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Final GI Bill family transfer rules unveiled

Service members can register to transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to family members beginning June 29, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

The program represents both the most significant expansion of education benefits since they were first offered after World War II and, for service members with families, the most significant retention bonus offered since the start of the all-volunteer force. Most users will earn benefits payments spread over 36 months that will total between $75,000 and $90,000, the Pentagon estimates.

On June 29, a special Pentagon Web site will go live, allowing service members to securely apply to allow their immediate family members to share in their education benefits beginning Aug. 1, according to Bob Clark, the Defense Department’s assistant accession policy director and the top official working on the new benefits plan.

Service members who plan to use at least part of their benefit in the near future should first register through the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Web site, Clark said. But those who do not plan to use their benefits anytime soon, or not at all, do not have to register with VA to apply for the family member benefit; they can simply register through the Pentagon site that will become active June 29.

Service members have up to 15 years from the time they leave the service to apply through VA for a Certificate of Eligibility, Clark said.

Clark emphasized that service members must be on active duty or in the Selected Reserve on Aug. 1 to be eligible for family transfer rights. “Those who have retired, even if their last day on active duty was July 31st or anytime before that, or have separated or are in the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve) are not eligible for the transferability,” he said.

He noted that transferability was established “for the specific purpose of recruitment and retention of a career force.”

“Transferability of GI Bill benefits is the most requested initiative we receive from our service members, and we believe it will assist us in retaining highly qualified military personnel,” said Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel.

Service members will apply beginning June 29 through the Transferability of Educational Benefits (TEB) website, which will be located at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/TEB/. Service members will be able to securely access this site with their Common Access Card, a Defense Department Self Service User ID or a Defense Finance and Accounting Service PIN number, the Pentagon said.

Clark asked that service members whose family members do not plan to take classes this fall to delay their registration by a couple of weeks — until at least July 15 — to allow those who do plan to do so to get through the registration process.

The effective date will be Aug. 1 for all applicants, regardless of their application date, he said, and the services will have their hands full as they must each verify the information and, in many cases, process re-enlistments and service extensions.

“We want the services to be able to prioritize their applications,” Clark said.

Once that is done, the services will pass the application to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Clark said. “At that point … the family member will be treated by VA just as if they were a service member or veteran,” he said.

Clark denied that a request for delayed applications is related to a fear of crashing computer servers; the Web site is being administered by the Defense Manpower Data Center, whose servers have “substantial” capability, he said.

No changes have been made to the final rules previously announced; their implementation was delayed over a procedural matter that has been resolved, Clark said.

The final rules, according to the Pentagon, allow transferability of a portion or all of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for any member of the armed forces (active duty or Selected Reserve, officer or enlisted) on or after August 1, 2009, who is eligible for the benefit, and:

* Has at least six years of service in the armed forces on the date of election and agrees to serve four additional years in the armed forces from the date of election.

* Has at least 10 years of service in the armed forces (active duty and/or Selected Reserve) on the date of election, is precluded by either standard policy or statute from committing to four additional years, and agrees to serve for the maximum amount of time allowed by such policy or statute, or is or becomes retirement-eligible during the period from Aug. 1, 2009, through Aug. 1, 2013.

For those eligible for retirement on Aug. 1, 2009, no additional service is required.

For those who have an approved retirement date after Aug. 1, 2009, and before July 1, 2010, no additional service is required.

For those eligible for retirement after Aug. 1, 2009, and before Aug. 1, 2010, one year of additional service after approval of transfer is required.

For those eligible for retirement on or after Aug. 1, 2010, and before Aug. 1, 2011, two years of additional service after approval of transfer are required.

For those eligible for retirement on or after Aug. 1, 2011, and before Aug. 1, 2012, three years of additional service after approval of transfer required.

An individual approved to transfer an entitlement to educational assistance under this section may transfer the individual’s entitlement to the individual’s spouse, one or more of the individual’s children, or any combination of spouse and child.

A family member must be enrolled in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) and be eligible for benefits at the time of transfer to receive transferred education benefits.

A child’s subsequent marriage will not affect his or her eligibility to receive the education benefit. However, after an individual has designated a child as a transferee under this section, the individual retains the right to revoke or modify the transfer at any time.

A subsequent divorce also will not affect the transferee’s eligibility to receive education benefits, but again, after an individual has designated a spouse as a transferee under this section, the eligible individual retains the right to revoke or modify the transfer at any time.

An eligible service member may transfer up to the total months of unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, or the entire 36 months if the member has used none.

Spouses may start to use the benefit immediately, either while the member remains in the armed forces or for up to 15 years from the service member’s separation from active duty.

Spouses are not eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s monthly book or living stipends while the member is serving on active duty.

Children may start to use the benefit only after the individual making the transfer has completed at least 10 years of service, either while the eligible individual remains in the military or after separation from active duty.

Children may not use the benefit until they have attained a secondary school diploma (or equivalency certificate), or reached 18 years of age. They are entitled to the monthly book and living stipends even if the eligible individual is on active duty.

Children may not use the benefit after reaching 26 years of age.

The full Pentagon policy is online.