R 261811Z JUN 09 ZUI ASN-A00177000018 ZYB FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-12// TO ALCOAST BT UNCLAS //N01040// ALCOAST 377/09 COMDTNOTE 1040 SUBJ: POST-9/11 G.I. BILL, EDUCATION BENEFITS A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 181351Z SEP 08/ ALCOAST 447/08 B. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 162125Z JAN 09/ ALCOAST 044/09 C. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 281534Z APR 09/ ALCOAST 250/09 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, U.S. CODE F. PERSONNEL MANUAL, COMDTINST M1000.6 (SERIES) G. MONTGOMERY G.I. BILL, COMDTINST 1001.30 (SERIES) 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. BT NNNN