GI Bill Transferability

For the first time in history, servicemembers enrolled in the Post-9/11
GI Bill program will be able to transfer unused educational benefits to their spouses or children starting Aug. 1, 2009.

New Department of Defense guidance, issued June 23, 2009, establishes the criteria for eligibility and transfer of those education benefits.

The new GI Bill, signed into law June 20, 2008, provides the most comprehensive educational benefit package since the original bill, officially known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was signed into law.

Transferability Process

Submitting a Request to Transfer Benefits

As of July 30th, the Defense Department has received almost 24,000 applications to transfer Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.

1. Using your CAC card or DFAS pin, log on to the DoD Transferability of Education Benefits (TEB) Web page located at http://milconnect.dmdc.mil

2. The family members eligible for benefits under DEERS will be shown. (If a dependent's name is grayed out or the edit button does not work, it means that the member is not eligible for DEERS benefits and thus is not eligible to receive transferred benefits.)

3. Click the edit button for each family member you want to transfer benefits to. Choose the start date and end date, and number of months of benefit. (Spouses can use for 15 years after the member separates/retires; children can use until their 26th birthday)

4. Once you've added your family members, check all the boxes to indicate you've read and understand each statement on the transfer request page.

5. After you have submitted your request to transfer benefits, in the upper left corner of the TEB site, you will see your name, status submitted, and the date of status will be blank.

6. To track the status of your request, you will have to return to the TEB page and monitor the status.

7. After a request is approved, the status of your request will change to 'approved' and the date of status (approval) will be the date you submitted your request. The TEB site will automatically transfer the data to the VA, so that they can process a family member's request for a certificate of eligibility.

8. Once your request is approved, your family member has to submit a request for a certificate of eligibility to the VA. They should use VA Form 22-1990e, and can do so via the VA Web site: http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

9. After receiving the certificate of eligibility from the VA, family members will provide the certificate to the school.

10. Tuition funds will be sent direct from the VA to the school. Children using transferred benefits will receive the monthly living stipend and the books and supplies stipend. Spouses using transferred benefits will only receive the monthly living stipend and the books and supplies stipend if they use the benefits after you separate from active duty.

GI Bill Links

For more information about the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the transferability process, visit the Department of Defense and Department of Veteran's Affairs sites linked below.

DoD Post 9/11 GI Bill Transferability Information

VA Post 9/11 GI Bill Transferability Information