The GI Bill: A Step-By-Step Guide

The educational benefits that the military offers are absolutely worth utilizing to ensure a higher education degree and better career prospects. The GI Bill is one of the best ways to take advantage. Here is a step-by-step look at how the GI Bill helps you start earning a degree. What The GI Bill Does Post Military The transition back to civilian life is a lot easier with a degree. With the GI Bill, eligible military personnel have up to 36 months of education benefits. You can use these benefits up to 10 years from when you leave active duty. You can use your benefits for any of the following: university, technical school, vocational courses or another kind of job training such as flight school. In order to access the benefits, however, you need to have already enrolled in an education program before applying. It is important to find a school with state approving agency training or a VA department so that a VA representative can guide you through the process. Applying For GI Bill Benefits Find the forms to get the process started either at the VA website or by processing them at a local VA office. Be sure to have a copy of your honorable discharge papers and your DD-214 if you are mailing in an application or applying in person. After several weeks, you should receive a certificate of eligibility that explains all the details of the GI Bill benefits. Submit your class registration forms first and then you can deposit the check. GI Bill beneficiaries must complete the VA’s Web Automated Verification of Eligibility (WAVE) each month to keep receiving payments. It only takes a couple of minutes, so just remember to do it or else your payments will halt. As long as you complete the WAVE, you will get enough to cover you for 12 credits, or a little over $1,000 per month. GI Bill On Active Duty For active duty members, the GI Bill is better left alone. Using it while on active duty deducts a month from the 36-month of total benefits. Hence, you lose the extra months of payments that you could use more effectively when out of the service. Instead of spending all your benefits, hold off and try using other programs that allow you to take certification tests or online courses while still in the service. If you want to use your GI Bill benefits while on active duty, look into the “Top Up” program, which is part of the active military tuition assistance program. This deducts funds from the total GI Bill funds instead of receiving a monthly payment. In the end, this is a more financially safe bet, since you should still have funding leftover for school out of the service. In order to qualify, you need to have been in the service for at least two years and been approved for federal tuition assistance. Talk to a VA representative or education officer before you sign up for any GI Bill benefits, and good luck with your studies! Comments (0) Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form Name Email Website Title Comment Add Comment