What Career Training Can You Take With The GI Bill?

You may receive benefits for a wide variety of approved training, including:

• An undergraduate or graduate degree at a college or university, including:



• an accredited independent study program (which may be offered through distance education), leading to a standard college degree.


• a cooperative training program (a full-time program alternating school instruction and job training in a business or industrial establishment).


• A certificate or diploma from a business, technical, or vocational school, including cooperative programs.


• Accredited independent study courses leading to a certificate at colleges, universities, and other degree-granting educational institutions.


• An apprenticeship or on-the-job training (OJT) program offered by a company or union. Apprenticeships or OJT programs may offer an alternative to college or vocational school for helping you gain experience in the field you choose.


• A correspondence course.


• Flight training. You must have a private pilot certificate and meet the medical requirements for the desired certificate when you begin training.


• Programs overseas that lead to a college degree.

CAN YOU RECEIVE BENEFITS FOR REMEDIAL, DEFICIENCY OR REFRESHER TRAINING?

You can receive benefits for remedial or deficiency courses if you need them to assist you in overcoming a weakness in a particular area of study. The courses must be necessary for your program of education.
You can receive benefits for the following types of refresher training:

• Courses at the elementary or secondary level if necessary to review or update material previously covered in a course that has been satisfactorily completed.


• Courses that enable you to update knowledge or skills or be instructed in the technological advances that have occurred in a field of employment. The advance must have occurred while you were on active duty or after your separation.

We must charge entitlement for these courses.

CAN YOU RECEIVE TRAINING TO HELP YOU RUN A SMALL BUSINESS?

You can now receive benefits for approved courses offered by:

• Any Small Business Development Center (SBDC), administered by the federal Small Business Administration, or


• The National Veterans Business Development Corporation (also known as “The Veterans Corporation”), a federally chartered non-profit organization.

These courses provide entrepreneurship training to help you start or enhance a small business. They’re generally offered three hours a week. Since this is usually less than half-time training, you would generally receive payment of tuition and fees only, not to exceed the half-time rate, or the quarter-time rate if you’re training at one quarter time or less.

CAN YOU RECEIVE ACCELERATED PAYMENT FOR HIGH-COST, HIGH-TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS?

You may receive benefits for approved high-cost, high-technology programs, if you plan to seek employment in a qualifying industry. For a list of the industries and types of programs that qualify see www.gibill.va.gov. Click on Questions and Answers then in Search Box place Accelerated Payment-Industries and Programs.
You may receive a lump sum payment of 60% of tuition and fees, up to the dollar amount of your remaining entitlement to MGIB benefits.
CAUTION: Short, expensive Information Technology (IT) Courses offered by businesses typically aren’t approved for VA benefits.

CAN YOU RECEIVE BENEFITS FOR A TEST FOR A LICENSE OR CERTIFICATION?

You may receive benefits for approved tests required for a license or certification. You can’t receive benefits for other fees relating to a license or certification. (However, many courses leading to a license or certification are also approved for benefits).
You may take as many tests as you need. You don’t have to pass the test to receive benefits. You can receive benefits to retake a test you failed, and to renew or update your license or certificate.
You can receive reimbursement for the cost of the test, up to $2,000 per test.

CAN YOU RECEIVE BENEFITS FOR A NATIONAL TEST?

You may receive benefits for the fee charged to take National Admissions Exams and National Exams for credit at Institutions of Higher Education. You can’t receive benefits for any optional costs relating to the testing process.
You are not required to pass the test to receive benefits. You can receive benefits to retake a test you failed.
You can receive reimbursement for the cost of the test.

CAN YOU RECEIVE TUTORIAL ASSISTANCE?

You may receive a special allowance for individual tutoring if you attend school at one-half time or more. To qualify, you must have a deficiency in a subject, making the tutoring necessary. The school must certify the need for tutoring, the tutor’s qualifications and the hours of tutoring.If eligible, you may receive a maximum monthly payment of $100. The maximum total benefit is $1,200.
We won’t charge you entitlement for the first $600 of tutorial assistance. For payments beyond $600, we figure your entitlement charge by dividing the amount we paid beyond $600 by your full-time rate for schooling.
To apply, complete VA Form 22-1990t, Application and Enrollment Certification for Individualized Tutorial Assistance. You can get the form by going to www.gibill.va.gov and clicking on Education Benefits then on Education Forms. The school’s certifying official and your tutor must complete part of the form.

