Montgomery GI Bill

If you’re in the military and have decided you want to go back to school and further your education, you’re not alone. Many members of the military, both active members and veterans, decide to go back to school either after they’ve served in the U.S. Armed Forces or sometimes while they’re still actively serving. The U.S. military understands this and does all it can to help its labor force take the steps on their individual career paths by providing its past and present members with specialized training, real world experience, and financial assistance in the form of scholarships and grants.

One of the main tools used to offer financial assistance to past and present military service men and women is awarded in the form of the Montgomery G.I. Bill. The great thing about the Montgomery G.I. Bill is that military service men and women can receive it whether they are active members of the military or if they’re in the reserves. The benefits are almost the same in either situation. The Montgomery G.I. Bill offers each member of the military, whether active or in the reserves, up to 36 hours of educational benefits. These 36 hours can be used towards a college degree, vocational certificate, flight training, or on-the-job training.

There are two Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB) categories offered to military personnel and the main difference between them is who’s eligible for them. The MGIB-AD is offered to active duty members of the military while the MGIB-SR is offered to members of the following:

• Coast Guard Reserve
• Army National Guard Reserve
• Air National Guard
• Army Reserve
• Navy Reserve
• Air Force Reserve
• Marine Corps Reserve

Another difference between the two is that active members of the military have the option of adding a $600 Buy-Up Program whereas members of the reserved forces do not have this option.} {This means that active duty members of the military can add an additional $600 to their G.I. Bill benefits allowing them to increase their monthly benefit. Just by adding $600 to your G.I. Bill you can get a return of up to $5400 worth in additional MGIB benefits. {It may not seem like much, but adding the $600 to the G.I. Bill, can give the active duty member of the military up to a return of up to $5,400 in additional G.I. Bill benefits.

The goal of all of the G.I. Bill benefits, whether given to active duty members of the military or members of one of the reserve groups, is to help those in the military with the money they need to be able to go back to school.} The process is made fairly simple accept for the actual application process; difficult only because it takes a lot of time.

So, if you’re serving in the military, either in one of the afore mentioned reserve groups or as an active duty member, and you’ve decided to go back to school, make sure you find out exactly how much financial aid your service to your country has afforded you. You may just be surprised at how much money is available to members of the military returning to college or vocational school.

Military GI Montgomery Bill

The GI Montgomery Bill is a program which provides financial benefits for military professionals. This program is meant to help military personnel financially so that they can pursue an education which will help them to earn a certificate or degree allowing them to get a job once they go back to civilian life. The program asks the active soldiers to forfeit as less as $100 dollars per month for a period of 12 months. If a soldier wishes to use the benefits for educational purpose, they will receive $1321 on a monthly basis for a maximum period of 36 months. The soldiers can use this benefit for various online certificate or degree programs, on job training, flight training and even for correspondence courses. Part time veteran students usually receive less as compared to the full time veteran students. However, part time veteran students receive for a much longer period of time.

 

The GI Montgomery Bill benefits can also be used by a soldier when they are active. However, like most other financial benefits, soldiers prefer to use them after their service in military is over. The GI Montgomery Bill also has an option called as the Buy up option. This option allows the soldiers to contribute extra $600 to their GI Montgomery Bill. For every extra dollar that the service member will contribute, the federal government contributes as much as %8. This is one of the biggest benefits of the MGIB Buy up option. The soldiers who opt for this option receive $5,400 as additional funds. However, they only get this amount once they have left their military service.

 

The GI Montgomery Bill benefits can be used by the soldier up to a time period of ten years after they exit from military service. However, this period of time can be extended incase the soldier was held as a prisoner by a foreign power or government. You can use your GI Montgomery benefits to pursue a graduate or an undergraduate degree at a university or college, accredited independent study program or a cooperative training program.

 

The GI Montgomery Bill benefits are of great help to all the military officials. Life for military officials after retirement from the army can be very difficult. Most of the military officials leave their education mid-way as they prefer joining the army. However, they feel the need of a degree or certificate once they leave the military service as it becomes very difficult for them to get a job in order to survive in their civilian life. Most of the soldiers are not able to afford education after they have left the army. Through GI Montgomery Bill program these soldiers can pursue any course of their choice and make their future bright.

 

The MGIB program not only helps the soldiers financially but also secures the life of a soldier’s family members by helping them by giving an opportunity to earn a degree and thereby land in a suitable job after retirement. Recent changes have allowed additional funding to be used by spouses of active duty military servicemen and women. Check with your ESO officer today to learn more about what other benefits you and your family can take advantage of.