Veterans Education Benefits

• Must have entered active duty after June 30, 1985.
• Discharge must be honorable.
• Must have completed initial contractual active duty obligation or separated early with a qualifying reason.
• A contributory program: $1200 through payroll deduction.
• Optional $600 "buy up" program or kicker.
• Up to 36 months of full-time entitlement; 10 years from date of discharge to use it.

• VA must determine whether you qualify.
• Once approved you will receive a 28-1905 which must be forwarded to BC3.
• Eligible tuition, fees, books, and supplies are billed to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time to receive a subsistence allowance.
• Deviations from your rehabilitation plan should be approved by your case manager prior to registration.
• Pays an additional subsistence allowance for dependents.
• Up to 48 months of full-time entitlement to be used over a maximum of 12 years.

Attention all POST 9/11 Applicants: You must submit a Certificate of Eligibility Letter to the VA Coordinator at BC3 to apply Post 9/11 benefits toward your tuition.

• New GI Bill® effective August 1, 2009.
• Individuals with at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days.
• Must have received an honorable discharge to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.
• The benefit level is determined based upon an individual's aggregate qualifying active duty service.
• Up to 36 months of entitlement and 15 years to use from date of last discharge separation.
• Three part benefit: Tuition and fees at the school of the veteran's choice - limited to the in-state tuition for the highest priced undergraduate public Institution of Higher Learning (IHL). Up to 100% reimbursement.
• Monthly housing allowance of up to the BAH payable for an E-5 with dependents located in the zip code of the educational institution where the individual is enrolled. The BAH is not payable to individuals on active duty or those enrolled at half time or less. You must be registered for 7 or more credits to receive the BAH benefit. If you are enrolled entirely in an online or distance learning program the BAH payment is limited to 50% of your percentage benefit level as determined by the VA.
• Up to a $1,000 annual stipend for books and supplies.
• Optional kicker.

Section 107:
Effective August 1, 2018, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® MHA is calculated based on the location of the campus where you attend the majority of your classes, rather than the location of the main or branch campus of the school where you are enrolled. If you are using your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits to complete your program at different locations, your MHA rate will be based on where you are physically taking the majority of classes. If your residential course load is split equally at different campuses, you will be paid based on the location with the higher rate.

Some students took classes outside of the main or branch campus at a location VA defines as an “extension campus.” VA defines an extension campus as “a location that is geographically apart from the main or branch campus but is operationally dependent on that campus for the performance of administrative tasks.”

If you attend classes at an extension campus, it is important to check the MHA rate using the GI Bill® Comparison Tool at VA.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool/ to see what your MHA rate will be beginning December 1. The GI Bill® Comparison Tool is updated with Academic Year 2019-2020 rates.

Section 501:
Effective January 1, 2018, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® monthly housing allowance (MHA) will be the same as the Department of Defense’s E-5 with dependents basic allowance for housing (BAH) rate.

You will receive this rate if you first used your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits on or after January 1, 2018. If you started using your Post-9/11 GI Bill® before January 1, 2018, you will continue receiving MHA payments based on the slightly higher VA rate.

While making IT system updates to be able to process rates stipulated by 501, VA has continued paying MHA at the higher VA rate. For some beneficiaries, this means that you were/are being overpaid since August 1, 2018 and will begin receiving the corrected rate this year after December 1.

Please note: If you were overpaid because of these changes VA will automatically review your claim for waiver of the debt and provide additional information on this process to you. If you have any question, the letters will provide a phone number, or you can call the VBA Education Hotline at 1-888-GI-BILL (1-888-442-4551). For students outside the U.S., call 001-918-781-5678.

• Service members enrolled in the Post-9/11 GI Bill® program are able to transfer unused educational benefits to their spouses or children starting August 1, 2009.
• A family member must be enrolled in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) and be eligible for benefits at the time of transfer to receive transferred educational benefits.
• The veteran must go to the Department of Defense (DOD) transferability application website to determine if your dependents are eligible to receive the transferred benefits. This website is only available to military members.
• Upon approval, family members may apply to use transferred benefits with VA by completing VA Form 22-1990e. VA Form 22-1990e should only be completed and submitted to VA by the family member after DOD has approved the request for TEB.

• For qualified dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled or deceased because of a service-connected disability.
• May receive benefits until your eligibility period ends or you use all of your entitlement, whichever one comes first.
• Requires a special file number or social security number of veteran which must be included on all VA paperwork.

• This program is for members of the reserve component of the Armed Forces who agreed to serve 6 years in the Selected Reserve beginning after June 30, 1985.
• Reserve components determine eligibility for the program. The payments are processed by the VA.
• Must complete your Initial Active Duty for Training (IADT) and maintain Selected Reserve Status.
• Entitlement ends the date you separate from the Selected Reserve or 10 years from the date your eligibility began, whichever is earlier.
• Optional kicker.

• For members of the reserve components.
• Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve who are called or ordered to active duty on or after September 11, 2001, for at least 90 consecutive days under a contingency operation, in response to a war or national emergency, as declared by the President or Congress. Eligibility will be determined by the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security as appropriate.
• The allowance payable under REAP is a percentage of the MGIB Active Duty rate based on the number of continuous days served on active duty.
• Selected Reserve and Ready Reserve members must remain eligible for this benefit by continuing to serve in the Selected Reserve.
• Members receive 36 months of entitlement after serving the minimum 90 days.
• Option $600 "buy up" program and kicker.

Applications and appropriate documentation should be completed at least 8-12 weeks prior to your term starting date to ensure timely processing.

If you are applying for the first time or switching to the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, you will need to do one of the following:

• Complete the VA application.
• Complete the BC3 VA Enrollment Form.
  • Please attach a copy of the online application or confirmation page.

If you are returning to BC3 after a break in enrollment or transferring to BC3, you must complete the BC3 Enrollment Form and a Change of Place Training Form. If you are utilizing benefits under the Chapter 35 program, you must use the Dependent Change of Place Training form.

Once the VA has determined your eligibility for Post 9/11 Chapter 33, you should send  a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility to the Veterans Coordinator at BC3.

GI Bill® funds are sent directly to the student electronically or by check, not the college. Chapter 30, Chapter 1607 (REAP) and Chapter 1606 veterans must verify their enrollment on the last day of each month enrolled before the next GI Bill® payment is issued.

You can verify your enrollment in the following ways:

• Phone in your enrollment information 1.877.823.2378
• Verify via website www.gibill.va.gov, then click on WAVE

Veterans are encouraged to contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at 1.888.442.4551 (option 2) for the most current information including questions regarding payment.