Is There a Regulation Preventing My Fiance and I from Both Getting the Post 9/11 GI Bill Housing Allowance?
Q: Me and the fiance are apart right now. She is stationed in the states as I’m stationed in Europe, though we are ETS’ing at about the same time. We plan to move to my home state and use the Post 9/11 GI Bill there at a house together. I was wondering, if BAH is $1,400 for us separately, could we both use it in a total of $2,800 a month combined for housing? Or is there some hidden regulation about that, as I haven’t been able to find any straight answers for it.
A: I can give you a straight answer. Because each of you have your own GI Bill, each of you are entitled to your own Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, including separate housing allowances.
I’m not sure it will be $1,400 each though, as it is determined by the zip code of your school and the number of credits you are taking. If you have checked the BAH Calculator for your school’s zip code and it showed an E-5 with dependents gets $1,400, then that would be the amount you would get if you are taking enough credits to be classified as a full-time student. If you are taking less credits, then divide the full-time monthly amount by the full-time credits and multiply by the number of credits you are taking.
You will also each get a book stipend once each semester calculated at $41.67 per credit (up to the $1,000 yearly cap). And of course the VA will pay both your tuitions directly to your public schools or pay up to $17,500 per year if you attend private schools.
The amount of your tuition paid by the VA could be different from your fianc├® though, if she is not a resident of your state. If not, the VA will pay up to the resident rate and she will have to pay the rest or possibly use the Yellow Ribbon Program if she qualifies for it and her school has a Yellow Ribbon agreement with the VA.
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