New GI Bill would allow college funds to go to family members p1 - GI Bill Benefits - Tuition Assistance for the Military - Military Times EDGE

The biggest benefits upgrade coming for military members and their families in 2009 is the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, which takes effect in August with the promise of covering full tuition to attend four-year public colleges, plus payments for books and living expenses.

Making the new GI Bill even sweeter is a recently approved Pentagon plan to allow career service members to share the education benefits with their spouse or children.

Many details of the plan have yet to be worked out, but basic monthly benefits — paid directly to the college or university — would cover tuition and fees up to the cost of the most expensive four-year public college in the state where the student is enrolled.

If the cost of a private school is more than that, the program would allow schools to work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce a student's cost through matching grants.

VA is now calculating the maximum payment in each state, but average tuition is expected to be about $1,450 a month.

Full tuition is available only for those who have three or more years of cumulative active duty since Sept. 10, 2001, or have served at least 30 days and have received a discharge because of a service-connected disability.

Those serving for shorter periods would get a percentage of the full tuition based on length of service. The minimum service required for those not discharged for disability is 90 days, which would allow them to receive payments equal to 40 percent of the full benefit.

The new program also would pay a living stipend based on the basic allowance for housing of an E-5 for the ZIP code where the student attends school, expected to be about $1,100 per month.

Housing and book allowances also would be prorated based on the student’s length of cumulative active service.

Details on who would be eligible to transfer education benefits to family members have not been finalized, but the law restricts eligibility to people with at least six years of service who agree to serve at least four more.