U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The Post-9/11 GI Bill
Chapter 33
(Chapter 33 of title 38 U.S.C.)
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Administrative Issues
• Information contained in this briefing was
compiled from information provided by the
Dept. of Veterans Affairs and 38 CFR Part
21 Subpart P and is subject to change.
•For specific rules and regulations, please
refer to: Federal Register/Vol. 74, No. 60/
March 31, 2009, 38 CFR Part 21, Post 9/11
GI Bill; Final Rule.
• Up-to-date information can be found at
www.gibill.va.gov
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Objectives
This presentation will provide:
• An overview of the Post-9/11 GI Bill
benefit
• An understanding of how this program
differs from and impacts other Education
benefits
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post-9/11 GI Bill Eligibility
Criteria
Individuals who served on active duty after
09/10/01 may be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill
if:
The individual served an aggregate period of
at least 90 days.
Note: Exceptions are made for individuals discharged due to a service
connected disability and serving at least 30 continuous days on active duty
after 9/10/01.
Note: Individuals did not have to make contributions towards Chapter 30 or
VEAP to become Chapter 33 eligible.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Eligibility Criteria
Qualifying active duty does not include:
• Title 32 AGR; or
• Service Academy Contract Period; or
• ROTC contract period under 10 U.S.C.
2107(b); or
• Service terminated due to an erroneous or
defective enlistment; or
• Service used for loan repayment; or
• Selected Reserve Service used to establish
eligibility under 30, 1606, or 1607.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Eligibility Criteria
(continued)
In order to retain eligibility after meeting the
service requirements, an individual must:
• Continue on active duty; or
• Be honorably discharged from Armed
Forces; or
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Eligibility Criteria
(continued)
• Be honorably discharged and placed on
retired list, temporary disability retired
list, or transferred to Fleet Reserve or
Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; or
• Be honorably discharged for further
service in a reserve component; or
• Be discharged or released for EPTS,
HDSP, or CIWD.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Active Duty Service Requirements
After 9/10/01 an individual must serve:
% of Maximum
Benefit Payable
At least 36 months
100
At least 30 continuous days on active duty and
discharged due to service-connected disability
100
At least 30 months but less than 36 months
90
At least 24 months but less than 30 months
80
At least 18 months but less than 24 months
70
At least 12 months but less than 18 months
60
At least 6 months but less than 12 months
50
At least 90 days but less than 6 months
40
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reservist/Guard Service Requirements
After 9/10/01 an individual must serve:
% of Maximum
Benefit Payable
At least 36 cumulative months
100
At least 30 continuous days on active duty and
discharged due to service-connected disability
100
At least 30 cumulative months
90
At least 24 cumulative months
80
At least 18 cumulative months
70
At least 12 cumulative months
60
At least 6 cumulative months
50
At least 90 cumulative days
40
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post-9/11 GI Bill Elections
• An individual who has met the requirements to
establish eligibility under chapter 33 and, as of
August 1, 2009, is:
– Eligible for either chapter 30, 1606, or 1607; or
– A member of the Armed Forces and making the basic $1200
contribution toward chapter 30; or
– A member of the Armed Forces who previously declined to
elect chapter 30;
• Must make an irrevocable election to use benefits
under chapter 33.
• Students should carefully consider all aspects
of their educational objectives prior to making
an election.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post -9/11 GI Bill
Period of Eligibility
In general, individuals will remain eligible for
benefits for 15 years from:
• Date of last discharge; or
• Release from active duty of at least 90
continuous days; or
• Date of discharge for the last period of
service used to meet the minimum service
requirements for eligibility.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post-9/11 GI Bill Entitlement
• Individuals will generally receive 36 months of
benefits.
• Individuals are limited to 48 months of
combined benefits under educational assistance
programs administered by VA.
