in 2007, the Iraqi and Syrian nuclear programs were never fully resumed," he wrote in the newspaper.