It has almost been a year after President Obama has signed the Post-9/11 Veterans education assistance improvement Act (GI Bill 2.0) into law. The reforms are being praised for streamlining the GI Bill – mainly by doing away with the state-by-state tuition and fee rates.
How the New GI Bill 2.0 would change?
Main points included in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Improvements Act are:
- Expanded Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility for National Guardsmen, retroactive to Aug. 1 of 2009.
- Eliminates restrictions on non-degree granting institutions, which includes vocational training, apprenticeship programs, certification programs, and on-the-job training.
- Establishes an annual cap on tuition at private colleges of $17,500 per year. For the 36 months of the bill’s benefit span, veterans can receive up to $52,500 for study at private colleges.
- Eliminates the state-by-state cap on tuition and fees and pays for all tuition and fees at state-sponsored schools.
- Expands the eligibility for veterans taking online courses to receive a monthly housing stipend.
- Expands the annual book stipend to include active duty personnel and their spouses.
- Licensing and certification. The $2,000 benefit for these types of courses no longer would be a one-time benefit.
- Vocational and non-degree classes. On the job training and apprenticeships would become covered by the Post 9-11 Gi Bill with participants eligible to receive living stipends.
The new GI Bill fix also offers eligible caregivers of wounded veterans an extension on the 10-year deadline to use their GI Bill benefits. Many of the new tuition payments and expanded military education benefits don’t go into effect until August of 2011, while others go into effect on Oct. 1.
Be sure to contact the VA at 1-888-GIBILL-1 to learn about your personal G.I. Bill 2.0 benefits situation.
