Well educated soldiers are the key to the Army's success. New weapons and communications systems demand that the average soldier on the ground be better educated than soldiers of the past. The GI Bill rewards soldiers for their service, but it also makes soldiers more effective in their jobs. Even if soldiers don't use their GI Bill benefits until after they leave the service, those new skills will come in handy if they are ever called back to active duty.
The GI Bill was first developed toward the end of WWII. There weren't enough jobs in the U.S. to accommodate all the returning GI. The bill allowed many of the veterans to go to college, which eased some of the unemployment problems. Incentives drew many students into the science and technology fields which helped to sustain the boom in the aeronautics and electronics industries.
Presently, there are four types of GI Bill programs: The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), the Post 9/11 GI Bill (GIB), Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP) and the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) program. MGIB and Post 9/11 GIB are programs for active duty service members. REAP and MGIB-SR are for the reserve military components. There isn't that much of difference between the benefits offered by the active and reserve programs, except that the dollar amount of the benefits is always lower for the reserve to reflect the part-time commitment.
Both the MGIB and the Post-9/11 GIB offers funds for tuition costs. Under the MGIB, the money is paid directly to the soldier, who then pays the school. The dollar amount of the tuition assistance depends on whether the soldier is attending school part or full time. Under the Post 9/11 GIB, funds are paid directly to the school and they cover the cost of the most expensive undergraduate tuition rate for a state school. The Post 9/11 GI Bill only covers educational programs that lead to college degrees. The MGIB has no such restriction and can be used for job training and apprenticeships. Only the Post 9/11 GIB offers housing allowances and book stipends. Finally, the most significant difference between the two programs is the ability for soldiers to transfer their Post 9/11 GIB benefits to a spouse or dependent. This option in not available under the MGIB.
Both benefit programs have expiration dates but the MGIB expires more quickly at 10 years after a soldier's separation date. The Post 9/11 GI Bill expires 15 years after a soldier's separations date.