VA extends education benefits for qualified multi-enlisted veterans by one year

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that more than one million veterans will now be eligible for four years of educational assistance as part of an expansion of GI Bill benefits. (Star-Spangled Banner)

WASHINGTON – More than 1 million veterans who have served multiple deployments are now eligible to receive an additional 12 months of educational assistance as part of their GI Bill benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Friday.

The VA’s expansion of benefits is the result of a 2024 Supreme Court decision that effectively removed a 36-month cap on educational benefits for veterans who had at least two qualifying periods of military service, the VA said.

According to the VA, veterans are now eligible for a total of 48 months or four years of tuition assistance.

To qualify, veterans must have at least two periods of service — one that qualified them for the Montgomery GI Bill and a second that qualified them for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VA said.

The VA is launching a campaign to make veterans aware of the expansion. Expiration dates for use of education benefits will be extended for eligible veterans who file claims by October 1, 2030.

“This policy will not only help veterans who apply for GI Bill benefits in the future – it will also allow VA to provide additional benefits to many veterans who have used GI Bill benefits in the past,” said Joshua Jacobs, the VA Under Secretary for Benefits.

The Supreme Court found in April 2024 that the VA wrongfully denied Army veteran Jim Rudisill certain college benefits for his military service before and after September 11, 2001. Rudisill had completed two separate call-ups.

The court ruled that military members who are eligible for the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills due to multiple enlistments can use the benefits in any order for up to 48 months or four years. However, the benefits cannot be used at the same time.

According to the Supreme Court, Rudisill’s case involved the rules for administering two GI Bills with overlapping benefit periods.

The Montgomery GI Bill Act of 1984 covers military service between 1985 and 2030. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 covers military service beginning on September 11, 2001.

Before the court ruling, veterans could not use either program for benefits. They had to give up one to gain access to the other.

“Rudisill earned two separate educational benefit entitlements, one under the Montgomery GI Bill and one under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, by serving in the military for nearly eight years in three separate periods,” the court wrote in its Decision .

Under the Montgomery GI Bill, veterans who served at least two years and were honorably discharged can receive up to $2,400 per month in education benefits. Support includes higher education, vocational training, technical courses and some certification exams.

Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, veterans and their dependents attending public universities receive full tuition and housing benefits after three years of service after September 2001.

The VA has created a dedicated webpage with information for veterans seeking educational assistance under the expansion. https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/rudisill.asp