Post 9/11 GI Bill, New GI Bill Overview

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the modern successor of the original GI Bill, passed in 1944 by President Roosevelt as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act.  The legislation’s purpose was to provide assistance for education and home financing to veterans returning from World War II.  It is estimated that over ten million veterans took advantage of the bill’s benefits for education and housing.  Many have considered the original bill to be one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress.  America’s post-war surge in economic prosperity and industrial dominance can be attributed in many ways to the effects of the GI Bill.

The spirit of the original GI Bill lived on in subsequent acts of Congress, who sought to expand the scope of benefits and grant eligibility to those who served in times of war and peace.  Perhaps the most memorable program was the Montgomery GI Bill, which went into effect in 1985.  This act, which is still in effect, allows active duty and reserve personnel the option to forfeit a small portion of their monthly pay in return for up to $1321 per month in educational assistance for a full-time student with at least three years of service.  A veteran of any branch of the Armed Forces is eligible to take advantage of the Montgomery GI Bill, and he/she may under certain conditions, transfer benefits to spouses and dependents.

Congress passed the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act on June 30, 2008, to meet the emerging needs of members of the United States Armed Forces serving their country after September 11, 2001.  The new Post-9/11 GI Bill differs from the Montgomery GI Bill in several ways.  First, educational benefits are no longer a fixed monthly amount; a veteran can receive an amount equal to the most expensive public undergraduate tuition in the state where he/she takes classes.  Second, whereas the Montgomery GI Bill required an enrollment fee of $1200, deducted in twelve monthly installments from a service member’s paycheck, the Post-9/11 GI Bill has no fee.  Third, if a service member’s anticipated expenses are higher than the limits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, he/she has the opportunity to attend an institution participating in the “Yellow Ribbon” program, which allows the school and the Department of Veterans Affairs to make up the difference in the cost of attendance.  The Montgomery GI Bill offers no comparable benefit.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill went into effect on August 1, 2009, allowing America’s defenders to begin immediately taking fall classes under the new program.  Veterans who are currently taking advantage of benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill may have the opportunity to make a one-time change to start receiving benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.  Any other veterans with at least 90 days of active duty service after September 11, 2001 (or 30 days of active duty and discharge because of service-connected disability) are eligible to enroll in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.