Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Offers Exceptional New Education Benefits

/PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this year the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill went into effect, changing and expanding the education benefits available to veterans who have served since September 10, 2001. As Veteran's Day approaches, U.S. News University Directory encourages those who qualify to take advantage of this program - none are more worthy of an opportunity to achieve the American dream.

Veterans who have an honorable discharge and at least 90 days of aggregate service since September 10, 2001 can qualify for:

-- Up to 100% of tuition and fee costs, depending on length of service
-- A monthly housing allowance*
-- A books and supplies stipend*
-- College fund (or "kicker" payment), depending on rate of pursuit
-- Rural benefit payment, depending on residence

Furthermore, tuition and fee payments are made by the government directly to the veteran's college or university. This is generally considered a big improvement over the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which required the student to pay tuition up front and then receive reimbursement at a later date.

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill covers associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees, but all training programs must be offered by a degree-granting institution of higher learning. This means that some vocational, technical and preparatory programs do not qualify. However, other G.I. education benefits (such as the Montgomery G.I. Bill) do cover programs not offered by degree-granting institutions, and veterans who are eligible for these and the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and can make a choice of which to receive. It is important to note that once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.

The Yellow Ribbon Program

Government tuition and fee payment in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is capped at the rate charged by the most expensive undergraduate public institution in the veteran's state of residence. This means that post-9/11 veterans attending graduate school, an out-of-state school or a private college will probably not have all of their tuition covered by their benefits.

The Yellow Ribbon Program - officially known as the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program - is a provision of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill that allows degree-granting colleges and universities to help veterans pay tuition costs exceeding the usual cap. Under this arrangement, educational institutions can volunteer to pay up to 50% of the additional tuition and fees, and the Department of Veterans Affairs will match them dollar-for-dollar. So attending a private or out-of-state school that participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program means up to 100% of the tuition can be covered, even though that tuition is greater than the cap set by the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

Not all veterans are eligible. Only those who are entitled to the maximum G.I. Bill benefit rate qualify, which means that:

-- They must have served an aggregate period of active duty after
September 10th, 2001 of at least 36 months

-- Or they must have been honorably discharged from active duty for a
service-connected disability and have served 30 continuous days after
September 10th, 2001

Dependents of a veteran can be eligible for a Transfer of Entitlement if the veteran's service meets the criteria listed above.

Of course, not all colleges and universities participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. When deciding on where they want to apply, eligible veterans should research both the U.S. News University Directory sponsor schools that are taking part as well as the complete list of participating institutions.

*Active duty military personnel are not eligible for the monthly housing allowance or books and supplies stipend.

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New G.I. Bill Benefits Expected to Attract More Veterans to Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University expects to see more military veterans enroll as students this fall thanks to benefits from the new G.I. Bill that goes into effect on August 1.

“In terms of education benefits, this is the best G.I. Bill ever offered,” said Lt. Col. George Fredrick, ROTC director and professor of military science at Georgia Southern.

The new G.I. Bill, also known as the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, goes well beyond helping to pay for tuition. Veterans who have served at least three years of active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, will get full tuition and fees, a new monthly housing stipend, a $1,000 a year stipend for books and supplies, and the option to transfer benefits to a spouse or dependent child. Active duty veterans serving more than 90 days, but less than three years of post-9/11 active duty service, are eligible for a percentage (40-90 percent) of those benefits.

“The No. 1 aspect about the new G.I. Bill is that it will pay the veteran's or dependant's tuition up-front to the institution of choice. That has been a really big issue in the past,” said Sharonica Daniels, Georgia Southern University’s veterans coordinator.

Georgia Southern University’s Offices of Admissions, Registrar and Dean of Students will work together to meet the veterans’ needs. “As a member of SOC (Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges), Georgia Southern provides veterans with the appropriate evaluation of their training, experience, prior study, admissions practices, transfer of credit, and recognition of other forms of learning, including military experience as well as other services the same manner as if they were regular students,” Daniels said.

Veterans who are interested in attending Georgia Southern University this fall and have not already applied are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Veterans who don’t apply in a timely enough manner may have to pay tuition themselves and then be reimbursed.

“Since the new G.I. Bill was signed (by President Bush in June 2008), I have been getting feedback from veterans who plan on taking advantage of it,” Daniels said. “It will be interesting to see the final number of enrollees using the new G.I. Bill come August 17 (the first day of fall classes).”

For more information about the new G.I. Bill, contact Daniels at 912-478-5154 or sdaniels@georgiasouthern.edu. Also, the University System of Georgia devotes a section of its web site to information for veterans: http://www.usg.edu/veterans.phtml.

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