Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)
The MGIB-SR program
provides education and training benefits to eligible members of the Selected
Reserve, including the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine
Corps Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air
National Guard. Eligibility for this program is determined by the Selected
Reserve components and VA makes the payments.
Types of Training
Assistance may be
used for college
degree and certificate programs, co-op training, technical or vocational courses, flight training,
apprenticeships
or on-the-job training, high-tech
training, licensing
and certification tests, entrepreneurship
training, certain entrance
examinations, and correspondence
courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under
certain circumstances. Click the following link to access the Montgomery
GI Bill Selected Reserve pamphlet (PDF).
Available Benefits and
Eligibility
You may be entitled
to receive up to 36 months of education benefits. View current
payment rates.
Eligibility
To qualify, you must
meet the following requirements:
·
Have a six-year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve
signed after June 30, 1985. If you are an officer, you must have agreed to
serve six years in addition to your original obligation. For some types of
training, it is necessary to have a six-year commitment that begins after Sept.
30, 1990.
·
Complete your initial active duty for training (IADT).
·
Meet the requirement to receive a high school diploma or
equivalency certificate before completing IADT. You may not use 12 hours toward
a college degree to meet this requirement.
·
Remain in good standing while serving in an active Selected
Reserve unit. You will also retain MGIB-SR eligibility if you were discharged
from Selected Reserve service due to a disability that was not caused by
misconduct. Your eligibility period may be extended if you are ordered to
active duty.
Other Factors to Consider
Your eligibility for
the program normally ends the day you leave the Selected Reserve. An exception
exists if you are mobilized or recalled to active duty from your reserve status
in which case your eligibility may be extended for the amount of time you are
mobilized PLUS four months. For example, if you are mobilized for 12 months,
your eligibility period is extended for 16 months (12 months of active duty PLUS
four months). Even if you leave the Reserves after mobilization, you may have
additional eligibility under the MGIB-SR.
If your unit is
deactivated during the period beginning on Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30,
2014, or you are involuntarily separated for reasons other than misconduct you
will retain your original period of eligibility, which is 14 years from the
date of your first six-year obligation with the Selected Reserves.
Apply
Follow these steps to become eligible and apply:
Get the
DD Form 2384-1, Notice of Basic Eligibility, when you become eligible for the
program from your unit. Your unit will also code your eligibility into the DoD
personnel system so VA may verify your eligibility.
Then
make sure your selected program is approved for VA training. If you are unsure,
VA will inform you and the school or company about the requirements.
If you started training,
take your application and your Notice of Basic Eligibility to your school or
employer. Ask them to complete VA Form 22-1999 (not available online) Enrollment
Certification, and send all the forms to VA.