Pentagon Slashes GI Bill Transfer Eligibility Window
Military Times reports new changes in service member’s ability to transfer GI Bill benefits to dependents, and they’re not for the better. The goal, Pentagon officials stated, is to shift the benefit to focus on retention.
“After a thorough review of the policy, we saw a need to focus on retention in a time of increased growth of the armed forces,” Stephanie Miller, director of accessions policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said in a statement. “This change continues to allow career service members that earned this benefit to share it with their family members while they continue to serve.”
Troops with 16 or more years of service will no longer be permitted to transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child starting next year, Defense Department officials announced Thursday.
Currently, troops who serve a minimum of six years and commit to serving an additional four years are eligible to transfer the education benefit to their dependents. Some who agree to the four years but are barred from completing it, such as troops who are injured and medically discharged, are permitted to keep the transfer. Others who start the process after getting injured can request a waiver so the transfer can go through.
But starting 12 July 2019, service members need to begin the benefit transfer process between six and 16 years of service, the new policy update states.
Another benefit cut to focus on retention? Sorry, that doesn’t pass the smell check. Hat tip to IDC SARC, who mentioned this in the Cohen Purple Heart post where it caught my eye.
Category: Military issues
Fuck.
I had no idea any part of the GI Bill was transferable. That was a damn good deal. What was the rationale behind transferable benefits?
Retention of NCOs, who were (at the time) leaving in droves. They probably figure that by 16 years, they have you pretty well locked in. I’d just as soon they got rid of transferability all together.
I’d never heard of it either. Shocking that they’d allow it in the first place.
At 16 you’re definitely locked in, heck the way I always looked at it is if you did 10 you might as well go for the full 20.
Never had this benefit as an Army Brat and a Soldier to pass on to my kids.
According to VA about the Post 9-11 Bill:
“This happened in 2008, when according to the Department of Veterans Affairs official site (VA.gov), “The new law gives Veterans with active duty service on, or after, Sept. 11 2001, enhanced educational benefits that cover more educational expenses, provide a living allowance, money for books and the ability to transfer unused educational benefits to spouses or children.”
No the transferability did not take place till 2010 under a revision of the 2008 law. You may ask why? That opens a shit-can of worms.
In 2009 after Obama was elected Michelle decided she wanted to “help” military spouses. One of the things she heard when travelling around was that service member got Tuition Assistance, GI Bill and other education benefits but there was nothing for the spouses. So she created a program in summer 2009. It is called MYCAA.
This program allowed any and all spouses to get up to $10K a year in tuition reimbursement. There was never any funding set aside for it but the Education Centers started spending money on it any way. The news spread like wildfire and spouses of deployed SM’s began using it like crazy. Especially mid grade NCOs and officers spouses.
By January 2010 it was a billion in the red and they cancelled it mid stroke without a how do you do. The spouses grabbed the torches and pitchforks and stormed the castle. DOD blinked. They brought it back with a greatly reduced amount and eligibility. Then they said you could transfer your GIBill to the spouse if you “wanted to”.
Yet another way for lifer bureaucrats to give the middle finger and a spit in the face to career NCOs, may the fucker(s) who made that decision burst into flames the next time they take a shit!
Those service members who couldn’t, or weren’t interested, in using the education benefit could transfer the benefit to a
wifespouse or child who could make use of it. The benefits didn’t exist in a vacuum- they were there even if the troop didn’t use it. You are correct, this was indeed a damn good deal, and now it’s been curtailed in the name of “retention.” Go figure.Phukin TRUMP…he Loves the Uneducated! He is trying to keep as many uneducated people in the military as possible.
Ya’ll can Change my Gender Fluid.
Yes, Dave, Trump personally directed the Pentagon to cut this benefit… {rolls eyes}
Casey…calibrate your sarcasm detector.
Actually, this is an old, old story. The one successful benefits program in US history has been the GI Bill.
Since the end of WW2, no other program has been as successful at pulling people into the middle class.
At the same time, no other program has been targeted for elimination or cuts.
At the time the post 9/11 GI Bill was passed, transfer-ability was an important consideration because many were never able to use it. Many transferred benefits to their children to get them into colleges while many others used it to get degrees post military.
However, the unelected bureaucracy in DC (the Pentagon in particular) don’t like GI Bill programs because they can be expensive in terms of budget dollars in out years. Every effort is made in every year to terminate or place restrictions on use.
During the 1970s GI Bill was even replaced by VEAP which had almost no market value by the early 1980s. Represenative Jackson (MS) got the Montgomery GI Bill passed in the 1980s to replace VEAP in part because of this.
As hardware and weapons get more expensive the top brass get pretty worried about programs that may have billions in out year dollars attached that go to veterans rather than programs and current service members. So, we should expect such restrictions and cuts.
It has historically not mattered who was elected at any level, this game has gone on. Being upset about any those in elected office is misplaced. This is the work of the SES and GO/FO seniors throughout the DOD, not of elected members of the house, senate, or the president. Thinking otherwise is shortsighted and clouds the issue. It is completely non-partisan.