CAN YOU RECEIVE WORK-STUDY BENEFITS?

While using your MGIB benefits, you may be eligible for an additional allowance under a work-study program, if you’re training at the three-quarter or full-time rate.
Under the work-study program, you work at one of the following:

• A VA facility (a regional office, medical center, veterans center, or national veterans’ cemetery)


• A State Approving Agency (SAA)


• A State veterans’ cemetery or State Veterans Home, or


• At the school or training facility you’re attending.

The maximum number of hours you may work is 25 times the number of weeks in your enrollment period. Payments will be at the Federal or State minimum wage, whichever is greater.
To apply, complete VA Form 22-8691, Application for Work-Study Allowance.

CAN YOU RECEIVE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS?

You may be eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits (chapter 31, title 38, U.S. Code) if you have a service-connected disability or disabilities rated by VA at 10% or more. For more information go to www.va.gov and click on Benefits then Vocational Rehabilitation. You can’t receive both MGIB and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits at the same time, you must elect which benefit you’ll receive for a given enrollment period.

WHAT ARE RESTRICTIONS ON TRAINING?

You may not receive benefits for the following courses:

Restrictions on Specific Courses

• Bartending and personality development courses.


• Non-accredited independent study courses.


• Any course given by radio.


• Self-improvement courses such as reading, speaking, woodworking, basic seamanship, and English as a second language.


• Farm cooperative courses.


• Audited courses.


• Courses paid in whole or in part by the military Tuition Assistance or other Armed Forces program. However, you may be able to receive MGIB Top-Up to pay the portion of approved course charges that Tuition Assistance doesn’t cover.

General Restrictions

• Any course that is avocational (isn’t leading to an occupational objective) or recreational in character.


• Courses that don’t lead to an educational, professional, or vocational objective.


• Courses you’ve taken before and successfully completed.


• Courses you take as a federal government employee under the Government Employees’ Training Act.


• A program at a proprietary school if you’re an owner or official of the school.

Other Restrictions

• Imprisonment. Individuals who are in a Federal, State, or local prison after being convicted of a felony may receive only the cost of tuition, fees, necessary books, equipment, and supplies.


• Matriculation: Admission to Degree Program. If you seek a college degree, the school must admit you to a degree program by the start of your third term.



• “Fugitive felon” status. We can’t pay MGIB benefits for any period during which Federal or State law enforcement identifies you as a “fugitive felon.” A person is considered a fugitive felon if he or she has an outstanding warrant for a felony.

CAN YOU RECEIVE COUNSELING?
Counseling is available inside the States, territories and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Counseling is available at your request if you meet one of the following requirements:

• You’re eligible for VA education assistance, or


• You’re on active duty, within 180 days of discharge, or


• You’re separated from active duty with a discharge that isn’t dishonorable, and you’re within one year from the date of your discharge.

If you meet one of these qualifications, we’ll provide services to help you understand your educational and vocational strengths and weaknesses. We can also help you plan your education or employment goals and job search.

CAN YOU CHANGE PROGRAMS?

You can receive benefits for one change of program without VA approval for the change if your attendance, conduct, and progress in the last program were satisfactory. We may approve additional changes if the proposed programs are suitable to your abilities, aptitudes, and interests.

MUST YOU MAINTAIN SATISFACTORY ATTENDANCE, CONDUCT, AND PROGRESS?

To continue receiving benefits, you must maintain satisfactory attendance, conduct, and progress. If you don’t meet your school’s standards, the certifying official must notify us. We must stop your benefits if the school reports unsatisfactory attendance, conduct, or progress.

We may resume benefits if you reenter the same program at the same school, and your school approves your reentry and certifies it to VA. If you don’t reenter the same program at the same school, we may resume benefits if the cause of your unsatisfactory attendance, conduct, or progress has been removed. We also must find that the program you intend to take is suitable to your abilities, aptitudes, and interests.