Question:
Are Military Spouses eligible for any Military Education Benefits?
Answer:
Yes - but it depends. There are several Military Education Benefits available to dependents.
Visit our Military Family Education Assistance page to get more details on the many programs offered to military family members.
Don't forget to check out Military/Veteran Family Scholarships. Thousands of scholarships specifically designed for military family members go unused each year. The free Military.com Scholarship Finder service will help you locate the scholarships that best fits their needs.
In Addition the VA also has a program for Survivor and Dependent Education Assistance (DEA) that provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition, or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service related condition.
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.
The Fry Scholarship is an amendment to the Post-9/11 GI Bill that makes education benefits available to the surviving spouses and children of service members who die in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001.
Like Post-9/11 veterans, eligible surviving spouses and children attending school may receive full tuition coverage at state-operated colleges and universities, plus a monthly living stipend and book allowance under this program.
Surviving spouses can use the Fry Scholarship for 15 years from the anniversary of the servicemember's death or until they remarry.
Question:
Can I transfer my GI Bill benefit to a family member?
Answer:
Yes - But like the first answer - it depends. Here is what the VA has to say:
To be eligible, individuals must meet the following criteria plus any additional requirements the service may add.
To qualify the servicemember must be on Active Duty and meet the following criteria:
- Completed six years of service in the Armed Forces;
- Either have a critical military skill designated by the appropriate Secretary for purposes of transferability OR is in a military specialty designated by the appropriate Secretary for purposes of transferability as required AND
- Enter into an agreement to serve at least four more years as a member of the Armed Forces.
Effective July 12, 2019, only members with less than 16 years of active duty or selected reserve service will be able to transfer their GI Bill to dependents.
See our Post-9/11 GI Bill Transferability page for details.
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