The bottom line is that veterans no longer represent a voting population large enough to swing elections and therefore, veteran issues are largely at the mercy of other issues important to other populations.
The GI Bill transfer rules are not likely to spark problems for the DoD politically. It is probably a complete miracle that it still exists.
The fact that the DoD budget is bigger than it’s ever been, by a fair amount, makes this just a ridiculous venture.
“Hey we’ve got more money! What are we going to do next? Hmmm, let’s cut more service member benefits!”
Of course, as usual, the people who make the decisions won’t be effected by it because they’ve already done what they needed to. Same as the bullshit retirement system they’ve implemented.
Every time the DoD is faced with a retention problem the flesh peddlers choose the one course of action that can only deepen the problem.
Want to make a change that will appeal to career soldiers? Make a buy out provision where the GI Bill can be “sold back” to DoD for a percentage of the face value at a state university.
For example, if your HOR state U would provide $100K of GI Bill benefits and you don’t have anyone to transfer benefits to and are not going to go back to school you could get your pension percentage upon retirement as a cash pay out. So if you serve 20 years you get perhaps 40%, but if you stay to 24 perhaps 60% and 75% at 30.
To make it even more attractive, make it with options like payable as a one time “catch up” to an IRA or TSP.
For those like myself who never got a retention bonus and already had advanced degrees at retirement that would have been a great deal.
Never be considered though. No one in the Pentagram…errr….Pentagon would ever consider such a concept that might actually benefit the soldier.
Or count it as added time for retirement purposes.
That has merit also.
The bottom line is that the GAO is always telling the budget committees that benefits are too costly for the military. Not other government employees, mind you, just the military.
The top brass at the Pentagon is very sensitive to this as it may force them to cut other programs that provide very lucrative lifelines after retirement for the executive and GO\FO crowd.
Can’t have that, now, can we?
While I understand the angst when you get something taken away, it is really, really difficult to generate much outrage over this one. In fact, it is probably a touchy subject for some of us.
You see, people like me paid every dime for our own education and got nothing from anybody, transferred or otherwise. Try building a civilian career, a military career and going to school all at the same time. With no education benefit because the Guard wasn’t eligible for such things back in the day no matter how much active duty you did. Even when they did start paying, it was for hours below what I already had.
So. I am not particularly inclined to be sympathetic, yet I do understand. And this is probably as close to whining as I have done about it.
Be grateful that such a benefit existed at all. Was it in the contract you signed? Not in mine either.
I used every bit of my GI bill to pay for law school. I think I received $545.00 per month for each month I was enrolled and attending classes. But I believe I earned every nickel of it for the five and one half years I served on active duty. My children didn’t earn a penny of it. So, I can’t say I see how the change is unfair. Since the program is optional now, people won’t sign up for it if they only want to use for another family member.
I used it to earn an engineering degree.
I think it was $600 per semester and I paid back every dime plus interest.
Oh, and I’m one of those shmucks that paid off my student loans as well.
Then the NG in your state sucked. When I was in the reserves in Hawaii in the 90s, both reserve and NG got free tuition at community colleges. When Clinton jumped in and they started “reducing the force” they cut that benefit for reserve and only the NG got to have free tuition.
The NG also got tuition assistance for bigger universities. Why? Because the NG has a bigger/better lobby. The NGB also has a 4-star. The Army Reserve only has a 3-star. Among other things.
By the way OWB, back during the revolutionary war, Soldiers got paid a tiny amount compared to when you were in. They also didn’t get much in the way of benefits after. The VA sucked horribly bad. They didn’t even have a lawn to yell at kids to stay off like you do!
So, you should feel lucky because you had it a lot better than they did.
GI Bill post-Vietnam paid me directly as long as I was in school. I had a scholarship, so the money helped with other things. It would certainly not have paid tuition plus living expanses anywhere.
Some states like mine have veterans’ tuition grants, which pays tuition but nothing for living expenses, and you have to be attending a school that is a state college or university, not a private institution.
I have enough to do. No need for more schooling right now.
Don’t know exactly how to react to this, but if the original purpose was to raise retention rates, I’m not sure that’s a good way to go about doing so.
I always thought it was for those like my MSG (Ret, 31 years PAARNG) who had no need for more college himself, but who also couldn’t afford to send his kids. It gave our girls a leg up and taught them how to manage a budget, and honestly, if you’re going to have a benefit, it should benefit everyone, not just young soldiers. He certainly earned it.
I’m slightly disappointed that this option will be curtailed next year. Like many of you, I had no need to use the GI Bill for myself. But being allowed to transfer it to my children was a great opportunity that I’m still thankful for. We don’t have the extra capital to set aside funds for a 529 plan, so this transfer rule helped bridge that gap somewhat. I agree that it is probably not a great retention tool for most troops, but the GI Bill benefit is already granted with honorable service. Being able to transfer it seemed like a logical extension of the program. The option for troops to transfer it was, in my opinion an excellent sales pitch when discussing the benefits of service with young people.
The Army recently rolled out a revitalized tuition assistance program for our Soldiers. This is a most excellent program for hard chargers to take advantage of as well.
