Noteboom The Law Firm

More People Using Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits Than Ever Before

November 12, 2010 - Fall semester of 2009 saw 180,000 veterans using their Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to attend college. This fall, that number has risen to 260,000 spread over approximately 6,000 colleges and universities. This is due in part to the constant push ensuring soldiers and veterans are aware of all the educational benefits available to them.

Something is different about these 260,000, however. Almost 50,000 of those are family members of soldiers and veterans. This is the first time this has happened since educational benefits were first made available to military personnel through the original Montgomery GI bill. The Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits can now be transferred to certain qualifying family members. To date, the Department of Defense (DoD) has transferred benefits to around 330,000 family members from 145,000 service member requests. This specific feature of the Bill is a very big incentive for new recruits and those already in the services and looking to re-enlist.

Although most students attend public universities, the Yellow Ribbon program offers the ability to attend prominent private schools as well. Schools participating in this program waive 50% of the total costs beyond the highest tuition at an in-state school and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays the same amount. 

As the benefits associated with the Post-9/11 GI Bill continue to improve, so too does the system associated with processing and making payments under the bill. People using these benefits are being paid much quicker than last year, and the VA is almost down to its goal pay-out time frame. The VA is quickly moving from a manual to an automated system to make eligibility decisions, which will ultimately increase processing times.

Congress is currently debating on making more benefits available to more people under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, such as National Guardsmen and Reserve troops. The issue seems to be how to extend benefits without hampering the system or causing unforeseen problems.