Based on the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008, the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are payable on Aug. 1, 2009 for training completed after July 31, 2009.
Geri Willis, director of the CNMI Teachers to Troops program, said: “There could be many eligible individuals here in the CNMI and they need to know what benefits they are entitled to.”
The federal law states that individuals who are eligible for educational assistance are those who have a minimum of 90 days active duty after Sept. 10, 2001.
They can be on active duty or must have been honorably discharged or released from the armed forces.
Eligible individuals, according to the Act, could earn 36 months of entitlement after serving the minimum 90 days ,but the amount of what they will receive will depend on the length of their credible active duty.
The educational assistance benefits cover tuition and fees, monthly housing allowance equivalent to the amount for housing with dependents if they are staying in the same area near the school, yearly books, supplies and stipend up to $1,000 and a one-time payment of $500 to certain individuals who may relocate from highly rural areas.
The educational assistance covers graduate and undergraduate degrees, technical or vocational training, and foreign training.
Eligible individuals may also transfer their entitlement to their spouse or dependent children as long as the Department of Defense will approve the transfer. You may visit www.GIBILL.va.gov for more information.
