It pays to serve.
Eligible veterans can score up to $1,000 every year in extra cash under a newly updated Post-9/11 GI Bill — an education benefit program run by the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill helps veterans, service members, and eligible family members pay for college, graduate school, and vocational training if they served on active duty after September 10, 2001.
The bill also helps veterans pay for tuition and fees, offers money for housing, cash for books and supplies, and will help them move from a rural area to go to school. Many are eligible for 48 months of VA education benefits.
The changes took effect on August 1 and offer qualifying veterans up to $1,000 for necessary items like books and other supplies. According to the VA, if you’re enrolled in more than one of the programs in the same academic year, you could score the extra green for each program.
“You’re eligible for 100% of the full benefit if you served on active duty for a total of at least 1,095 days (at least 36 months),” the GI Bill website reads.
The money for supplies will be awarded to those enrolled in a college or university, a non-college-degree school, an apprenticeship or on-the-job training program or VET TEC 2.0.
Just note that the amount of cash you get varies and is based on how long you served on active duty and your discharge status. However, veterans who served at least 36 months on active duty will qualify for 100% of the available benefit.
According to the VA, folks who receive the full benefit amount must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- You served on active duty for a total of at least 1,095 days (at least 36 months)
- You served on active duty and received a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001
- You served on active duty for at least 30 continuous days (without a break), and we discharged you because of a service-connected disability
Those who served on active duty less than 36 months will see fewer benefits and a breakdown by percentage of time served:
- 30 to 35 months – 90% of the full benefit
- 24 to 29 months – 80% of the full benefit
- 18 to 23 months – 70% of the full benefit
- 6 to 17 months – 60% of the full benefit
- 90 days to 5 months – 50% of the full benefit
The updated rates kicked in on August 1 and apply to the 2026-27 academic year.
The VA also helps with test fees and prep courses. For test fees, it will offer up to $2,000 for qualifying licensing and certification test fees. For national tests, there’s no limit on how much you’ll get reimbursed.
Veterans in the program can also receive a monthly housing allowance based on local housing costs, using the military’s E-5-with-dependents rate as the benchmark. The E-5 is a military pay grade, meaning the rank of Sergeant or Petty Officer Second Class.
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