GI Bill® Benefits

View the Chapter 33 Handout

Eligibility

If the veteran's last date of discharge from active duty was prior to January 1st, 2013, you will remain eligible for Chapter 33 GI Bill benefits for 15 years from the date of discharge. If the veteran's last date of discharge from active duty was on or after January 1st, 2013 you fall under the Forever GI Bill and the benefits are yours to use forever until you exhaust the benefits.

You may use any one GI Bill benefit for up to 36 months of full time use and may be able to combine multiple GI Bill benefits for up to 48 months of use.

Applying for Benefits

If you have never used Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits before you will need to apply for the benefits.

1. Visit the VA's website
2. Select the Education & Training tab
3. Select the For Students tab
4. Select the Get Started tab
5. Select the Apply for Benefits link
6. Select the blue Apply for education benefits button
7. Answer the questions appropriately
8. Complete and submit the application (VA Form 22-1990)
   • In order to receive Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® you must relinquish another GI Bill®

The VA will mail you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) (VA Form 22-0557) in 2-4 weeks. Please keep this document. DMACC does not require a copy of this document but other schools may.

Receiving Payments

After you complete DMACC's online Notification Request Form the Veterans Services Office will submit your enrollment information to the VA. Typically the VA can take up to 2-4 weeks to process certifications and send out payments.

The percentage of benefit you are eligible for depends on time spent on active duty. Note: Multiple deployments may increase your eligibility.

There are three types of payments under Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill®.

1. Tuition payment - paid to school
2. Housing Allowance - paid to recipient for each completed month of school
3. Book stipend - paid to recipient

Each payment is paid out depending on the percentage of eligibility from the table above.

Example 1: Former active duty member who served over 3 years on active duty with an honorable discharge - Eligible at 100%.

1. Tuition - The VA will pay 100% of veteran's tuition cost (including fees).
2. Housing Allowance - The VA will pay the recipient 100% of the Basic Allowance for Housing of an E-5, with dependents, in the zip code of the school. To see the current rate please click here, select zip code 50023, and a rank of E-5 to see the “with dependents” rate.
3. Book Stipend - The VA will pay up to $1,000 per school year. Typically this is paid in two equal installments of $500 but could be more or less depending on the number of credit hours you are registered in.

Example 2: Actively drilling or former member of the National Guard or Reserves with one deployment over 12 months - Eligible at 60%

1. Tuition - The VA will pay 60% of veteran's tuition cost (including fees).
2. Housing Allowance - The VA will pay the recipient 60% of the Basic Allowance for Housing of an E-5, with dependents, in the zip code of the school. To see the current rate please click here, select zip code 50023, and a rank of E-5 to see the “with dependents” rate. Multiply this amount by 60% to calculate your Housing Allowance.
3. Book Stipend - The VA will pay up to $600 per school year. Typically this is paid in two equal installments of $300 but could be more or less depending on the number of credit hours you are registered in.

Note: In order to receive the full housing allowance and book stipend the recipient must be enrolled as a full time student (12 credit hours or more during Fall/Spring or 8 credit hours or more during Summer semester). The VA pro-rates the housing allowance and book stipend payments for recipients enrolled at less than full time.

In order to receive the housing allowance and book stipend payments at all a recipient must be enrolled over half time. At DMACC this means 7 credit hours or more during the Fall/Spring and 5 credit hours during Summer semester.

The VA prorates payments for partial months of school. As an example; if school begins August 20th the first housing allowance payment should be for August 20th to August 31st or 11 days of school. The housing allowance payment for August would be about 1/3 of the full monthly payment amount.

Taking All Online Courses

If you are registered for all online courses, the VA will pay the Housing Allowance at half the national average of an E-5, with dependents multiplied by your percentage of eligibility. 

View the Chapter 30 Handout

The Montgomery GI Bill®, Chapter 30 (commonly called the Active Duty GI Bill®) was created for former active duty members of all branches of the Armed Forces who receive honorable discharges and have a high school diploma or equivalent or have 12 hours of college credit.

Eligibility

Generally, you are eligible for Chapter 30 GI Bill® if you paid into Chapter 30 GI Bill® ($1,200), served on Active Duty for over 36 months, and have an honorable discharge. You may also be eligible if you paid into Chapter 30 GI Bill® ($1,200) and were medically discharged. You will remain eligible for Chapter 30 GI Bill® for 10 years from the date of separation from Active Duty (DD214). You may use any one GI Bill® benefit for up to 36 months of full time use and may be able to combine multiple GI Bill® benefits for up to 48 months of use.

Applying for Benefits

If you have never used Chapter 30 GI Bill® benefits before you will need to apply for the benefits.

1. Visit the VA's website
2. Select the tab Apply for Benefits
3. Launch the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP)
4. Complete and submit the application (VA Form 22-1990)

The VA will mail you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) (VA Form 22-0557) in 4-6 weeks. When you receive the COE please provide a copy to the Veterans Services Office.

Receiving Payments

When you notify the Veterans Services Office that you are registered for classes, the Veterans Services Coordinator will submit a certification to the VA. The VA can take up to 4-6 weeks to process certifications.

To receive the benefit payment you are required to complete a verification of attendance each month. The last day of the month is the first day you can verify attendance for that month. As an example; for a fall semester if school begins August 20th, the first day you can verify attendance is August 31st. Once you have completed the verification, the VA can process your payment. There are two ways to verify your attendance.

