ALCOAST 377/09
COMDTNOTE 1040
SUBJ: POST-9/11 G.I. BILL, EDUCATION BENEFITS
A. COMDT COGARD
B. COMDT COGARD
C. COMDT COGARD
D. UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MEMORANDUM, 22JUNE
2009, SUBJECT:
DIRECTIVE-TYPE MEMORANDUM (DTM) 09-003: POST 9/11
G.I. BILL.
E. CHAPTER 33 OF TITLE 38,
F. PERSONNEL MANUAL, COMDTINST M1000.6 (SERIES)
G.
1. THIS ALCOAST SUPERSEDES REFS A-C, AND ANNOUNCES
DOD/COAST
GUARD POLICY CONCERNING POST-9/11 G.I. BILL EDUCATION
BENEFITS AS
OUTLINED IN REFS D AND E. PARTICULARLY, REF D
PROVIDES DETAILED
POLICY ON TRANSFERABILITY OF UNUSED EDUCATION
BENEFITS TO FAMILY
MEMBERS. SERVICEMEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REVIEW REF D AND
CONSULT
WITH THEIR UNIT EDUCATION SERVICES OFFICER (ESO) FOR
GUIDANCE ON
THE POST-9/11 G.I. BILL. REF D IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON THE COAST
GUARD PERSONNEL SERVICE CENTER (PSC) WEBSITE:
HTTP://WWW.USCG.MIL/PSC/.
2. THE POST-9/11 G.I. BILL, AUTHORIZED UNDER REF E,
IS AN AUTOMATIC
ENTITLEMENT GENERALLY AVAILABLE TO SERVICEMEMBERS
WITH AT LEAST 90
DAYS OF ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE ON OR AFTER 11 SEP 2001.
NO ACTION IS
REQUIRED BY MEMBERS UNTIL THEY
EITHER 1) APPLY TO RECEIVE BENEFITS,
2) SEEK TO TRANSFER BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY TO
DEPENDENTS, OR 3) ARE
CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE FOR ANOTHER EDUCATION BENEFIT
(MGIB, MGIB-SR,
REAP) AND WHO SEEK ELIGIBILITY UNDER THE POST-9/11
G.I. BILL.
3. THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (DVA) IS NOW
ACCEPTING
APPLICATIONS FOR THE POST-9/11 G.I. BILL FOR MEMBERS
WHO WISH TO
RECEIVE BENEFITS. VA FORM 22-1990, APPLICATION FOR VA
EDUCATION
BENEFITS, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: HTTP://WWW.GIBILL.VA.GOV. ONCE
DVA PROCESSES AN APPLICATION FOR POST-9/11 G.I. BILL
BENEFITS, THE
MEMBER WILL RECEIVE A LETTER EXPLAINING THE DVA DECISION
REGARDING
ELIGIBILITY. PAYOUTS FOR THE POST-9/11 G.I. BILL ARE NOT
ANTICIPATED PRIOR TO 15 AUG 2009.
4. INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE UNDER ANOTHER EDUCATION
BENEFIT (MGIB,
MGIB-SR, REAP), SEEKING ELIGIBILITY UNDER THE
POST-9/11 G.I. BILL
ARE DIRECTED TO THE DVA WEBSITE. THE
APPLICATION FORM REQUIRES
THAT INDIVIDUALS MAKE AN IRREVOCABLE ELECTION TO
CONVERT FROM
THEIR EXISTING PROGRAM TO THE
POST-9/11 G.I. BILL. MEMBERS
SHOULD
REVIEW REF D AND CONSULT WITH THEIR ESO PRIOR TO
MAKING AN
ELECTION.
5. RESERVE COMPONENT: MANY RESERVE MEMBERS MAY BE
ENTITLED TO 48
MONTHS OF COMBINED EDUCATION BENEFITS IF THEY QUALIFY
FOR TWO OR
MORE DVA PROGRAMS. IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER EDUCATION
PROGRAMS, THE DVA WILL REQUIRE YOU TO RELINQUISH ONE
PROGRAM FOR
POST-9/11 G.I. BILL AND THE DECISION WILL BE
IRREVOCABLE. RESERVE
MEMBERS ELIGIBLE FOR MGIB-SR MAY ELECT TO TRANSFER TO
POST-9/11
G.I. BILL AND RETAIN REAP AND/OR MGIB BENEFIT FOR
FUTURE USE, IF
ALL ACTIVE DUTY REQUIREMENTS ARE MET. AGAIN, RESERVE
MEMBERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REVIEW REF D AND CONSULT WITH THEIR
ESO.
