GI BILL TRANSFERABILITY
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is an educational opportunity
available to currently serving, separated, and retired ser- vicemembers, including guardmembers and reservists, who have served since Sept. 11, 2001. In addition to pay- ing for tuition, it also provides a housing stipend and an allowance for books and supplies, except for active duty servicemembers and their spouses. The length of an individual’s education benefits de- pends on his or her amount of qualifying post-9/11 Title 10 active duty time served. Three years of qualifying service grants the maximum benefit of 36 months of full- time educational benefits; members must serve at least 90 days of aggregate (or 30 days continuous) Title 10 ac- tive duty time to qualify for any educational benefits. The bill’s transferability option, which allows qualify-
ing servicemembers to parse their benefits among their spouses and children, is of special interest to many military families. For example, a servicemember eligible for 36 months of benefits could transfer 12 months to his wife and 12 months to each of his two children. The transferability option is available to those who have served at least six years and commit to serve another four. Special rules apply
to those who were retirement-eligible on or before Aug. 1, 2009, or will be retirement-eligible before August 2012. “This singular benefit has the potential to do more for military spouses and children than any one program,” says Dunlap. “It ensures that all military children whose parents serve the qualifying time have the chance to at- tend college debt-free, if the servicemember decides to transfer it to them, plus it covers their housing costs. Or it can help [spouses] get that advanced degree that will make them more marketable as they move.” Transferability is only available to those who were on
duty as of Aug. 1, 2009. Changes and revocations can be made after a servicemember completes service, but no additions are allowed, so qualified servicemembers are encouraged to apply to transfer at least six months of ben- efits to family members now.
To learn more, visit
www.gibill.va.gov. MOAA resources are available at
www.moaa.org/gibill.
MO
— Don Vaughan is a freelance writer based in North Caro- lina. His most recent feature articles for Military Officer were “Backstage Pass: The Pacific” and “Feeling the Pinch,” both in the March 2010 issue.
MYCAA UNDER REVIEW
In February, DoD abruptly suspended the Military Spouse Career Advancement Ac- counts (MyCAA) program, due to concerns that unexpectedly high participation could exceed the program’s funding. MOAA leaders took immediate action, and supporters used MOAA’s alert system to contact legislators. By mid-March DoD had reinstated funding for spouses already enrolled in MyCAA. “We’re glad that MOAA could go to bat for [military spouses] and that [DoD] has restart-
ed the program,” said MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., in an official statement released March 11. “Now Defense leaders need to find a way to provide needed funding for all spouses who want to participate.” Before it was halted, MyCAA provided a lifetime benefit of up to $6,000 in financial assis-
tance to military spouses pursuing licenses, certificates, credentials, or degree programs lead- ing to employment in portable career fields. Some defense sources have suggested spouses might use transferable GI Bill benefits in-
stead. But those belong to servicemembers, who might use the benefits themselves or trans- fer them to their children — plus, many young spouses’ military sponsors aren’t yet eligible for GI Bill transfer. And 31 percent of spouses using the MyCAA benefit are pursuing certi- fications or licensing (to meet state requirements), which the new GI Bill doesn’t cover. “Wherever we go, spouses and servicemembers praise the positive difference [MyCAA] is
making in their lives,” Ryan wrote in a Feb. 24 letter to defense leaders. MOAA will continue to monitor MyCAA and advocate for enough funding for all interested spouses to participate.
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