U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty
What Is the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (Chapter 30)?
The Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty provides up to 36 months of education benefits.
Eligible individuals can receive benefits for:
•
College degrees, non-college degrees, technical or vocational school
•
On-the-job training and apprenticeship programs License or
•
certification costs
•
Tuition assistance Correspondence courses
•
National tests
And, in some cases:
•
Remedial, deficiency and refresher training
•
Flight training
To find out if your school or program is approved for benefits under MGIB, visit:
https://www.va.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool.
Who Is Eligible?
Those currently in service may be eligible after two years of active duty. Speak to the
Education Services Officer at your installation for more information. You can also
call 888-442-4551 (888-GI BILL 1).
Updated April 2020 2
Those separated from service may be eligible if:
•
You entered active duty after June 30, 1985.
•
You received a high school diploma (or equivalent) before the end of your first period
of service.
o In some cases, 12 hours of college credit qualifies.
•
You received an honorable discharge.
•
You continuously served for three years OR
o Two years, if you first enlisted for that long.
o Two years if you have an obligation to serve for years in the Selected Reserve
and entered Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty.
Different rules apply if you entered active duty before July 1, 1985. Certain other cases
may also have different rules. Call 888-442-4551 (888-GI BILL 1) for more information.
Are There Pitfalls?
The following pitfalls could cause you to lose all MGIB benefits:
•
If you do not have an honorable discharge, you are ineligible for education benefits.
•
If you had an early discharge, your separation reason must meet certain criteria.
Call 888-442-4551 (888-GI BILL 1) for more information.
How Much Does VA Pay?
The amount of the monthly benefit is based on a few factors:
•
The type of training
•
Your length of service
•
If DoD put “kickers,” or extra money, in your MGIB fund
Typically, you have 10 years to use your MGIB benefits. Visit www.va.gov/education/
for the current rate.
Updated April 2020 3
Once you find an approved program, you can apply online at
https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/.
Our Education Call Center is available at 1-888-442-4551 (Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. -6 p.m.
CST) for any questions about GI Bill benefits.
Join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gibillEducation and follow us
on Twitter @VAVetBenefits.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at
www.va.gov/education/.