1. Visit the VA's website, then select the “Verify School Attendance” button.
2. Call 877-823-2378 and complete the automated attendance verification process.

The VA prorates payments for partial months of school. As an example; if school begins August 20th the first payment should be for August 20th to August 31st or 11 days of school. The payment for August would be about 1/3 of the full monthly payment amount.

View the Chapter 1606 Handout

If you are an actively drilling member of the reserve components, you may be eligible for Chapter 1606 Reserve Component GI Bill®. The reserve components consist of Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard and Air National Guard.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Chapter 1606 you must:

1. Be a high school graduate or equivalent
2. Have a 6 year service obligation (typically your initial enlistment)
3. Complete your initial entry training (Basic Training and AIT or Tech training)

You will remain eligible for benefits for 14 years from the date of eligibility (usually the day you graduate AIT or Tech Training). You may use any one GI Bill® benefit for up to 36 months of full time use and may be able to combine multiple GI Bill® benefits for up to 48 months of use.

Applying for Benefits

If you have never used Chapter 1606 GI Bill® benefits before you will need to apply for the benefits.

1. Visit the VA's website
2. Select the tab Apply for Benefits
3. Launch the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP)
4. Complete and submit the application (VA Form 22-1990)

The VA will mail you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) (VA Form 22-0557) in 4-6 weeks. When you receive the COE please provide a copy to the Veterans Services Office. You may also provide a copy of your Notice of Basic Eligibility (DD Form 2384-1).

Receiving Payments

When you notify the Veterans Services Office that you are registered for classes, the Veterans Services Coordinator will submit a certification to the VA. The VA can take up to 4-6 weeks to process certifications.
To receive the benefit payment you are required to complete a verification of attendance each month. The last day of the month is the first day you can verify attendance for that month. As an example; for a fall semester if school begins August 20th, the first day you can verify attendance is August 31st. Once you have completed the verification, the VA can process your payment. There are two ways to verify your attendance.

1. Visit the VA's website, then select the “Verify School Attendance” button.
2. Call 877-823-2378 and complete the automated attendance verification process.

The VA prorates payments for partial months of school. As an example; if school begins August 20th the first payment should be for August 20th to August 31st or 11 days of school. The payment for August would be about 1/3 of the full monthly payment amount.

View the Chapter 35 Handout

The Dependent Education Assistance Program (DEA) Chapter 35 provides aid to a spouse, son or daughter (including stepchild or adopted child) of veterans who are either deceased or permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability.

Eligibility

As a son or daughter (including stepchild or adopted child) you can generally receive benefits under Chapter 35 from age 18 to 26 (8 years). Under certain circumstances you can begin before age 18 and continue after age 26. You can receive payments under Chapter 35 for a maximum of 45 months of full time benefit.

As a spouse of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled based on a service-connected disability you generally have 10 years from one of the following dates:

1. Effective date of the veteran's permanent and total disability evaluation
2. Date the VA notifies the veteran of the permanent and total disability
3. Beginning date you choose between 1 and 2 above

As a spouse you can receive payments under Chapter 35 for a maximum of 45 months of full time benefit.

Applying for Benefits

If you have never used Chapter 35 GI Bill® benefits before you will need to apply for the benefits.

1. Visit the VA's website
2. Select the tab Apply for Benefits
3. Launch the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP)
4. Complete and submit the application (VA Form 22-5490)

The VA will mail you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in 4-6 weeks. When you receive the COE please provide a copy to the Veterans Services Office.

If you have used GI Bill® benefits at a different school and are now coming to DMACC, the VA requires you to complete a Change of Place of Training form (VA Form 22-5495). You may complete this form online by visiting the VA's website www.benefits.va.gov/gibill and then launching the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP). You may also complete this form by contacting the Veterans Services Office.

Receiving Payments

When you notify the Veterans Services Office that you are registered for classes, the Veterans Services Coordinator will submit a certification to the VA. The VA can take up to 4-6 weeks to process certifications. The VA will make payment to you directly beginning on or about the first of the month after classes begin.

The VA prorates payments for partial months of school. As an example; if school begins August 20th the first payment should be for August 20th to August 31st or 11 days of school. The payment for August would be about 1/3 of the full monthly payment amount.

The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program is authorized by Congress under Title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 31. It is sometimes referred to as the Chapter 31 program or VocRehab. The VR&E program assists Veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs. For Veterans with service-connected disabilities so severe that they cannot immediately consider work, VR&E offers services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible.

To use VocRehab at DMACC you must first meet with a VR&E counselor and be approved.

Once approved for an educational program by your counselor you will:

• Apply and be accepted as a student at DMACC (if you are not already a student)
• Work with an academic advisor to register for classes in your program of study
• Notify the Veterans Services Office of your registration

Your VR&E counselor will provide a VA Form 28-1905 (Authorization for Benefits)

The Veterans Service Office will:

• Certify your registration to your VR&E counselor
• Notify Student Accounts that VocRehab will pay for your tuition

Student Accounts will:

• Place funds on your DMACC account to purchase books and supplies at the DMACC Bookstore
• Funds will be available generally 1-2 weeks prior to the start date of your classes