This website is not affiliated with the U.S. government or military.

Would I Really Have Had to Pay a Total of $5,400 for the GI Bill?


Q: Did I really have to pay a total of $5,400 for the GI Bill? Enlisted in Mar 85; separated Jul 90. Paid by allotment a total of $2,700 for VEAP. Used every cent by Dec 92 when I graduated college. Graduated OTS Jul 93. Was told in Oct 01 that I could buy into new GI Bill, but because VEAP account had $0 bal, I would have to pay $2,700 AGAIN. And I did. So now, I’ve paid total of $5,400 for the GI Bill. Retired Feb 08, so now can’t pass benefits to my kids. Besides converting to Post 9-11 Bill, do I have any recourse?

A: According to the VEAP/Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) rules, what you had to pay is correct. If you would not have used up your VEAP money, then you could have avoided making the second $2,700 payment when you converted to the MGIB. Unfortunately, you only ended up getting an additional 12 months of benefits for your second $2,700.

Under the Rule of 48, if you are eligible for two or more GI Bills, the maximum number of combined months of benefits that you can get are 48 months. I’m assuming you used up 36 months getting your degree in 1993.

But you do have 12 months of benefits that you can use either under the MGIB or Post 9/11 GI Bill. If you choose to use the MGIB, then you could get up to $1,564 per month to go to school and you have to pay all your own education expenses including tuition.

If you switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill with your 12 months of benefits intact, you would get some of your MGIB contribution back once you finished using your Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Under that GI Bill, the VA pays your tuition directly to your school and monthly you would get a housing allowance. Once per semester you would also get a book stipend, however, you would be limited to the $1,000 academic yearly cap.

So about the only recourse I see would be to use your remaining 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits and get some of your MGIB contribution back.


Privacy Policy | About Us | FAQ | Terms of Service | Disclaimers | Do Not Sell My Personal Information (CA and NV residents)

Copyright © 2023 EducationDynamics. All Rights Reserved.

This is a private website that is not affiliated with the U.S. government, U.S. Armed Forces or Department of Veteran Affairs. U.S. government agencies have not reviewed this information. This site is not connected with any government agency. If you would like to find more information about benefits offered by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, please visit the official U.S. government web site for veterans’ benefits at http://www.va.gov.

The sponsored schools featured on this site do not include all schools that accept GI Bill® funding or VA Benefits. To contact ArmyStudyGuide, email us.

Disclosure: EducationDynamics receives compensation for the featured schools on our websites (see “Sponsored Schools” or “Sponsored Listings” or “Sponsored Results”). So what does this mean for you? Compensation may impact where the Sponsored Schools appear on our websites, including whether they appear as a match through our education matching services tool, the order in which they appear in a listing, and/or their ranking. Our websites do not provide, nor are they intended to provide, a comprehensive list of all schools (a) in the United States (b) located in a specific geographic area or (c) that offer a particular program of study. By providing information or agreeing to be contacted by a Sponsored School, you are in no way obligated to apply to or enroll with the school.

This is an offer for educational opportunities that may lead to employment and not an offer for nor a guarantee of employment. Students should consult with a representative from the school they select to learn more about career opportunities in that field. Program outcomes vary according to each institution’s specific program curriculum. Financial aid may be available to those who qualify. The financial aid information on this site is for informational and research purposes only and is not an assurance of financial aid.

VFW $30,000 Scholarship!
Write an essay on the annual patriotic theme. This year’s theme is, “Why Is The Veteran Important?”

X