Military Students

• Covers tuition and fees.
• Veterans who entered military service on or after July 1, 1985, are eligible.
• The minimum length of service for eligibility is two years of continuous enlistment. (Minimum duty varies by service date, branch, etc.)
• Benefits are generally available 10 years from your last day of active duty.

• Provides a monthly stipend, tuition, fees, books and supplies.
• Veterans must be determined eligible by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

• Covers tuition and fees.
• Post-Vietnam-era veterans who entered active duty on or after January 1, 1977, and before July 1, 1985, and who contributed to the VEAP program while in the military are eligible.
• You must have completed at least 181 continuous days active service between the dates listed above to be eligible.

• Covers tuition, books and supplies.
• Veterans who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, are eligible and may transfer unused educational benefits to their spouses or children.
• Applicants must have served 90 days active aggregate service (after September 10, 2001) or 30 days continuous if discharged for disability.
• The Yellow Ribbon program is a supplement to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which allows institutions to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution contributes up to 50 percent of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.

• Provides a monthly allowance based on enrollment (limited to tuition and fees if student is less than half-time)
• Children and spouses of veterans who died or are permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability are eligible, as well as the children and spouses of veterans who have been listed as a POW or MIA for a period of 90 days.

• Provides a monthly allowance based on whether student is full-time, part-time, etc.
• Open to members of the National Guard or Selected Reserve.
• Minimum length of service: six-year commitment.

• Provides a monthly allowance based on enrollment status (full-time, part-time, etc.). Limited to tuition and fees if student is less than part-time.
• Open to members of the National Guard or Selected Reserve who were called or ordered to active duty in response to a war or national emergency as declared by the President of Congress.
• Minimum length of service: 90 days of continuous service after September 11, 2001.

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a GI Bill comparison tool that allows you to select the school you plan to attend and see how your benefits will help you pay for your education.

Yes. Military students are encouraged to apply for student financial aid to help offset the cost of education because veterans benefits sometimes do not cover the entire cost of your education. Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application is your first step toward determining your financial aid eligibility. You can find the application here: fafsa.ed.gov.

Veterans need to be aware of some special circumstances:

• Federal veteran education benefits do not affect financial aid eligibility and are not considered income for federal student aid purposes.
• Non-educational veteran benefits such as disability, death pension, dependency and indemnity compensation or VA education work-study allowances must be included on your financial aid application as untaxed income, excluding the value of on-base military housing or the value of a basic military allowance for housing.
• There are different parameters to qualify for veteran status for student aid purposes that are not necessarily the same as for VA purposes. National Guard and reservists may not qualify automatically as independent students. Please refer to the FAFSA instructions to determine if you qualify as a veteran for financial aid purposes.

You must notify the Office of Financial Aid of any changes to your enrollment. Changes of enrollment include adding, dropping or withdrawing from classes.

If you change your major or program of study, you must complete and submit the Request for Change of Program or Place of Training form.

Log on to www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-22-1995-are.pdf for the actual form and mailing instructions.

To obtain or amend a copy of your military service record and/or your Official Military Personnel File (DD-214, OMPFs), please visit the website for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.

The Veterans Affairs website is at www.va.gov.

The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs’ website is at www.illinois.gov/veterans.

No, Benedictine is a private school and is not eligible to participate in the IVG or ING program.

The Veterans Affairs provides a tool that lets you compare your monetary benefits. Go to www.gibill.va.gov/resources/benefits_resources/benefit_comparison_tools.html.