More People Using Transferred GI Bill Eligible For In-State Tuition

You may be aware that some veterans along with their spouses and children are eligible for in-state tuition at public schools when they are using the GI Bill. A new law going into effect July 1, 2017 expands that eligibility to children and spouses of active duty members.

Under current law, the following classes of students are eligible for in-state tuition while using the Post-9/11 or Montgomery GI Bills:

• veterans who live in the state where the school is located (regardless of their formal state of residence) and enroll in the school within three years of discharge from active duty
• individuals using transferred benefits who live in the state where the school is located (regardless of their formal state of residence) and enroll in the school within three years of the veteran transferor’s discharge from active duty
• anyone who is eligible as described above as long as they remain continuously enrolled at the same school

Public Law 114-315, also known as the “Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016” added provisions the GI Bill requiring that public schools also charge in-state tuition to:

• anyone using transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits who lives in the state where the school is located and the transferor is an active-duty member of the military
• anyone using benefits under the Fry Scholarship who lives in the state where the school is located (regardless of their formal state of residence).

This law doesn’t apply to active-duty members themselves, only their dependents who are using transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

According to the VA, not all states are compliant with the new law yet, you can check out their website for more details. Some people are reporting that schools are honoring the in-state tuition for children of active duty members, even though the VA says the state isn’t fully compliant with the law.

As always, we recommend you check with your school or the VA if you have questions.

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