Veterans Benefits - Dickinson State University

The Dickinson State University Veterans Certifying Official is located in the Office of Academic Records, May Hall Room 111. If you are a veteran or a dependent (child, spouse, widow, widower) of a resident veteran killed in action, totally disabled, deceased from service-connected causes, or declared missing in action, you may be eligible for benefits. For information regarding the type of benefits that you may be eligible for, please see the Classifications below.

To find out if you are eligible for VA benefits you must call the VA Education phone number at 1-888-442-4551 or refer to the VA Education web site at www.gibill.va.gov
After acceptance to DSU, please contact the Veterans Certifying Official at 701-483-2332.
To be eligible for benefits you must be enrolled or pre-registered for classes.

"MGIB" for short, provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible veterans for:

You may be an eligible veteran if you received an Honorable Discharge, AND you have a High School Diploma or GED or, in some cases 12 hours of college credit, AND you meet the requirements of one of the categories below:

Entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985
Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for first 12 months
Continuously served for 3 years, OR served 2 years if that is what you first enlisted for, OR served 2 years if you entered Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty and served 4 years ("2 by 4" Program)

Entered active duty before January 1, 1977
Served at least 1 day between 10/19/84 and 6/30/85, and stayed on active duty through 6/30/88, (or 6/30/87 if you entered Selected Reserve within 1 year of leaving active duty and served 4 years)
On 12/31/89, you had entitlement left from Vietnam Era GI Bill

Not eligible for MGIB under Category I or II
On active duty on 9/30/90 AND separated involuntarily after 2/2/91,
OR involuntarily separated on or after 11/30/93,
OR voluntarily separated under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) or Special Separation Benefit (SSB) program
Before separation, you had military pay reduced by $1200

On active duty on 10/9/96 AND you had money remaining in a VEAP account on that date AND you elected MGIB by 10/9/97
OR entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between 7/1/85, and 11/28/89 AND you elected MGIB during the period 10/9/96, through 7/8/97
Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1200 lump-sum contribution

You can apply by filling out VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits.

The Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve program may be available to you if you are a member of the Selected Reserve. The Selected Reserve includes the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.

You may use this education assistance program for degree programs, certificate or correspondence courses, cooperative training, independent study programs, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, and vocational flight training programs. Remedial, refresher and deficiency training are available under certain circumstances.

Eligibility for this program is determined by the Selected Reserve components. VA makes the payments for this program.

If your eligibility to this program began on or after October 1, 1992, your period of eligibility ends 14 years from your beginning date of eligibility, or on the day you leave the Selected Reserve.

If your eligibility to this program began prior to October 1, 1992, your period of eligibility ends 10 years from your beginning date of eligibility, or on the day you leave the Selected Reserve.

Have a six-year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve signed after June 30, 1985. If you are an officer, you must have agreed to serve six years in addition to your original obligation. For some types of training, it is necessary to have a six-year commitment that begins after September 30, 1990;
Complete your initial active duty for training (IADT);
Meet the requirement to receive a high school diploma or equivalency certificate before completing IADT. You may not use 12 hours toward a college degree to meet this requirement;
Remain in good standing while serving in an active Selected Reserve unit.

If your Reserve or National Guard unit is deactivated during the period October 1, 1991, through September 30, 1995, or you are involuntarily separated (e.g., reduction in force) from Reserve or National Guard service during this same period, you will retain eligibility for MGIB - SR benefits for the full 14 year eligibility period. You will also retain MGIB - SR eligibility if you were discharged from Selected Reserve service due to a disability that was not caused by misconduct. Your eligibility period may be extended if you are ordered to active duty.

Your unit will give you DD Form 2384-1, Notice of Basic Eligibility, when you become eligible for the program. Your unit will also code your eligibility into the Department of Defense personnel system so that VA may verify your eligibility. You should then make sure that your selected program is approved for VA training. If you are not clear on this point, VA will inform you and the school or company about the requirements. Obtain and complete VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits. Send it to the VA regional office with jurisdiction over the State where you will train. If you have started training, take your application and your Notice of Basic Eligibility to your school or employer. Ask them to complete VA Form 22-1999, Enrollment Certification, and send all the forms to VA.

Dependents' Educational Assistance provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of certain veterans. The program offers up to 45 months of education benefits. These benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training. If you are a spouse, you may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.

A veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise out of active service in the Armed Forces.
A veteran who died from any cause while such service-connected disability was in existence.
A service member missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force.
A service member forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power.

If you are a son or daughter and wish to receive benefits for attending school or job training, you must be between the ages of 18 and 26. In certain instances, it is possible to begin before age 18 and to continue after age 26. Marriage is not a bar to this benefit. If you are in the Armed Forces, you may not receive this benefit while on active duty. To pursue training after military service, your discharge must not be under dishonorable conditions. VA can extend your period of eligibility by the number of months and days equal to the time spent on active duty. This extension cannot generally go beyond your 31st birthday, there are some exceptions.

If you are a spouse, benefits end 10 years from the date VA finds you eligible or from the date of death of the veteran.

You should make sure that your selected program is approved for VA training. If you are not clear on this point, VA will inform you and the school or company about the requirements.

Obtain and complete VA Form 22-5490, Application for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance. Send it to the VA regional office with jurisdiction over the State where you will train. If you are a son or daughter, under legal age, a parent or guardian must sign the application.

If you have started training, take your application to your school or employer. Ask them to complete VA Form 22-1999, Enrollment Certification, and send both forms to VA.

Under the vocational rehabilitation program (chapter 31) eligible veterans are assisted in selecting a rehabilitation goal and developing an individualized rehabilitation plan, leading to employment.

The services that may be provided to Chapter 31 veterans in training include vocation vocational and personal counseling, education and training, medical and dental treatment and subsistence allowance. Eligible veterans may receive up to 48 months of training benefits; however, the length of the program is based on the individualized written rehabilitation plan.

Usually, you must be awarded a monthly VA disability compensation payment. In some cases, you may be eligible if you aren’t getting VA compensation (for example, you are awaiting discharge for the service because of a disability, OR you are entitled to VA compensation but have decided not to reduce your military retirement or disability pay.

You can apply by filling out VA Form 28-1900, Disabled Veterans Application for Vocational Rehabilitation and mail it to the VA regional office that serves your area.

The Post-Vietnam Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program, or “VEAP” for short, is an education benefit for veterans who paid into VEAP while they were in the service. Eligible veterans may be entitled to as much as 36 months of training. Eligibility usually ends 10 years after getting out of the service, but the time limit can be longer in some cases. Eligible veterans may pursue any of the following types of training:

You were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable AND
You first entered active duty after December 31. 1976, and July 1, 1985, AND
You contributed to VEAP before April 1, 1987 AND
You served long enough to qualify

You can apply for VEAP by filling our VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits.

Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) – Chapter 1607
REAP (Chapter 1607 of title 10, U.S. Code) is a new education program that provides up to 36 months of education benefits to members of the Selected Reserves, Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) and National Guard, who are called or ordered to active service in response to a war or national emergency, as declared by the President or Congress.

Eligibility will be determined by the Department of Defense (DoD) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as appropriate. Generally, a member of a Reserve component who serves on active duty on or after September 11, 2001 under title 10, U.S. Code, for at least 90 consecutive days under a contingency operation, is eligible for REAP. There is no specific time frame to use REAP; however, your eligibility generally ends when you leave the Selected Reserves.

National Guard members are eligible if their active service extends for 90 consecutive days or more and their service is:

Once you find a program approved for VA training, complete VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits, and send it to the VA regional office that serves the state where you will train. Indicate on the form you are applying for REAP. You can also apply online at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp.