Military Discharge & Eligibility For The Post 9/11 GI Bill

Military Discharge Types

Post 9/11 GI Bill eligibility partly depends on the type of discharge you receive. There are five types of discharge:

• Honorable Discharge – Honorable discharge is given when the service member completes their tour of duty and meets or exceeds the required standards of duty performance and personal conduct. It is only given when the discharge is not due to misconduct. For instance, service is characterized as honorable for failure in the fitness program. If you receive this type of discharge, you will generally get veterans’ full rights and benefits and may have an easier time obtaining post-service employment.
• General Under Honorable Conditions – This discharge is reserved for service members who leave the service under honorable conditions, but their conduct and performance of duty was not commendable enough to receive an Honorable discharge. Why would someone get this discharge? It is usually due to some form of non-judicial conduct, such as mental instability, petty offenses, frequent or prolonged absences, alcohol abuse and drug abuse. If you receive general under honorable conditions, benefits are not available to you, as an honorable discharge is required for GI Bill eligibility. Again, for anything other than honorable discharge, benefits from the GI Bill are not available.
• Under Other than Honorable Conditions (UOTHC) – UOTHC discharge is the harshest form of an administrative discharge. It represents a momentous departure from the conduct expected by a service member. This may include security violations and the use of violence. If you receive a UOTHC discharge, you are generally banned from enlisting into any component of the Armed Forces and the majority of veterans’ benefits are unavailable to you.
• Bad Conduct – Bad conduct discharge is a disciplinary discharge that can only be given to an enlisted service member through a Court Martial. If you are to receive a bad conduct discharge, practically all veterans’ benefits are forfeited.
• Dishonorable – Similar to bad conduct, dishonorable discharge is a punitive discharge and not an administrative discharge. A service member may only receive this discharge through a General Court Martial conviction for offenses like murder, rape and desertion as part of the sentence. A dishonorable discharge results in a loss of all veterans’ benefits and may make obtaining gainful employment difficult.

Post 9/11 GI Bill Eligibility Rules

Am I eligible for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits if I have been discharged under honorable conditions?

The short answer: No

The long answer:

According to the VA, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provides financial support for education and housing to individuals discharged with a service-connected disability 30 days after they’ve been released from the military. However, you must have received an honorable discharge to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

There are different types of military discharge, (“dishonorable”, “honorable”, “discharged under honorable conditions”, etc.) but Post 9/11 GI Bill eligibility is reserved for those who received an honorable discharge. A general discharge under honorable conditions is not enough to get you access to Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.

You must have been honorably discharged for Post 9/11 GI Bill eligibility.

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The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is now accepting applications for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The latest announcement reads as follows:

The Department of Veterans Affairs is now accepting and processing applications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. You should complete and submit the application form available online and will receive a letter explaining VA’s decision regarding your eligibility for the program.

The application form requires that individuals currently eligible for benefits under the Montgomery GI BILL-Active Duty (MGIB-AD), Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) make an irrevocable election from their existing program to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Payments will be processed August 1, 2009.

Military.com offers advice on whether you should apply for the Post 9/11 GI Bill right away or weigh your options before going through the application process. While the Post 9/11 GI Bill provides better benefits for most military personnel that qualify, the Montgomery GI Bill is still a more profitable option under certain conditions. Keith Wilson, the Director of Education Service for the Veterans Benefits Administration, quotes:

This needs to factor in, not just what VA pays, but also the impact on any other educational assistance the person receives. For example, if the student attends school in one of the many states that offers veterans free tuition or receives another form of state or campus aid, will switching to the Post-9/11 benefit change that?

Students that are currently receiving financial benefits from a different GI Bill may also apply for the Post 9/11 GI Bill for the remaining months of their benefits to be transferred to the new bill.