“From the outset, MOAA believed transferability
would benefi t military readiness by inducing more highly experienced and qualifi ed [servicemembers] to stay the course,” Norton says. “And, because many [servicemem- bers] earn degrees of one kind or another in educational assistance programs paid by the services, the transfer op- tion would be a huge family benefi t and morale booster that would partially compensate families for frequent moves and family separations.” As of October 2010, the military services had ap-
proved 145,000 requests to transfer benefi ts to about 331,000 family members, according to the American Forces Press Service. “When [the] Post-9/11 [GI Bill] was enacted, the
Montgomery [GI Bill] was relatively underutilized. We think the opposite is going to occur,” says Capt. Bud Schneeweis, USCG-Ret., director of MOAA’s Benefi ts Information and Financial Education Department. “More will fi nd a way to use it now.”
Meanwhile, there are some loopholes to be aware
of, Schneeweis says. You must complete the transfer of benefi ts before you leave service. You should include on your transfer any possible benefi ciary, because you can’t add them after you leave the service. You may, however, change your benefi t allocation after leaving the service. Family members must be enrolled in the Defense Eli- gibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) at the time of the transfer. “That’s a bit of a conundrum, be- cause a child will expire from DEERS on his or her 23rd birthday, if not before,” Schneeweis says. Because of new health care legislation, military children soon will remain in DEERS until age 26. Until the implementing procedures are enacted in
DoD regulations, children still are expiring from the system at age 23. It is possible to add children adminis- tratively until their 26th birthday, but you must transfer the benefi ts before they’re out of the DEERS system, Schneeweis explains.
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Click here to watch a video of fi rst lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden explaining their military family initiatives to the National Governors Association.
APRIL 2011 MILITARY OFFICER 53
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