Are Step-Children Eligible for Transferred Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits?
Q: I am a Veteran from the Army and I was wondering if the GI Bill benefits to Step-children as well?
A: The Montgomery GI Bill does not have a provision to cover any children, biological or otherwise, however, the Post 9/11 GI Bill does have that provision. Not only does it cover both biological and step-children, it covers adopted children not having any biological ties to either parent as long, as they are legally adopted.
If you qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer option, your first step is ensuring you have went through the proper legal procedure to formally adopt your step-children. Next, you will have to see your Unit Administrator and have your step-children entered into DEERS. The third step is to go to the TEB website and try making a transfer request. If your children are listed, try entering a number of months.
If the record is “grayed out” and you can’t access it, then either you are not eligible to transfer benefits or the record is not set up correctly in DEERS. If it lets you enter a number, then you should be O.K.
Once you are done, you will see a “Pending Review” status. Keep checking back at the website and look for a status change. At some point it will go to “Approved” with an approval date. Once approved, and before your child starts college, he/she will have to submit VA Form 22-1990e to get a Certificate of Eligibility which he/she will need when enrolling in school.
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