I didn't know you had to apply, so I did 10 years thinking it would just be an option to transfer. Now that I am ETSing (well national guard ) I can't transfer and those last 4 years were wasted because I didn't have the information that you so simply put out. Thank you I hope someone can benefit from this
You're ETSing to the national guard? If you're still staying in the guard, you will be able to transfer your benefits. Otherwise, I am really sorry to hear that.
I know it’s an old video but: if I have 3 years 10 1/2 months left in current enlistment, is there ANY way for me to still transfer to post 9/11? (I plan on reenlisting again at the end of this contract and I’ve been in for 9 years. Contract ends with 13 years on the books.)
If you've been in for 9 years, you have 3+ years left on your contract and you plan to reenlist, you can absolutely transfer your GI Bill. You're in the perfect position to.
Potential GI Bill hack? If you get out prior to completing the 4 year obligation, are the months that the dependent used transferred back to the SM’s “account”? (Acknowledging that you’ll have to pay the massive bill, of course) It appears that way on the VA website. If that is the case then I think I just found a free subsidized/tax-free way of paying for wife’s school. (Though that means a massive debt all at once). Then once I separate (and pay the bill) I can use all 36 months to maximize the benefit (yellow ribbon, receive housing stipend, etc..) for my own education.
Thank you for that video! Great information. My husband is planning on transferring his GI Bill to me so I can go to Nursing school. But we are having the hardest time finding information on how to exactly use the GI Bill without wasting any of the benefits. All the hotlines we called are automated. The VA offices in the city we live in are either closed or don't help with the GI Bill. How can we figure out how to use it properly? So it covers the prerequisites and the nursing school itself? Is there like a handbook on how to use it? We do not want to waste it. The schools we have contacted tell us different things. It all seems very confusing. Any help would be appreciated!!! Thank you!
There isn't a guidebook for how to strategically use the GI Bill. I do try to help people with that throughout my videos though. My recommendation is to start with gen eds at an affordable community college that will transfer well to your degree granting school. I would always recommend having a buffer between when your benefits run out and your expected graduation timeline to ensure you don't run out. School only gets more expensive as you get further into it, so paying out of pocket at the beginning is the safer option.
I'm not aware of anything. They may not have been eligible to transfer the benefits. I'd look for other benefits for children of veterans, service members, deceased veterans/service members. I don't know of any way to make you eligible for the GI bill.
You don't have to transfer the GI Bill again just because you got more AD time. The amount of GI Bill you're eligible for (and your dependents if you already transferred) will just be adjusted. If you've already transferred your benefits and you do more time, it will automatically apply to the GI Bill they have under their name. Make sense?
Just for clarification. Is it 4 years per 36 months that can be repeated (ie: 8 years for 72 months, 4 years + 4 years) or is it just a single 4 year package that can't be repeated?
You're not buying more GI Bill by staying in longer. You're just earning the ability to pass it on essentially. It's 4 years to transfer any amount of your benefits. There's no scale. Make sense?
Hi, so if someone was going to retire in 3 years (17 current yrs of service) and hasn’t transferred to their child, will the 4 years be added to the remaining 3 years so then he’s in for 7 more years or would it just be an added year to equal 4 years?
It does not add to the 3 years. There's isn't a contract that they sign when transferring the benefits, he just has to make sure he extends a year in order to meet the four year requirement before retiring. The sooner they transfer benefits, the sooner they can retire.
My contract ended May 2020 in the Army National Guard, I have a two year period in the reserves but do not currently drill. Do those two years count to make 8 years or would I need an additional 4 years to make the 10. Not surprised none of this was ever explained one time in my 7.5 years serving, I appreciate you making this video.
Those two years you have remaining in the IRR don't count for anything really. Select reserves, IMA or national guard is the least committed you can get while the service clock continues. IRR is worthless unfortunately.
Great Information! I transferred 22 months to my son. What do the 22 months represent? The amount of time he has to use the benefits? Does he have to apply for the BAH or is it automatically dispursed based on approval by the college?
