Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) May 19, 2022 – Veterans will now be allowed to use their benefits to pursue more than one degree, thanks to recent changes to the Veteran Readiness and Employment Benefits program. Active and retired service members who use the Readiness and Employment Benefits program to pay for their college education will now be able to use those benefits in conjunction with post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
These benefits were previously not allowed to be used in conjunction with one another, and any Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits used for educational purposes would count against GI Bill benefit allowances. This is no longer the case. Now, if a veteran would like to or already has used their Readiness and Employment benefits to earn a degree or certification, they still will be able to access up to 48 months of GI Bill education benefits.
“Veterans should have the freedom to change their educational or career goals should they decide that their current path no longer suits them,” said James G. Fausone. Fausone is lead attorney at VA disability law firm Legal Help for Veterans in Northville, Michigan. “Life is always changing, and sometimes we outgrow things. This new policy offers our veterans an opportunity to evolve along with it.”
Under the changes, veterans will use the Readiness and Employment benefits before the GI Bill. If a veteran already has used their GI Bill benefits, they may be able to petition the VA to reclassify their used benefits as Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits and then qualify for additional education benefits in the future.
VA officials did not cite a specific reason for the policy change, which went into effect on April 1, 2021. According to the VA, 773,000 beneficiaries have used the post-9/11 GI Bill at the cost of more than $20 billion in benefits since 2009. The potential cost of allowing eligible veterans to utilize both benefits has not been estimated officially, but it could become expensive as university costs soar.
The VA is now contacting eligible veterans to alert them to the changes. Legal Help for Veterans is veteran-owned and run and focuses exclusively on VA disability claims. For more information, visit https://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC
41700 West Six Mile Road, Suite 101
Northville, MI 48168
Toll Free Phone: 800.693.4800
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