6. TRANSFERABILITY ELIGIBILITY: GENERALLY, TO BE
ELIGIBLE TO
TRANSFER UNUSED EDUCATION BENEFITS, AN INDIVIDUAL
MUST BE A MEMBER
OF THE ARMED FORCES (ACTIVE DUTY OR SELRES) ON OR
AFTER 1 AUG 2009
AND OBLIGATE REQUIRED SERVICE AS OUTLINED IN
PARAGRAPH 3.A OF REF
D. FAMILY MEMBERS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE TRANSFERRED
BENEFITS ARE
OUTLINED IN PARAGRAPH 3.B OF REF D.
7. TRANSFERABILITY OF EDUCATION BENEFITS (TEB) WEB
APPLICATION:
A. THE TEB WEB
APPLICATION PROVIDES AN ELIGIBLE SERVICEMEMBER
THE ABILITY TO ELECT TO TRANSFER EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS
TO AN
ELIGIBLE DEPENDENT. VIA THE TEB WEB APPLICATION, ALL CG
APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED BY THE COAST GUARD
PERSONNEL SERVICE
CENTER (PSC). ACCEPTED APPLICATIONS ARE AUTOMATICALLY
SENT TO THE
VA FOR PROCESSING ONCE THE TRANSFER IS APPROVED BY
PSC. ONCE
APPROVED, THE DEPENDENT MUST APPLY TO THE DVA FOR A
CERTIFICATE OF
ELIGIBILITY BY SUBMITTING VA FORM 22-1990,
APPLICATION FOR VA
EDUCATION BENEFITS AS INDICATED IN PARAGRAPH 3.
SERVICEMEMBERS DO
NOT NEED TO APPLY FOR EDUCATION BENEFITS THROUGH THE
VA PRIOR TO
APPLYING FOR TRANSFERABILITY VIA
THE TEB WEB APPLICATION.
B. THE TEB
WEB APPLICATION IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN ON 29 JUN 2009.
THE LINK IS: HTTPS://WWW.DMDC.OSD.MIL/TEB/.
THIS LINK WILL NOT
BE OPERATIONAL UNTIL 29 JUN 2009. SERVICE MEMBERS ARE
DIRECTED TO
APPLY TO THEIR APPROPRIATE SERVICE COMPONENT, ACTIVE
OR RESERVE.
C.
SERVICEMEMBERS APPLYING TO TRANSFER BENEFITS TO DEPENDENTS
FOR USE THIS FALL WILL RECEIVE PRIORITY CONSIDERATION.
MEMBERS
APPLYING TO TRANSFER BENEFITS FOR FUTURE USE SHOULD
NOT SUBMIT
APPLICATIONS UNTIL 15 JUL 2009.
8. 1 AUG 2009 RETIREMENTS: PER REFS D AND E, THE EFFECTIVE DATE
OF THE POST-9/11 G.I. BILL IS 1 AUG 2009. AS OUTLINED
IN CHAPTER
12 OF REF F, A MEMBERS LAST
DATE IN THE ARMED FORCES IS THE DAY
PRECEDING THEIR EFFECTIVE
RETIREMENT DATE. THEREFORE, A
MEMBER
WITH A 1 AUG 2009 RETIREMENT DATE IS NOT A MEMBER OF
THE ARMED
FORCES ON 1 AUG 2009 AND WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO
TRANSFER UNUSED
BENEFITS TO FAMILY MEMBERS. MEMBERS WITH A RETIREMENT DATE OF 1
AUG 2009 MAY SUBMIT A REQUEST TO PSC TO EXTEND THEIR
RETIREMENT
DATE. EACH CASE WILL BE REVIEWED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS
IN
ACCORDANCE WITH CHAPTER 12 OF REF F. REQUESTS MUST
CLEARLY
ARTICULATE A SERVICE NEED.
9. THE POLICY AND PROCEDURES REFERENCED AND OUTLINED
IN THIS
ALCOAST WILL BE REFLECTED IN FUTURE PROMULGATIONS OF
REF G.
10. MEMBERS WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING VA EDUCATION
BENEFITS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT THEIR EDUCATION SERVICES
OFFICER (ESO) FOR
CLARIFICATION AND GUIDANCE. ESOS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FAMILIARIZE
THEMSELVES WITH GENERAL DVA
GUIDELINES CONCERNING POST-9/11 G.I.
BILL AND DIRECT MEMBERS TO THE DVA WEBSITE FOR
DETAILED
CLARIFICATION. THE DVA IS THE AUTHORITY FOR THE POST-9/11 G.I.
BILL. TRANSFERABILITY POLICY, HOWEVER, IS DIRECTED BY
THE OFFICE
OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (OSD) AND DETAILED IN REF
D. ESO
QUESTIONS REGARDING TRANSFERABILITY POLICY ONLY MAY
BE DIRECTED LT
FRANK MARCHESKI, COMDT (CG-1221), AT (202)475-5382.
11. MR. CURTIS B. ODOM, DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT, SENDS.
12. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.