Veterans who either served for at least 90 aggregate days on or after September 11, who were discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days or received an honorable discharge are eligible to receive funding from the Post-9/11 GI Bill. It took effect on Aug. 1, 2009. This bill pays tuition for graduate or undergraduate studies or for vocational or technical training. Depending on where a student is enrolled, the GI Bill will pay up to "the highest in-state tuition charged by a public educational institution in the state where the school is located," according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. This bill can include a monthly housing allowance and an annual books and supplies stipend of $1,000.
Individuals who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, in either Active Duty or Selective Reserve types. According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, active duty members can enroll in the program if they pay $100 per month for 12 months, and they can also enhance the benefit by paying an extra $600, according to the American Legion. Once they complete at least a six-year obligation to their reserve program, those eligible can receive a monthly education benefit. The Montgomery GI Bill provides up to 36 months of educational benefits and can be used for "degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses," according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
Veterans who entered into the military between Jan. 1, 1977 and June 30, 1985 and who made contributions from their military pay are eligible for the Veterans Educational Assistance Program. Under this program, the government matches $2 to every $1 contributed, and the benefit can be used for "degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses," according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. The benefit lasts from one to 36 months, and it must be claimed within 10 years from release of active duty.
This program was established to benefit members of the Reserve who are ordered into active duty for 90 days or more in a time of war or national emergency. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security determine who is eligible for the program. The amount received under the Reserve Educational Assistance Program, which lasts for 36 months, depends on the number of days the applicant continuously served on active duty. For example, someone who served at least 90 days but less than a year will receive 40 percent of the active duty rate, whereas someone who served between one to two years will be paid 60 percent of the active duty rate.