NOTE: Individuals transferring to the Post-9/11 GI Bill
from the Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30) will be limited
to the amount of remaining Chapter 30 entitlement.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Transfer of Entitlement
(Department of Defense Benefit)
• On or after August 1, 2009, DoD may allow an
individual to elect to transfer entitlement to one or
more dependents if he/she—
– Has served at least 6 years in the Armed Forces;
and
– Agrees to serve at least an additional 4 years
• DoD determines eligibility for transferability and may,
by regulation, impose additional eligibility
requirements
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Transfer of Entitlement
(Continued)
• All 36 months may be transferred, however DoD
may limit the number of months transferable to no
less than 18 months
• Dependents able to receive benefits include a
spouse and natural, adopted, or step-children
• Transferees can use entitlement in the same
manner as the veteran
• Changes to transferred entitlement can be made at
any time by written notification to DoD and VA
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Transfer of Entitlement
Spouses
• Spouses can begin to use entitlement at any time
following completion of Transferability Paperwork
• Period of eligibility is the same as the veteran; 15
years from latest release from active duty
• Transferred MGIB entitlement cannot be treated
as marital property subject to division in divorce or
other civil proceeding
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Transfer of Entitlement
Children
• Service member must have completed at least ten
years of active duty before a child can use
transferred entitlement and
• Child must have completed high school (or the
equivalent) or reached 18 years of age
• MGIB entitlement transferred to a child is not
subject to the veteran’s 15 year delimiting date, but
may not be used after reaching age 26
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Approved Programs
• All programs of education approved and offered
at an Institution of Higher Learning.
• An Institution of Higher Learning is defined as a
college, university, or similar institution, including
a technical or business school, offering
postsecondary level academic instruction that
leads to an associate degree or higher and under
authority of State law is empowered to grant an
associate or higher degree.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Approved Programs
(continued)
• Eligible individuals may pursue NCD programs of
education offered at an Institutions of Higher
Learning under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• Individuals who were previously eligible for
chapter 30, 1606, or 1607 may continue to
receive benefits for approved programs not
offered by IHLs (i.e. NCD, APP/OJT, flight,
correspondence, preparatory courses, and
national tests)
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Enrollment Certification
• The IHL must certify the eligible individual’s
enrollment before they may receive educational
assistance.
• Enrollment certifications will be accomplished on VA
Form 22-1999 or in VA-ONCE.
• An update to VA-ONCE is forthcoming.
• Schools will be required to report accurate beginning
and ending dates, number of credit or clock hours,
and actual tuition and fees charged.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Enrollment Certification
(cont.)
• IHLs organized on a year-round basis will report on the
same basis as term-based institutions unless they do not
offer courses on a term, quarter, or semester basis, in
which case they will report enrollment for the length of
the course.
• IHLs must report reductions in enrollment to VA to include
the last day of attendance for the course(s) dropped or
withdrawn from, the number of remaining courses as well
as the charges for the courses for which still enrolled.
• IHLs must also report increases in enrollment in a timely
manner as well.
• Accurate and timely reporting is essential!
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post-9/11 GI Bill
Benefit Payments
• Tuition and Fees Charged www.gibill.va.gov
• Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
• Stipend for Books and Supplies
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Course Measurement
• Measurement of training time obtained for
credit hour programs and conversion of clock
hour programs to credit hours is found in
§21.9750.
• 14 credit hours are full-time, unless the
institution of higher learning certifies that all
undergraduate students enrolled for 13 credit
hours, or for 12 credit hours, are charged fulltime tuition or considered full-time for other
administrative purposes.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Rate of Pursuit
• The measure of training time obtained by dividing the
number of credit hours (or clock hour equivalent) an
individual is enrolled in by the number of credit hours
(or clock hour equivalent) considered to be full-time
at the institution of higher learning. The resulting
percentage (rounded to the nearest hundredth) will
be the individual’s rate of pursuit.
• VA will consider any rate of pursuit greater than 50
percent to be more than one-half time training.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Definition of ‘Charges’
for chapter 33
• Established charges –
The actual charge for tuition and
fees that similarly circumstanced nonveterans enrolled in the program of
education are required to pay.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Definition of ‘Fees’
for chapter 33
• Fees are defined as mandatory charges
(other than tuition, room, and board) that
are applied by the IHL for pursuit of an
approved program of education, to include
such fees as:
• Health premiums
• Freshman fees
• Graduation fees
• Lab fees
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post-9/11 GI Bill
Tuition & Fees Charged
• Individuals not on active duty are eligible for the
applicable percentage (based on aggregate active duty
service) of the lesser of:
 Tuition and fees charged; or
 Highest amount of tuition and fees charged for full-time,
undergraduate training at a public IHL in the State the
student is attending. (Determined by the State
Approving Agency)
Note: Tuition & Fees payments are made directly to the school,
by electronic fund transfer for each individual student.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Tuition & Fees Charged
(continued)
• Individuals on active duty are eligible for the
applicable percentage (based on aggregate active
duty service) of the lesser of—
Tuition and fees charged; or
Tuition and fees charges minus any military tuition assistance
(TA) received.
