Veterans Can Now Apply for Expanded Benefits Under 21st Century G.I. Bill
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is encouraging all Veterans eligible for expanded education benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, commonly known as the 21st Century G.I. Bill, to take a moment to review this opportunity and see if they are interested in applying for those benefits. If they decide they are interested, they can apply online through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ website now. The application period for expanded benefits officially began just last week on Friday, May 1.
Payments will be processed starting on August 1, 2009 for classes starting this fall and onward, and eligible Veterans can fill out the form online at http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-22-1990-ARE.pdf.
"As the daughter and granddaughter of soldiers, I believe that we owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the men and women who serve in our armed forces, and with this educational opportunity we are taking one step towards repaying the debt," said Rep. Kirkpatrick. "Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will now have a better opportunity to further their education and find greater success after they finish their military duty."
Any personnel on active duty since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, including reservists and members of the National Guard activated for more than 90 days, are eligible for benefits under the bill. It opens up a wide range of benefits to our fighting men and women, including:
- Allowing service members, including those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, to receive up to 36 months of education benefits
- Making it possible for Veterans to use cash stipends for books and housing and for their educational institutions to be directly paid for their tuition and program fees
- Granting Veterans up to 15 years after they leave active duty to use those benefits
- Enabling Veterans to use the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program, in which the federal government will match dollar-for-dollar any voluntary contributions to Veterans from institutions whose tuition is more expensive than the maximum educational assistance provided under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act
Any Veterans needing assistance receiving these or any other benefits are encouraged to contact Rep. Kirkpatrick’s district headquarters at (928) 445-3434.
For questions about eligibility and other details, please visit: http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.htm#CH33.
A full pamphlet on the program is available at http://www.gibill.va.gov/pamphlets/CH33/CH33_Pamphlet.pdf.
Additional questions can be directed to the VA by calling 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (442-4551).
