Available Education Benefits

Federal Veterans’ Education Benefits

Veterans attending UT Southwestern Medical Center are eligible to receive the following federal benefits:

Montgomery GI Bill^® Active Duty (Chapter 30)

The Montgomery GI Bill^® (MGIB) is for individuals who have served on active duty. Benefits are provided up to 36 months and generally must be used within 10 years of discharge. The MGIB can be applied for prior to discharge. The monthly benefit paid is based on the length of service, category, and Department of Defense kickers into your MGIB Fund (if applicable). Monthly WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) verification is needed to receive payments.

GI Bill^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Chapter 31)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) is for veterans who have a service-connected disability. To receive services, a veteran must be found both eligible and entitled. The basic period of eligibility in which VR&E services may be used is 12 years from the date of separation from active military service or 12 years from the date the veteran was first notified by VA of a service-connected disability rating. In addition, the student will receive a subsistence allowance that is paid each month during training and is based on the rate of attendance (full-time or part-time) and the number of dependents.

Post-9/11 GI Bill^® (Chapter 33)

The Post-9/11 GI Bill^® is an education benefit program for individuals who served on active duty for at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, or were discharged with a service-related disability after 30 continuous days. Under this chapter, effective August 1, 2009, eligible participants (veterans, service members, and dependents) pursuing a VA-approved training program may receive the following benefits at a percentage based on the length of active-duty service:

Cost of tuition and fees, not to exceed the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher education
Monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing payable to a military E-5 with dependents, in the same ZIP code as the primary school
Yearly books and supplies stipend of up to $1,000 per year

Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)

Dependents’ Educational Assistance provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents or certain veterans. Dependents receive up to 45 months of full-time benefits. Children generally are eligible for benefits between the ages of 18 and 26.

Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)

The Selected Reserve includes the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. Reservists may be entitled to receive up to 36 months of education benefits. Benefit entitlement ends 14 years from the date of eligibility for the program, or on the day the individual leaves the Selected Reserve. One exception to this rule exists if reservist is mobilized, their eligibility may be extended for the amount of time mobilized PLUS four months. So even if personnel leave the reserves after mobilization, they may have additional eligibility to the Montgomery GI Bill^® – Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR). Monthly WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) verification is needed to receive payments.

Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607)

The Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) is a Department of Defense program designed to provide educational assistance to members of the reserve components ordered to active duty in response to a war or a national emergency declared by the President or Congress. These components include Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Army Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), Air Force IRR, Navy IRR, and Marine Corps IRR. A member ordered to active service while serving in the reserve component remains entitled to benefits under REAP only by continuing to serve in the reserve component. Entitlement under REAP is 36 months. There is a 48-month limitation when combining this benefit with one or more education programs. Monthly WAVE verification is needed to receive payments.

Texas Veterans’ Benefits

Hazlewood Exemption

The Hazlewood Exemption is for qualified veterans and dependents of certain disabled or deceased veterans and exempts students from paying tuition and required fees (not including student services fee). Visit College for All Texans for more information.

Transferability of Benefits (Legacy Program)

Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must: be a Texas resident; be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child, or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year; be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed; and make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the institution. Visit College for All Texans for eligibility requirements and more information about this exemption. The information can be found under “Make a Plan.”