Veterans: Here’s How to Score 90% of Your GI Bill Tuition and Housing Allowance

If you re a veteran or at this moment serving and thinking about heading back to school you ve presumably heard about the Post- GI Bill also called Chapter It s a great project that helps cover tuition housing books you name it But how much money you get depends on how long you served If you re wondering What do I need to qualify for of the full benefit let s break it down in simple terms What s the Post- GI Bill Anyway It s a benefit that helps you pay for college or vocational school if you served on operational duty after September The VA helps with tuition monthly housing allowance books and supplies and even moving costs if you re relocating to school How Long Do You Need to Have Served for Benefits To get of the benefit you need to have served between and months on evolving duty after that s about two and a half to just under three years Your time doesn t have to be one continuous stretch if you had breaks between deployments or multiple assignments the VA adds it all up How the Benefit Levels Work The VA breaks down the benefits based on your total time served after months or more benefits to months benefits to months benefits to months benefits to months benefits days to months benefits So if you served those to months you re getting the bulk of the benefit just a bit less than the full What Does Coverage Mean for You At the VA will cover of your tuition and fees at a residents school of the monthly housing allowance based on your school s location of the books and supplies stipend which is up to a year A prorated relocation allowance if you re moving from a rural area for school Who s Eligible To get any part of the Post- GI Bill you have to Serve at least days of developing duty after Have an honorable discharge Even if you re still on ongoing duty you can start using it but the housing allowance kicks in after you leave organization Are There Any Special Exceptions Yes two big ones If you got a Purple Heart on or after and were honorably discharged you get benefits no matter how long you served If you were discharged due to a service-related disability after at least days you also qualify for benefits So if you served between and months you re in a solid spot for of the Post- GI Bill benefits That s a huge help with college costs and living expenses If you want to check exactly how much you qualify for or get help applying the VA s website has tools and people ready to help Or your school s VA office is a great stock too