New GI Bill Overview

Table of Post-9/11 Benefits - Who Is Eligible For What?

The following table offers a quick overview of the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for each major group of recipients who meet the basic eligibility qualifications listed below.

NOTE 1: Members on active duty receive the full tuition payment - it is not limited by the state maximum payment rate.

NOTE 2: All students on active duty, those pursuing half-time or less and those attending 100% distance learning (online, etc.) courses are not eligible for the Housing Stipend.

Tuition and Fees

If you are eligible, VA will pay your tuition & fees payment directly to the school. This payment is not to exceed the highest undergraduate tuition & fees rates at a state operated college or university (Institution of Higher Learning). This payment rate is based on the state in which the school is located - not your state of residence.

Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes graduate and undergraduate degrees, and vocational/technical training.  All training programs must be offered by an institution of higher learning (IHL) and approved for GI Bill benefits. Additionally, tutorial assistance, and licensing and certification test reimbursement are approved under the Post- 9/11 GI Bill.

Members on active duty receive the full tuition payment - it is not limited by the state maximum payment rate.

Monthly Living Stipend

As an eligible veteran or member of the National Guard or Selected Reserve you may receive a monthly housing allowance (living stipend) based on the ZIP code of the location of the school you are attending (COCC 97701)- not your home ZIP code. This stipend currently averages $1,173 per month for COCC students.

This stipend is based on the DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents. This stipend does not require students to live on campus. Search for your BAH rate by zip code.

NOTE: Service members currently on active duty and veterans (and eligible family members) taking courses on a half-time or less basis and/or taking 100% of their classes at a distance (online etc.) do not qualify for the monthly housing stipend.

Book and Supply Stipend

You may receive an annual book stipend of up to $1,000 if you are a veteran or member of the Guard or Selected Reserve. This stipend will be paid at the beginning of each term. It is paid proportionately based on the number of credits taken by each student at $41 per credit hour.

NOTE: Service members currently on active duty are not eligible for the Book Stipend.

One-Time Relocation Allowance

You may also receive a one-time rural relocation benefit payment of $500.00 to help cover the cost of relocating from a rural location to attend school.

To qualify you must:

• Be an otherwise eligible veteran.
• Reside in a county with 6 persons or less per square mile (as determined by the most recent decennial census) and:
• Either physically relocate at least 500 miles to attend an educational institution
  - or -
• Travel by air to physically attend an educational institution if no other land-based transportation exists.

Other Benefits

In addition to the tuition, fees, housing, and relocation benefits, you may also qualify for a one-time reimbursement of up to $2,000 for a certification or licencing exam, work-study programs, and $100 a month for tutorial assistance.

Eligibility Criteria for Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits

You are eligible if you served a minimum of 90 days on active duty after September 10, 2001.  This covers active duty served as a member of the Armed Forces or as a result of a call or order to active duty from a reserve component (National Guard and Reserve) under certain sections of title 10. 

However, some periods of active duty service are excluded. Periods of service under the following do not count toward qualification for the Post 9/11 GI Bill:

• Active Guard Reserve (AGR) (Title 32);
• ROTC under 10 U.S.C. 2107(b);
• Service academy contract period;
• Service terminated due to defective enlistment agreement;
• Service used for loan repayment; and
• Selected reserve service used to establish eligibility under the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB chapter 30), MGIB for Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR Chapter 1606), or the Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP chapter 1607).

Further Details From the VA:

At a minimum, you must have served at least 30 days of continuous active duty service after September 10, 2001 and be discharged due to a service-connected disability, or served an aggregate of 90 days of active duty service after September 10, 2001, and:

• Be honorably discharged from Armed Forces; or
• Be released from Armed Forces with service characterized as honorable and placed on the retired list, temporary disability retired list, or transferred to the Fleet Reserve or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; or
• Be released from the Armed Forces with service characterized as honorable for further service in a reserve component; or
• Be discharged or released from Armed Forces for:
  • EPTS (Existed Prior to Service)
  • HDSP (Hardship) or
  • CIWD (Condition Interfered with Duty); or
  • Continue to be on active duty.

Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefit Tiers

All Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit payments are based on the amount of creditable active-duty service each veteran has since Sept. 10, 2001. If you are an active-duty, National Guard, Selected Reserve member, or veterans who has served on active-duty for 90 or more days since Sept. 10, 2001 the following table applies:

The COCC financial aid VA representative is Lynn McKoy, lmckoy@cocc.edu, 541-383-7264.

Only the VA can verify your personal eligibility for GI Bill benefits. You may call them at 1-888-GIBILL-1 if you have any questions about your eligibility status.

The following links will help you learn more about this exciting new GI Bill program:

• VA GI Bill Web site