Did the GI Bill 2.0 Give Us the Post 9/11 GI Bill Transfer Option for Those of Us Retiring Before August 1, 2009?
Q: Sir – I served in the Navy for 28 years and retired in February, 2009. Since I was already out when the new GI Bill took effect in August 2009 it appears I missed the window to transfer eligibility (TOE) to one of my children. My questions are: Why the Aug. 09 effective date that precluded a lot of people like me from the TOE benefit, and did the GI Bill 2.0 passed in 2011 do anything to grandfather others into TOE?
A: Why the August 1, 2009 for the Post 9/11 GI Bill implementation date? Good question! That was the date chosen by Congress and why they picked it is still a mystery to me. But yes, you along with thousands of other Post 9/11 GI Bill eligible career veterans, were overlooked as far as having the transfer-of-benefits option.
Congress was focused on using the Post 9/11 GI Bill as reenlistment incentive, even though they pushed the eligibility date back to September 10, 2001. The language reads that to make a transfer request, the servicemember had to be serving “on or after August 1, 2009.” It never made any sense to me to limit your options to just using the Post 9/11 GI Bill yourself.
The GI Bill 2.0 did nothing to change the Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer of benefits issue for pre-August 1, 2009 retirees. However, I have created a petition that if approved would provide for a one-time opportunity to make a transfer request. If you would like to support this endeavor, you can read the petition in whole at the link and then choose to sign it or not.
I created the petition because two previous pieces of legislation never made it to a vote, let alone pass. The support in Congress just wasn’t there. That is why I’m submitting the petition directly to the President at the end of June.
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