Post-9/11 GI Bill Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB) Program
May 26, 2010
The new Post-9/11 GI Bill allows eligible active duty members and veterans to transfer their benefits to a spouse or dependent children’s first-of-its-kind that has been hailed as a major quality of life enhancer for the military and veteran family.
Known as Transfer of Entitlement, this process allows a veteran to transfer their educational benefits onto their spouse or children. Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, eligible participants depending upon amount of service receive as much as the highest tuition and required fees that residents pay to attend a college or university in the state where those residents live, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Those who served active duty for at least 36 months receive the highest in-state public rate and can supplement that when accepted at Yellow Ribbon institutions that charge more and work with Veterans Affairs to pay the difference, Veterans Affairs notes. Some active duty service members, officers, enlisted personnel and Selected Reserves can share these benefits, including the Yellow Ribbon option, through the Transfer of Entitlement.
The transfer program is open to those who provided at least six years of service on or after Aug. 1, 2009 and agree to put in another four years; those who have served 10 years by Aug. 1, 2009 and cannot, by law or regulation, commit to four more years but can provide additional service; and those eligible, but not approved, for retirement after Aug. 1, 2009 and by July 31, 2012 who provide one to three additional years of service, Department of Defense information shows. If you were eligible for retirement as of Aug. 1, 2009 or approved for retirement after Aug. 1, 2009 and before July 1, 2010, you can make use of the program without any additional commitment, according to Department of Defense information.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill allows for as many as 36 months of benefits that translate to four, nine-month academic years, the agency reports. And eligible servicemen and women can transfer whatever they don’t use or plan to use after active service to a dependent spouse or child, an American Forces Press Service announcement suggests. Service members can also divide unused benefits among themselves and several dependents, according to the American Forces Press Service. While spouses don’t qualify for monthly housing, books and supplies allowances, they can apply tuition and fees immediately and for up to 15 years after you last separate from active duty, Veterans Affairs notes.
Sons and daughters, on the other hand, receive monthly housing, books and supplies allowances as well as tuition and fees. But they can’t make use of any Post-9/11 education benefits until they are ages 18 to 26 with high school diplomas or equivalency certificates and you have fulfilled at least 10 years of Armed Forces service, according to Veterans Affairs. To receive the transferred benefits, any and all dependents must be enrolled in what’s known as a Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System that determines whether or not they qualify, the Department of Defense notes.
Applying for the TEB is easy and simple requires that you visit the DoD Transferability Application website to determine if your dependents are eligible. Upon approval, family members may apply to use transferred benefits with VA by completing VA Form 22-1990e. An Electronic Version of VA Form 22-1990e and a downloadable Paper Version of VA Form 22-1990e are available online.