Great video! So, I've transfered 1 month to all my dependents in 2012 and met all service requirements. I am retiring in 6 months and will end up using some of the months to finish my degree...am I still able to transfer months AFTER I retire? I called the VA and they said yes, but I'm hearing different info
Awesome! Good for you! Yes! What I understand, is that once you've transferred benefits and completed the obligation, you can indefinitely transfer months between all parties who have already had benefits transferred to them. You just can't introduce a new dependent to the mix after you have gotten out.
What if I’ve transferred my GI Bill benefit to my spouse, and she now has left over months that I want to provide to our child? Do I owe the 4 year service requirement again?
If my husband has already transferred the funds to me for nursing school and he has not completed the 6 years , plus the additional 4 will the funds still work? He will be honorably discharged in October , the same month my program will start. (He has been active duty for 7 years.)
If he transferred them, they will still 'work'. But when did he initiate the transfer? If he's getting out in October and will have only been active duty for 7 years, he either had to transfer them 4 years ago or intend to keep serving in reserves or guard to complete the transfer...
I don't know what PEB is. I don't have a policy reference. This information was gathered from a VA rep interview. You can call your education office to confirm before discharge.
Does the GI bill cover medical school? My wife wants to be a pediatrician and I’m transferring my benefits to her. I just want to ensure her MD program will be covered?
Absolutely. The same limitations apply though, so if you're not going to an in state public school, the limit will be $26k/year. Which isn't going to be enough. Check out my yellow ribbon program video also for more info on that. But yes, medical school, grad school etc can all be paid for with the GI Bill.
Hello! Thank you for making this content. I was wondering if you could give me a recommendation of what to do. My daughter just won a 4 year army ROTC scholarship to Penn State, but she also has my husband’s post 911 GI bill. Can she use the GI Bill to pay for her room and board while using the ROTC scholarship to pay for her tuition? Or can she stack these two things at all? Thank you.
Awesome! Congrats to her. Yes, you can use both simultaneously. The ROTC scholarship will pay for tuition and the BAH from the GI Bill will go directly to the school for room and board. However, the tuition payment from the GI Bill essentially evaporates...You're not maximizing the benefits this way, but if there isn't another use for the GI Bill, it's a good way to go. The alternative is to just use the GI Bill, not take the ROTC scholarship and allow for her to change her mind about the military anytime in the next 4 years...
I know this is 10 months later… but she can take the room and board from the ROTC scholarship and use the GI bill to pay for her tuition. The room and board ROTC scholarship will just give her cash, I think it’s $11k.
@@Babysunn - thank you, so very much for all your help. My daughter accepted the 4yr Army ROTC scholarship and does use it for room and board. No issues. She now has her whole degree paid for and there’s absolutely nothing we pay out of pocket. It’s been a relief and she’s loving her life at PSU!
@@rblackwood7253 l’m glad to hear it! You must be very proud. I graduated from Western Michigan in 2012 and I have been an Army nurse going on 11 years now. Best decision I ever made was joining ROTC.
Thank you for this awesome video. I didn't think I qualified and never thought to apply. Many encouraged me to do so but, I hate to hear the word no. I have 31 years in the reserves on January 25 and I just applied to transfer my benefits. I know you said I had to complete 4 years once the dependant starts to use it. Just to confirm, with so many years in would I still have to complete another 4 years?
Hopefully I didn't misspeak in the video - you need to do 4 years after you initiate the transfer, not after they start using it (unless it happens at the same time). But unfortunately, there is no consideration to how many years you've put in. Only how many you will put in...
@@jasonburds I dont know about transferring to a family member but I’ve been out of the Navy for 7 months and left out with a Montgomery. 1 1/2 months ago I changed my Montgomery to a 9/11 GI Bill without having to go back to the military
I believe medboard if the only exception. You should be able to initiate the transfer now and not have to finish the 4 years. But please confirm with your education officer.
Hi. My mom transferred 18 months to me and 18 to my brother before she retired and is wanting to transfer 100% of it to me now. Is this still possible?
Yes. As I understand it, she can transfer months between your brother, you, and her freely. However, she can't add anyone to list now that she is retired.
