The Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty provides up to 36 Months of education benefits to eligible veterans. If you have served for more than 3 years you can receive up to $1321 a month (or up to $1073 for less than 3 years of service) in education funding. GI Bill benefits can be used to pay for college, technical or vocational courses.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible for GI Bill-Active Duty benefits you need to have an honorable discharge and a high school diploma or GED. In some cases, 12 hours of college credit is also required. You must also meet the requirements of one of these catagories:
Category I
- Entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for first 12 months
- Continuously served for 3 years, OR 2 years if that is what you first enlisted for, OR 2 years if you entered the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty and served 4 years (“2 by 4″ Program)
Category II
- Entered active duty before January 1, 1977
- Served at least 1 day between 10/19/84 and 6/30/85, and stayed on active duty through 6/30/88, (or 6/30/87 if you entered the Selected Reserve within 1 year of leaving active duty and served 4 years)
- On 12/31/89, you had entitlement left from Vietnam-Era GI Bill
Category III
- Not eligible for MGIB under Category I or II
- On active duty on 9/30/90 AND separated involuntarily after 2/2/91,
- OR involuntarily separated on or after 11/30/93,
- OR voluntarily separated under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) or Special Separation Benefit (SSB) program
- Before separation, you had military pay reduced by $1200
Category IV
- On active duty on 10/9/96 AND you had money remaining in a VEAP account on that date AND you elected MGIB by 10/9/97
- OR entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between 7/1/85, and 11/28/89 AND you elected MGIB during the period 10/9/96, through 7/8/97
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1200 lump-sum contribution
How to Apply
To claim your GI Bill Active Duty benefits you will need to fill out Fill out VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits.
