Post-9/11 GI Bill era begins - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Post-9/11 GI Bill era begins

A new era in veterans education benefits began Saturday with the official launch of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, a program that promises almost everyone who serves three years or longer on active duty a college education at government expense.

Career service members also can transfer their benefits to immediate family members.

The new benefit is available to people who have served a minimum of 90 days on active duty since Sept. 10, 2001 — as little as 30 days for those separated or retired because of a service-connected disability — who will be eligible for a combination of tuition, fees, living stipend, book allowance and other benefits based on their length of service.

For those with three or more years of service, the program fully covers basic tuition and fees up to the maximum cost in each state for undergraduate education at the most expensive four-year public college or university for in-state students.

Many institutions also have signed up for a program that will cover additional costs for graduate education, for those paying nonresident tuition, and for students at private institutions where costs are higher than the most expensive public school in the state.

Events to launch the program, with ceremonial first checks being handed out to veterans, are planned around the U.S. on Monday, with the biggest planned at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

President Barack Obama, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and the chief congressional sponsor of the new GI Bill, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., will attend a rally to honor the incoming class of veterans who will benefit from the program.

The event also will be a chance for Webb to receive accolades for his feat as a freshman senator in leading the charge for the biggest increase in veterans’ education benefits since the original World War II GI Bill of Rights — and, with the transfer rights for career service members, also the biggest retention benefit since the dawn of the all-volunteer force 36 years ago.

David Rehbein, national commander of The American Legion, the organization credited with spurring enactment of the World War II GI Bill, said the launch of the new GI Bill is a “proud day.” He vowed his organization will monitor the program to ensure veterans get what they have earned.

“If any veteran has difficulty accessing their GI Bill benefits, we at The American Legion want to know about it,” said Rehbein. The Legion, with 2.5 million members, is the nation’s largest veterans group.

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said he expects half a million new veterans are ready to take advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“These new and improved benefits will transform the path of an entire generation of veterans and build the leaders of tomorrow,” Rieckhoff said. “IAVA is committed to ensuring that every veteran has the tools and resources they need to navigate the complicated GI Bill application process.”

Online resources

Both the Legion and IAVA have created Web sites to help service members and veterans learn about how to use the program. The Legion’s site is MyGIBill.org and IAVA’s site is NewGIBill.org.

VA has a site that includes details about benefits and an online application for benefits.

The Defense Department’s GI Bill site explains how career service members can share benefits with families members.