gibill question

[ffdpsoldier]

I'm on the last leg of my post 911 gi bill, I have been told after using 1 gi bill for 36 months you can use the other gi bill for another 12 months. Does anyone have any experience with this and can share some information on it. I'm 9 of 36 credits done for my MA and if I can use the othr gi bill I might be able to finish by the summer.

[JBjunior]

"Yes, you may be eligible for more than one VA education benefit program. However, you may only receive payments from one program at a time. You can receive a maximum of 48 months of benefits under any combination of VA education programs you qualify for.

For Example: If you qualify for both MGIB-AD (Chapter 30) and MGIB-SR (Chapter 1606), you can receive 36 months of entitlement at your MGIB-AD payment rate, and then an additional 12 months of entitlement at your MGIB-SR payment rate, up to the maximum total of 48 months entitlement.

If you are eligible for more than one benefit program you must notify us which program you intend to use before enrolling in training."

From:

https://gibill.custhelp.com/app/answers/...bVFCY2w%3D

[rlee7575]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but that was prior to the Post 9/11 GI bill. Once you start using the Post-9/11, you're stuck with it. Servicemembers who are still under the Montgomery GI Bill may utilize the 36 months of that benefit, and THEN utilize an additional 12 months of Post 9/11 on top of that. I would contact your servicing VA office who sends you your updated usage letters for verification.

"Q. Can I combine my Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits?
A. No. Servicemembers and veterans are allowed to only use one education benefit program at a time. However, in some cases you may be able to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill when you have exhausted your Montgomery GI Bill. To learn more, please click here."

GI Bill FAQ | Military.com

[JBjunior]

You are right that it is 1 year of Post-9/11 after exhausting MGIB, I just don't know if they offer anything for the other way around. Call the VA, I am sure they will answer it quickly.

[OtherSyde]

I doubt they offer anything the other way around, but I'd definitely like to know if they do 12 months of free college is a pretty big thing; any updates here?

[Leherself]

Way too late for the original questioner, but in case anyone else is reading -

It does *not* work the other way around. If you're eligible for both the MGIB and the Post 9/11 GI Bill, then you can use 36 months of the MGIB and then switch to the Post 9/11 for another 12 months. But once you've elected to switch to Post 9/11 you can't go back to the MGIB regardless of how much you did or didn't use. *However*, if you use up your full 36 months of Post 9/11 and had paid into the MGIB, then as part of your last MHA payment you'll get refunded a percentage of your $1200 contribution based on how much MGIB eligibility you had remaining when you switched to the Post 9/11.

So, for someone like me, I never used the MGIB. I elected Post 9/11 right off the bat. So if I use all 36 months of my Post 9/11 GI Bill, then I'll get all $1200 back as part of my final check (don't know if it'll ever actually happen... finishing my Bachelor's next semester, and I still have 27 months remaining). I am *not* eligible to switch to the MGIB. *But* if I was entitled to another education program, like vocational rehabilitation, or VEAP, or something else, then I *could* still use 12 months of additional education benefits under one of those programs.

So summary. 36 months MGIB ---> 12 months Post 9/11. Yes. *Any amount* of Post 9/11 ---> switch to MGIB. No.