Approximately 1.04 million veterans may qualify for an extra 12 months of GI Bill education benefits following an update from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in response to a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The VA announced on Friday an update to the GI Bill awarding process, providing some veterans with up to 12 additional months of educational benefits.
“This policy will not only help Veterans who apply for GI Bill benefits in the future — it will also allow VA to provide additional benefits to many Veterans who used GI Bill benefits in the past,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs. “Every Veteran has earned the right to get a good, affordable education — and under this new policy, many Veterans will get an additional 12 months of GI Bill benefits.”
Before the update, veterans with at least two periods of service only received 36 months of the education benefit between the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill. With the new change, the cap is removed and veterans would now qualify for 48 months of benefits.
The change potentially affects 1.04 million veterans who served under the Montgomery GI Bill and another period of service under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
The VA will automatically process claims for about 660,000 and contact the remaining veterans about filing a claim.
Veterans will receive an additional 90 days in addition to any time left on the expiration dates for using the benefit.
For more information about this change and how to apply click here.
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