Swords to Plowshares

Eric Hilleman, deputy director of Veterans of Foreign Wars’s National Legislative Service, conducted an online question and answer session on how the New GI Bill will be implemented, and how veterans can access the increased benefits it provides.

New GI Bill: Implementation and How to Get Benefits

San Diego: I was active duty in the Navy from July 1998 through June 2002. I then went into the Inactive Reserves for 12 months, then went into Active Reserves for six months (June 2003-December 2003), and then returned to Inactive Reserves from January 2004 to June 2006. Will I be entitled to anything at all under this new program?

Eric Hilleman: You should be eligible for MGIB benefits for your 1998 to 2002 service. Any months of usage, of the total eligible 36 months, will count against full time usage of the 21st Century GI Bill. However, in your case you did not complete three years post 9-11-2001, the requirement for full-time active duty usage. Though, you did have time post 9-11 both on active duty and in the activated reserved. What dose all this equate to? Simply, you will be eligible for a percentage of the full Webb bill, but the regulations have yet to be written about how combined periods of service will equate. Read On…