Well, if you can’t transfer it, then just go to school yourself take another degree and get the yellow ribbon stipend that gives you BAH. A little more income for you. Unless they plan on cutting that too….
“Like many of you, I had no need to use the GI Bill for myself.” Actually, I think most of us here used it for ourselves.
History repeating itself? Due to the influx of veterans of the Vietnam era, the Montgomery GI bill was suspended in 1976. It was reinstated June or July 1985. I was USMC 1981 to 87. I would have had to re-up twice in order to get that new GI bill. Yet, the prior occupant at 1600 Penn Ave said that the GI bill has been offered to ALL veterans a number of times. People who believe that rubbish have questioned whether I truly am a Marine since college free to all veterans. I expected this to happen after I saw the troop build up numbers for Post 9/11. The Corps nearly doubled in size from my era.
I was in from 81-05, so originally had VEAP. Grateful to have been able to get the Post 911 Montgomery GI bill instead before retiring. The program I’m in now would never have been covered under VEAP.
IDC SARC – yes, I was offered the VEAP dollar match investment. I heard horror stories about its poor payout process and then witnessed it through my friend. He used VEAP, graduated, went to law school (on his own $) and received his final payout for his 4 year college the same week he graduated from law school – nearly 3 years later. Good to hear you were able to get that better program. Tenure pays off. I had a MSgt sour my opinion of making it a career.
I think 16 years is a good deal especially for the messily money paid into it. I graduated right after they doubled the benefits and am still pissed about that. Have they changed it so you get paid prior to the semister or do you still get paid after?
I’m using it now, tuition is paid ahead of the semester, but isn’t always on time. The skool doesn’t fret about it though because they know they will be paid because the VA sends out a notice saying they’ve received the request and authorized the payment which eventually will find its way there. The BAH and supplies stipend goes directly to my checking with about the same reliability.
Only glitch I’ve had so far is that I got overpaid and had to pay that back. All they did was reduce my payments a few dollars over a period of time, but I still didn’t have any out of pocket expenses as a result.
I’ve even signed up for classes a week out from the next term and it still gets paid for within the first week I start, at the latest. I’m sure some schools might be a bit slower at doing the work, but most have a military advisor section that are experts in getting the paperwork done quickly and submit.
I’ve not once had my school say “hey, you haven’t paid for this yet!”
I am an Army reservist and every time you mobilize or deploy the amount of 9-11 GI bill benefits goes up. I was mobilized 4 times in 10 years and I maxed it to 100% or 32 months. In order to transfer I had to agree to 2 more years of service. I transferred the Post 9-11 GI Bill to my daughter in 2012. 2017 she started school and she goes to college for free. She is in her second year of college. I am a GS 12 DoD civilian and army reservist so it really helped me. We couldn’t afford college for my daughter without it.
Retention my left nut. If it were about retention, they’d maybe add a year or two to the time you needed to stay to transfer to a dependent. This is money grubbing bullshit. This is about getting Soldiers to quit BEFORE they hit retirement years. They are taking away something that would get someone to stay for another 3-4 years AFTER they hit 16 years.
With all the new funding the DoD is getting from the current CINC and they are cutting a benefit? What the actual fuck are they snorting at the pentagon?
Trump seriously needs to get to draining the DoD swamps of dirtbags like these who are continuing to cut benefits like they were doing under the Obama Regime. Dumbasses are trying to get people to quit before they hit 20 still, just like they did with that new bullshit retirement plan that cuts 20 year retirement to 35%. “Oh, but this will be so much BETTER for you service member!”
Now to the bottom line: This is one of those benefits that only applies to some. If you have no dependents, you have no one to transfer the benefit to.
Personally, I am OK with eliminating anything called a benefit which does not benefit everyone in the service. Sure, more rank gets more pay, tenure should count for something, but those items apply to everybody. Anything which does not is just strange and rather indefensible.
Like health care for a soldier’s wife and kids? Life insurance that works in a combat zone? Etc.
Did you even think through your theory? Not everyone in the military is a young E3 single infantryman…
There are tons of benefits that only apply to certain personnel in the military.
Sea pay only applies to those at sea. So should we eliminate that? (While we’re at the cutting table…) It isn’t really a “benefit” to me, but it seems to “benefit” some others. (Benefit and Entitlement are both “subjective” words these days.)
The budget went up over 100 Billion (with a B) from 2017 to 2018. It is going up AGAIN in 2019. Again, why the hell are we cutting something that would make a service member WANT TO STAY in the military when the budget is bigger than ever?
This is the same exact reason why so many other benefits that provide reason for people to stay in the military get cut. “Well, up here at the Pentagon that really doesn’t help me at all, so fuck it, cut that shit!”
And you have a lawn, service members years before you didn’t have one to yell at kids to stay off, so why should you GET to have a lawn?
This doesn’t take effect until next July (2019)…so anyone who meets the CURRENT requirements can transfer anytime this year (it takes about a week to get approved by DA).
So spread the word and educate Soldiers….especially those who will have over 16 years starting in July 2019. It is only those who want to transfer and do NOT act upon this warning who will lose out.