JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- In a DoD news brief from July 8, 2019, regarding the Post 9/11 GI Bill policy changes, the following points were conveyed.
The policy implementation date is now January 12, 2020; originally, the policy was set to go into effect July 12, 2019.
Last year the Department issued a revised policy that would limit eligibility to individuals with less than 16 years of service (DoD Instruction 1341.13, “Post-9/11 GI Bill,” May 31, 2013, Incorporating Change 1, July 12, 2018).
This policy was set to become effective July 12, 2019; however, there is now a House sponsored language in the draft NDAA that if enacted would restrict the Department from having such a policy.
The potential for confusion and inequity caused by implementing the more restrictive policy for a brief period and then having to reverse it, exceeds the benefit of implementing the more restrictive eligibility criteria.
For this reason, an additional six month extension of the pending policy until January 12, 2020 was approved.
If a service member has more than 16 years of service after January 12, 2020, he or she will not be able to transfer the GI Bill benefits.
The provision requiring a service member to have at least six years of service to apply to transfer benefits remains unchanged in the policy.