Soon, another program will be added to the mix: The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Bill will be available to qualified individuals Aug. 1.
"We previously administered four major education programs before this bill came along," Keith M. Wilson, VA's education service director, said. "The new Post-9/11 GI Bill has different eligibility criteria [and] pays for different types of training."
The new GI Bill provides three separate types of benefit payments to those who entered the military on or after Sept. 10, 2001, and have at least 90 days of active service.
The first type of payment covers tuition and fees equal to what each state's most expensive state-run school charges for in-state, undergraduate study.
In addition, an allowance based on the Defense Department's basic housing allowance for an E-5 with dependents is available as a benefit paid monthly, Wilson said. The housing allowance's dollar amount depends on the location of the school the service member or veteran is attending, he added.
The third benefit is a stipend of up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies.
"Now, each of those payments is subject to the amount of active duty an individual has," Wilson said. Eligible people with 36 or more months of active duty will receive 100 percent of the three payments, he said. Those with less than 36 months of active service will receive a prorated amount.
For those who incur out-of-state tuition, attend a private school, or want to pursue graduate studies but find their tuition and fees above the cap set by the VA, there's the Yellow Ribbon program.
"The Yellow Ribbon program is a sub-element of the Post-9/11 GI Bill," Wilson said. "The ... program allows schools to enter into an agreement with VA by which the school will waive up to half of the difference of their tuition and fees charges and what the cap is for that state, and VA will match the amount that the school waives.
"It's basically a supplemental amount of tuition and fees that would be payable to the school," he added.
More information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, eligibility, and how this new bill could affect those with service prior to Sept. 10, 2001, is available on the Veterans Affairs GI Bill site or by calling (888) GIBILL-1 toll-free.