VA Benefit Eligibility Checker

This checker asks four short questions about service history and lists the VA education programs that may fit. It is a screening aid for certifying officials and students, not a decision. VA confirms eligibility on the Certificate of Eligibility (COE), and a school cannot certify enrollment until the student has one.

The main programs

• Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33): at least 90 days of active duty after September 10, 2001, 30 continuous days with a discharge for a service-connected disability, or a Purple Heart. Veterans generally need an honorable discharge. The benefit level starts at 50% for 90 days of service and rises in steps (60% at 6 months, 70% at 18 months, 80% at 24 months, 90% at 30 months) to 100% at 36 months.
• Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (Chapter 30): generally for veterans who paid into the program during active service and received an honorable discharge.
• Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606): drilling Guard and Reserve members with a 6-year Selected Reserve obligation. It ends when the member leaves the Selected Reserve.
• Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31): a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% (or a 20% memorandum rating while on active duty) and a discharge that is not dishonorable. A VA counselor approves the training plan.
• Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35): spouses and children of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, who died from a service-connected condition or on active duty, or who are missing in action or captured.
• Transferred Post-9/11 benefits: spouses and children can use months a service member transferred through the Department of Defense while still serving. They apply to VA with Form 22-1990E.

Choosing between benefits

VA pays only one education chapter at a time. Most full-time students do best with Chapter 33, which pays tuition to the school plus a housing allowance and books stipend, but Chapter 30 or 1606 can come out ahead at low-cost programs. Switching from Chapter 30 to Chapter 33 is a one-time election that cannot be undone, so compare using the current VA benefit rates (opens in a new tab) first.

Next steps

• Which GI Bill chapter should I use?
• How do I apply for the GI Bill?
• What is a Certificate of Eligibility?
• Is Chapter 31 better than the GI Bill?
• How does Chapter 35 (DEA) work?
• How do I use transferred GI Bill benefits?
• Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) guide
• Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30) guide
• VR&E (Chapter 31) guide
• DEA (Chapter 35) guide
• MGIB Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606) guide

Regulations: 38 CFR 21.9520 (opens in a new tab); 38 CFR 21.9641(a) (opens in a new tab); 38 CFR 21.7042 (opens in a new tab); 38 CFR 21.7540 (opens in a new tab); 38 CFR 21.40 (opens in a new tab); 38 CFR 21.3021 (opens in a new tab)

VA.gov: Education benefit eligibility (opens in a new tab); Post-9/11 GI Bill (opens in a new tab); Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (opens in a new tab); Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance (opens in a new tab)