If I Switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Can I Get the Additional 12 Months?
Q: I have been using the MGIB for about two years for part time school and now have 22months left on it. I plan to attend school full time this summer and would like to switch to the new GI Bill because I will no longer be working full time. I wanted to know if the 22months left on MGIB will be transferred over to the new bill or lost? I was active duty for 4 years after 2001 so I know I qualify. Also if I exhaust the 22months on MGIB and then switch to the new one, will I get the full 36 months of benefits under that bill?
A: The way switching to the Post 9/11 GI Bill works is if you switch with months of entitlement left, you get the same number of Post 9/11 GI Bill months as you had left under the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). If you exhaust your MGIB months first, and then switch, you get the additional 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.
In your case, when you switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you will get just the 22 months you have left and not the additional 12 months. Also note, if you switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, when you exhaust your months of benefits, you will get a prorated amount of your MGIB contribution back. With 22 months left you would get about $733 back. It would come as part of your last Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance.