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Military.com Forums Sound Off! Tom Philpott Benefits Column - Sound Off! DoD Defines New GI Bill Transfer Rules|
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SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS:
Here are some websites with contact info for congress: http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ Here is the letter I'm sending to everyone of them. Feel free to copy or use to get started on your own letter but please let your voice be heard. Dear Senator, I’m sure you must be unaware that the Department of Defense is reshaping the Post 911 GI Bill to EXCLUDE thousands of Retired Military Service Members from the option to transfer their education benefits to their spouse and or children. We Veterans have served our country faithfully for over 20 years. My service goes back to the fall of the Berlin Wall, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. To add insult to injury I was on the Hospital Ship COMFORT when we pulled into New York City to render aid to 9/11 victims. I was at Ground Zero with the relief workers. Our families have moved every three years to follow our careers. Now we have an opportunity to do something for them. Provide an opportunity we didn’t have, but once again the Department of Defense is steeling that opportunity. The Department of Defense is defying Congress and the President that signed the bill. You want to stimulate the economy, you want to encourage College education? Then hold DOD’s feet to the fire and let us transfer our benefits to our family. Benefits we have earned and our now being denied. Thank you for your service! MMC(SW) USN Retired Nov 1986 – Sept 2007 Excerpts from: http://www.military.com/money-for-school/gi-bill/new-gi-bill-overview Eligibility for the New GI Bill If you have served a total of at least 90 consecutive days on active duty in the Armed Forces since Sept. 11, 2001, you’re eligible. However, the amount of benefits you receive under this program are determined by the actual amount of accumulated post 9/11 service you have. Eligibility Details From VA: At a minimum, you must have served at least 30 days of continuous active duty service after September 10, 2001 and be discharged due to a service-connected disability, or served an aggregate of 90 days of active duty service after September 10, 2001, and: • Be honorably discharged from Armed Forces; or • Be released from Armed Forces with service characterized as honorable and placed on the retired list, temporary disability retired list, or transferred to the Fleet Reserve or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; or • Be released from the Armed Forces with service characterized as honorable for further service in a reserve component; or • Be discharged or released from Armed Forces for: o EPTS (Existed Prior to Service) o HDSP (Hardship) or o CIWD (Condition Interfered with Duty); or o Continue to be on active duty. Benefit Transferability Transferring Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits: The Department of Defense (DoD) is authorized to allow individuals who, on or after August 1, 2009, have served at least 6 years in the Armed Forces and who agree to serve at least another 4 years in the Armed Forces to transfer unused entitlement to their dependents (spouse, children). The Department of Defense may, by regulation, impose additional eligibility requirements and limit the number of months transferable to not less than 18 months. Transfer of Unused Education Benefits Under MGIB (Chapter 30), 1606, or 1607 to Family Members. The Department of Defense is authorized to allow individuals who have served at least 6 years in the Armed Forces and who agree to serve at least another 4 years in the Armed Forces to transfer unused entitlement to their dependents (spouse, children) under chapters 30, 1606, and 1607. The Department of Defense may, by regulation, impose additional eligibility requirements and limit the number of months transferable to not less than 18 months |
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Bearski
Agree that more push needs to be on those of us that are retirees today. The transfer-ability of this program is vital, it is just as important as the other benefits provided by retirees. Please keep the pressure on, maybe have our Congress person's work the halls of DoD for them to understand that we are just in need for such a benefit as others soon to retire. We need the more support and understand. |
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Thanks--I've generated a similar letter to both Senator's and my Congressman. Let's strive for more pressure on these folks.
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This is a bit dated as I sent this off months ago...WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND TELL THEM HOW WE RETIREES NEED THIS TO SEND OUR KIDS TO COLLEGE ALSO!!!!!!! I retired in 2007 and have 28 1/2 months of benefit remaining that my 17 yr old high school senior could use!!!!
Folks... Please forward on to anyone who you think may benefit! I've started a letter writing/email campaign to both the U.S. Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs hoping to influence the decision to exclude military retirees from the ability to transfer "Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (new GI Bill)" benefits to their spouses and children. Under the new act, only active duty military members who served at least 36 months after 9/11 and agree to meet other time-in-service requirements (agree to serve at least 10 years) are permitted to transfer their benefits to dependent spouses and children. It's being used as a "retention" tool. This is totally inequitable to those of us who have served over 20 years, have retired with honorable service records and still have the GI Bill benefits remaining. The following is an excerpt from the www.gibill2008.org website: Military Spouse/Dependents Chapter 33 (the new, post-9/11 GI Bill) allows the Secretary of Defense to provide currently serving troops the opportunity to transfer education benefits to a spouse or to one or more of the individual's children. The Secretary of Defense has yet to issue regulations on how this program will be implemented, but the language of the legislation outlines some general guidelines. Spouse/Dependent- In order to give education benefits to a spouse, the service member must serve or commit to serve for at least ten years. Transferability is available once a service member has served six years and has reenlisted for at least four more. Spouses will have 15 years to use the benefits. Children - In order to give education benefits to a dependent, the service member must have served for at least ten years. Children will have until age 26 to use their benefits. It has since been decided that it only applies to active duty personnel and not retirees. Note the following excerpt from the Stars and Stripes 5 July Pacific Edition: Transferability – This feature will allow longer-serving members to transfer unused education benefits to spouses or children. It was added during final deliberations with the White House as a retention tool. It will not be offered to anyone already retired or separated. It will only be offered to members on active duty or in drill status on or after Aug. 1, 2009. So that also is the earliest date any Post-9/11 benefits can be transferred to a family member. “That’s a key distinction,” Wilson said, “because a lot of folks out there believe that, as of today, they can transfer their GI Bill benefits to dependents. That is not the case.” The new law says transferability can be offered to members with at least six years of service who agree to serve at least four more years. But it also gives the secretary of defense authority to change those requirements or even to elect not to offer transferability if it proves to be an ineffective for keeping retaining quality service members. “The key here is that the Department of Defense determines eligibility…My understanding from DoD is that they do want to widely offer this to anybody who will qualify,” Wilson said. I've included a generic letter to both the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs in the attachments. Letters to the House Committee can be faxed in to (202) 225-2034 or mailed to: House Committee on Veterans' Affairs 335 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2034 Letters to the Senate Committee can be sent via email from their website located at http://veterans.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?pageid=1 or mailed to: U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Democratic Staff, 412 Russell Senate Bldg, Washington D.C. 20510 or U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Republican Staff, 825A Hart Senate Bldg, Washington D.C. 20510. |
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We all need to get involved to try to get this changed. I served almost 26 years and retired in July 2007. I have two Master of Science degrees and am done with school. My son will be a college freshman this fall to pursue a degree related to Homeland Security, and I can't use it to help send him through school. We spend tax dollars on stupid stuff like golden parachutes for greedy CEOs, yet I can't use my earned benefit to help out my son. Our priorities are skewed!!!
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The answer is. . . . Yes . . . children get the housing and book/supplies stipend benefits even tho the veteran is on active duty.
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Can I (or my wife) use this to get a masters?
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So those of us that served and are eligible for the full post 9/11 GI Bill, served over 10 years and were honorably discharged against our will. We are not eligible to transfer the GI Bill to our families. Thats total BS. We are convieniently left out, so much for the VA taking care of veterans. If I had known I would have been treated this way I would have just gotten out after my first enlistment and collected my benefits. I regret any further service I provided to this ungrateful nation.
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Hello Mr. Philpott,
To date, you have been the BEST source of information on the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. I'm hoping you can help me (and your other readers) with some details on just how us Active Duty guys can transfer some of our educational benefits to our children. I had submitted some question through the VA’s G.I. Bill web page, but was not at all satisfied with the quality of the answers I received. I am an Active Duty Army Warrant Officer. I have 23 ½ years in the Army, and plan to stay in the Army at least 2 ½ more years until October 2011. I have two teenage daughters, one 18-years-old, and the other aged 14. My 18-year-old wants to start college this Fall, in August or September of 2009. I know I can apply for education benefits under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill now, but that I won’t receive any of these benefits until August 1st, 2009 at the earliest. I also know that under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, I can transfer my education benefits to my daughters. I want to apply for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill now, while I’m still on Active Duty, and transfer 50% of my educational benefits to my 18-year-old daughter now, so she can use the money to start college this fall. Four years from now, I want to transfer the remaining 50% of my educational benefits to my younger daughter. Here are the questions that the VA seems to be unable to answer through their web page's Q&A feature: What do I need to do to apply for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill so that I can transfer 50% of my educational benefits to my older daughter? What form or forms do I need to fill out? What for or forms does my daughter need to fill out (or, what forms do I need to fill out FOR my oldest daughter)? When completing any of these forms, how do I make sure I’m only transferring 50% of my benefits to my older daughter? Since I am still on Active Duty, I do not have a DD Form 214 yet. Please keep in mind that I’m an officer, so I do not have reenlistment paperwork. What documents do I need to provide the VA to show that I’ve been in the Army for 23 ½ years, and that I’m still on Active Duty? It is already June 9th. I feel like I’m in a race-against-time to take care of this so that I can transfer some of my educational benefits to my daughter. To complicate matters, I am currently deployed to Afghanistan, and won’t be home until October … 1-2 months AFTER my oldest daughter will be starting college. I would appreciate any help you can offer! Thank you, "Chief" Bagram AB, Afghanistan |
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Moderator, Veteran's Education MSG, USA (Ret),School Certifying Official  |
Hi Chief; Department of Defense will set up a web portal for Active Duty service members to use to transfer benefits to spouse/children. It's not up yet, Suppossed to be this month. Just keep checking with your units Career Counselor. They will get the initial word on when it's set up. You won't need to submit a DD 214 because the web portal will verify through your SSN that you are currently on active duty and then pass the transferability information electronicly to Dept of VA All opinions I express on this web site are as a private individual. I am not representing my employer in any shape, means, form, manner or in any official capacity. |
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Moderator, Veteran's Education MSG, USA (Ret),School Certifying Official |
Dude, it's congressional law - don't blame VA - they are just following the law - write your congress peoples - they made this law. All opinions I express on this web site are as a private individual. I am not representing my employer in any shape, means, form, manner or in any official capacity. |
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Moderator, Veteran's Education MSG, USA (Ret),School Certifying Official |
Are you or your wife on Active Duty? The Post 9/11 GI Bill may be used at any IHL to obtain an Associates or higher degree. All opinions I express on this web site are as a private individual. I am not representing my employer in any shape, means, form, manner or in any official capacity. |
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Military.com Forums Sound Off! Tom Philpott Benefits Column - Sound Off! DoD Defines New GI Bill Transfer Rules
