Can Two People Use the Post 9/11 GI Bill at the Same Time?
Q: I’m the child of a soldier who I believe is covered by the GI bill and I was just wondering if there was any way him and I both could be covered by the GI bill?
A: I’ll say yes, initially provided he is still serving and has the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Why is that important? Because if he has the Montgomery GI Bill, it never had a dependent transfer option to it and two if he is not still serving, then he can’t make a Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer request.
But the requirements go deeper than that, so if the answer to the two above conditions – still serving and eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill – are yes, then we have to look at how long he has served and how long he has left on his enlistment contract. The first service requirement is he has to have served for at least six years. The second part is he has to have at least four years left on his current enlistment at the time he makes a transfer request.
So assuming he has made it past those two gates, then he can go to the TEB website and enter into your record how many months of his remaining unused benefits he wishes to give to you.
Assuming he has all 36 months left, he could split it 18 and 18, meaning both of you could go to school for two 9-month academic years. The VA doesn’t care if he uses all 36 months or if he uses 18 and gives you 18 – it all totals up the same.