Note: Tuition & Fees payments are made directly to the school,
by electronic fund transfer for each individual student.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Tuition & Fees Charged
(continued)
• VA will pay based on the amount the student is
charged, not the amount the student has remaining
after State and other programs have contributed
funds.
• Schools should certify the total amount of tuition and
the total amount of fees that a student is charged.
• The amount reported to the VA should not be
reduced for pending or subsequent payments to be
credited to the student’s account from State
programs, scholarships, grants, or any title IV funds
(including Pell Grants).
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Tuition & Fees Charged
(continued)
• If the State reimburses the institution and/or veteran
for tuition and fees after the individual has been
billed, then the institution should report to the VA the
original amount charged to the student.
• The amount of tuition and fees submitted to VA in
these instances should not be reduced based on any
additional funds received that will reduce the
student’s out-of-pocket expenses.
• *Does not include study abroad course(s) unless the
course(s) is mandatory for completion of the
approved program of education.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Tuition & Fees Charged
(continued)
• Tuition and fee payments will be issued to the school
on behalf of each eligible student via Electronic
Funds Transfer (EFT). (Email ch33schools@va.gov
for information on setting up or changing EFT.)
• If EFT information is unavailable, payments will be
sent to the mailing address of the school on file in
the Web-Enabled Approval Management System
(WEAMS).
• Payments will include student identification
information and the semester, quarter or term the
payment is covering.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Monthly Housing Allowance
Equivalent to Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an
E-5 with dependents
• Amount determined by zip code of the IHL where the
student is enrolled
http://perdiem.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html
• Prorated based on the percentage of the maximum
benefit payable
• Active duty members and anyone training at 50 % or
less, and those pursuing exclusively distance learning are
not eligible for the monthly housing allowance.
Note: Benefit payments are paid monthly, directly to the student. Due to system limitations,
students will be unable to verify enrollment monthly, however they remain responsible
for notifying the VA and certifying officials of changes in enrollment.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Books & Supplies Stipend
• Maximum payment of $1,000 per year
– $41.67 per credit hour (at the 100% rate)
– Up to 24 credits in a single academic year
– Lump sum payment (each quarter, semester or
term attended)
• Prorated based on the percentage of the
maximum benefit payable.
• Active duty members are not eligible.
Note: Benefit payments are paid directly
to the student.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Other Benefits and Payments
• Interval payments – payment of the
Monthly Housing Allowance may be allowed
during intervals.
• Work-Study – individuals training at a rate
of pursuit of at least 75% may participate
in Work-Study.
• Tutorial Assistance – individuals training at
a rate of pursuit of at least 50% may be
eligible to receive Tutorial Assistance.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Refund of Chapter 30
Contributions
• A proportional amount of the basic $1200
contribution will be included in the last monthly
housing allowance payment when chapter 33
entitlement exhausts.
• Individual must be receiving MHA to receive a refund.
• Individuals who do not exhaust entitlement under
chapter 33 will not receive a refund of contributions
paid under chapter 30.
• Refund of the additional $600 “Buy-up” contribution
is not authorized.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Yellow Ribbon Program
• IHLs may voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to
allow the two parties to provide matching funds to cover a
portion of the established charges above the highest
public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.
• Only individuals entitled to the 100 percent benefit
rate (based on service requirements) may receive this
funding.
• VA will match each additional dollar that an institution
contributes toward an eligible student’s established
charges, up to the difference between the student’s VA
benefit and the total cost of established charges.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Yellow Ribbon Program
(Continued)
• VA will enter into an agreement with an eligible IHL
seeking to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program
based on a general agreement format developed by
VA in which the IHL must agree to provide
contributions to eligible individuals.
See Yellow Ribbon Program – Information for Schools
• A separate electronic payment will be issued for the
Yellow Ribbon amount to the school for the individual
student.
• Individuals receiving transferred benefits from a
service member may also be eligible for the Yellow
Ribbon Program.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Yellow Ribbon Program
(Continued)
• The most current list of colleges and universities
participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program will be
available at VA’s Web Site www.gibill.va.gov (link can
be found at “Education Benefits” and then “Yellow
Ribbon Program Information” .
• The list will include specific information on each
school’s agreement with VA.
