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Post-9/11 GI Bill

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, or new GI Bill as it is often called, provides much more generous postsecondary educational benefits to veterans and, in some cases, spouses and dependents of veterans and members of the armed forces. Unlike benefits under the current Montgomery GI Bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) makes payments for tuition and fees directly to institutions of higher education on behalf of eligible veterans, necessitating new systems to exchange information with, and make payments to, institutions. The program became operational on August 1, 2009.

Tools

Benefits Estimator

Understanding the calculation of tuition and fees that will be covered under the basic benefit levels is important in determining the institution's planned level of participation in the Yellow Ribbon program. NACUBO has developed a spreadsheet that will calculate an estimated per term payment for institutions in each state. The institution will need to input an estimate of its total tuition (per term), fees (per term), and assumed number of credit hours taken. NACUBO is providing this tool to assist members and will endeavor to keep the state maximums current but users should not rely on this tool alone. VA will provide updates to the state maximums applicable to the 2009-10 academic year on or around August 1, the spreadsheet will be updated shortly thereafter.

News

• VA Plans No Changes to Refund Policy
  (December 17, 2012)

• DoD Releases Revised MOU for Institutions Participating in TA Program
  (December 14, 2012)

• VA Incorrectly Sending Debts to Treasury Department for Collection
  (December 14, 2012)

• VA Plans to Make Benefit Payments to Schools via EFT
  (September 20, 2012)

• Maximum Benefit Increases for Post-9/11 GI Bill
  (July 25, 2012)

• Additional Guidance Provided on Principles of Excellence
  (July 13, 2012)

• Sign-on Deadline for Principles of Excellence Extended to August 1
  (June 29, 2012)

• VA Principles of Excellence Request Raises Concerns
  (June 4, 2012)

• Obama Issues Executive Order to Protect Veterans and Service Members
  (May 2, 2012)

• Yellow Ribbon Program Agreements Due to VA by May 15
  (April 20, 2012)

Resources

• VA Processes eGroup
• NACUBO, NASFAA Comments on GI Bill Proposed Regulations (Jan. 22, 2009)
• Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Yellow Ribbon Program FAQ's (released May 7, 2009)
  • Yellow Ribbon Program, including agreement form (deadline extended until June 15, 2009)
  • Maximum In-State Tuition and Fees
• Serving Those Who Serve, American Council on Education initiative

Distance Learning Programs

Overview of the Post-9/11 GI Bill

This audio recording provides a basic overview of the new program, presented by Keith Wilson, director, education services for the VA. Overview of the Post-9/11 GI Bill - Slide Presentation (PDF)

Overview of the Post-9/11 GI Bill - MP3 Audio Only Podcast File

1. Right click on the link above.
2. Select "Save Target As..." for Internet Explorer, "Save Link as" in Firefox, or "Download Linked File" for Safari.
3. Choose a destination folder, and click the Save button.
4. Go to the directory containing your download and double-click the MP3 file to open it in your default player.