I am currently on a 4 yr contract. Will extending 2 more years will count towards that 6 yr total? Also, if that is the case can I serve the remaining 4 yrs as a guard? Thank you so much in advance.
Yes and yes. However, I have heard that once you initiate the transfer, the four years needs to be in the same capacity. So wait until you go NG before you transfer. I haven't been able to confirm this though.
Yes. Once the transfer has been done, months can move back and forth between the already registered parties. However, new people cannot be added to the list. So if you had another kid, you won't be able to give them any benefits. Does that make sense?
Uff hearing this I’m concerned now. My husband fully got out of the service before we met and the joined back up in the reserves and we eventually met and got married. By the sound of this it seems like because we weren’t married and he didn’t transfer the benefit to me before getting out of active duty I can’t get it….or could I still get it because he rejoined in the reserves and will continue to serve reserves…
Hi, I did 3 years Active Duty from 1998-2001 & transferred directly into the National Guard and did from 2001-2004 where I served in Afghanistan 🇦🇫, & was 100% P&T & Also 100% PTSD Retired on the DOD side in the National Guard while in Afghanistan 🇦🇫, do I qualify to transfer my GI Bill to my Daughter when she goes to college? She was born after I retired, she was born in 2006. So I did a total of 6 1/2 Years. But, I’m confused about the part of we’re I needed 4 additional years. Pls Help
Can you transfer you benefits to your wife to start the 4 year clock and then transfer them to your kid when they are born (without side effects like your kid only having 15 years to use it)?
Dependent use of the GI Bill goes off their age, not a 15 year expiration period. Your kid can't use your GI Bill when they're 40.... You also have to have all GI Bill beneficiaries in place before you exit service. If you get out and have another kid, that kid is locked out at that point.
I just reached six years, not too long ago. I am enrolled in the Montgomery G.I. Bill and want to change it to Post 911 by transferring it to my wife. If we have a child, could I transfer these benefits from my wife to my child and still fulfill my 4-year service requirement?
You just have to transfer to all beneficiaries before you get out. Once you're out, you can't add a beneficiary. But if you transfer to your wife and start the four year clock, then hand a kid two years later and give them some, it doesn't restart the 4 year clock.
In order to get 100% post 911 you have to have 36 months of activity. My question is my active duty was from 1995 until 1998 and I am still in. Will this count for the 36 months even though it was before 9/11
@@jasonburds I have been in since 2009 until now and currently still in but in order to get 100% you have to have 36 months active duty on or after in order to get it 100%. My active duty was before 911.
As it currently stands, the transfer has to be initiated prior to leaving the service. So if he didn't do it before he got out, no. However, your state may have benefits for children of disabled vets, so I would look into that.
What would happen if you were to transfer benefits and then have another kid. Would you then be able to take benefits from the other kid and transfer them to the new one without having to do the 4 years again.
Once you have transferred your benefits, you can move months around between qualified dependents. However, if I understand it correctly, the dependents must become qualified dependents prior to you exiting the military. These details are a little difficult to nail down. I'll check into it further.
If you have the 10 years in service, you will be able to. However, if you won't be able to complete the 4 years after transferring, make sure the medboard will qualify you for an exemption.
If you did 8 years of active duty, you rate 100% of the GI Bill. It only takes 36 months to qualify for 100%. Am I understanding your question correctly?
@@jasonburds I’m sorry. To clarify : If serve 6 years active and transfer benefits to dependents , to receive 100 % of benefit does one have to serve active for four more years active or can it be a combination of two years active and two years of reserves to receive full benefits for dependents.
Really good question. I don't see why you couldn't use it at the same time, but I can't answer that question for sure. I'll add it to the list of unanswered questions to research.
If you don't have dependents to initiate the transfer to, you're kinda SOL. If you have a spouse, you can transfer to them. Once a transfer has been made, you can freely transfer between any future dependents.
Correction - you need 6 years to initiate the transfer - you then have to give four years to lock the transfer in. That makes 10 years. If you wait till year 10 to start the transfer, you'll end up having to do 14. So initiate the transfer at year 6 is a better choice.