• E-mail any questions to: yellow.ribbon@va.gov
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Yellow Ribbon Application
& Certification Process
• Participating institutions will offer Yellow Ribbon to
eligible students on a first-come, first served basis
IAW school policy.
• VA-ONCE modifications will allow schools to certify
students for Yellow Ribbon.
• VA will verify student’s eligibility for Yellow Ribbon
and process payments.
• VA will provide notification to student, including
decision regarding Yellow Ribbon.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post 9/11 Payment Process
Payment Type
Active
Duty
Pursuit at
more than
50%
Distance
Learning
Only
Pursuit at
50% or
less
Tuition & Fees
(Paid Each Term
to School)




‘MHA’
(Paid Monthly
to Student)
N/A

N/A
N/A
Books Stipend
(Paid Each Term
to Student)
N/A



Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Overpayment
• VA will determine the amount of an overpayment for
an individual in receipt of chapter 33 benefits as
follows:
– An individual who does not complete one or more
courses in the certified period of enrollment, and
does not substantiate ‘mitigating circumstances’
for not completing those courses, will be charged
an overpayment equal to the amount of ALL
educational assistance (T&F, MHA, and book
stipend) paid for such course(s) that were not
completed for that period of enrollment.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Overpayment
(Continued)
• For individuals who provide mitigating circumstances, VA
will prorate the amount of educational assistance to which
the student is entitled. (T&Fs and MHA will be prorated,
repayment of book stipend will be excused.)
• The veteran is responsible for outstanding overpayments
incurred as a result of course reduction or withdrawal.
• In the event a veteran does not complete a course,
schools should follow their established refund policy.
Bottom Line: Tuition and Fee payments are paid to the
school on behalf of the student, but all VA overpayments
for Tuition and Fees will be charged to the student.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Overpayment
(Continued)
• In the event a student does not complete a course,
the student may (or may not) receive a refund from
the school. If the student is due a refund in
accordance with school policy, the school will issue
the refund to the student, not to the VA.
Bottom Line: If an overpayment is charged, the
student will make repayment arrangements with VA’s
Debt Management Center (DMC) regardless of
whether or not a refund was received from the
school.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Overpayment
(Continued)
If an overpayment is charged, VA will notify the
student.
• Overpayment notifications will inform the student of
the overpayment amount and whom to contact to
establish a repayment schedule or request a waiver.
• VA overpayments are collected by Debt Management
Center (DMC) from numerous sources of federal
funds due the veteran.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Overpayment
(Continued)
• Generally, overpayments will not be collected from
the veteran during the due process period, which is
30 days from the day of notification of the debt.
Note: It is extremely important that schools adjust enrollment
certifications in a timely manner (less than 30 days from the
date of the adjustment).
Bottom Line: Students with existing overpayments on
their record may continue to attend school; however,
their future benefit payments (including Tuition and
Fees) may be applied to the overpayment until it is
repaid.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Overpayment
(Continued)
• Generally, an overpayment of educational assistance
paid to the IHL on behalf of an eligible individual
constitutes a liability of that individual, unless the
individual never attended the term, quarter, or
semester certified by the IHL.
• When an individual never attends a term, quarter, or
semester certified by the IHL, the institution must
return to the VA all education assistance received
under the provisions of Chapter 33 on behalf of the
individual.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Chapter 33 Implementation
Effective May 1, 2009
• VA began processing applications for Chapter 33
Certificates of Eligibility (COE).
• COE will be sent to the eligible individual and will
indicate Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable,
number of months of entitlement, ending period of
eligibility and indicate if school is Yellow Ribbon
eligible.
• VA will not send COE to school. Student will be
responsible for providing a copy of their COE to the
institution.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Chapter 33 Implementation
(Continued)
• VA plans on accepting Fall 2009 (and Summer 2009)
enrollment certifications beginning July 6, 2009.
• No chapter 33 payments can be released prior to
August 1, 2009.
• No payments under chapter 33 can be issued for
training pursued prior to August 1, 2009.
• At this time, Advance Payment will not be available
for chapter 33. (This may change in the future.)
• Payments for the Monthly Housing Allowance will be
made to each eligible student at the end of each
month that they are in attendance.
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
References
• Visit our website at: www.gibill.va.gov
– Sign up for FAQ updates!
• GI Bill Hotline: 1-888-GIBILL-1
(1-888-442-4551)
Post 9/11 GI Bill
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Post 9/11 GI Bill