Chapter 33 Benefits Explained: How Dependents Can Receive GI Bill Support

Chapter 33 Benefits: Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are also called Chapter 33 benefits. They can help pay for school, job training, books, housing, and other education costs for a spouse or dependent child. These benefits do not move to family members by default. A service member has to choose to transfer them first, and the Defense Department makes that call, not the Department of Veterans Affairs. A qualified service member can transfer all 36 months of the benefit or only part of it, depending on how much remains.

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The transferred benefit can be used for many kinds of approved learning. That includes undergraduate and graduate study, vocational programs, apprenticeships, flight training, on-the-job training, and other approved courses. It can also help with tuition, housing, books, supplies, and fees for licensing, certification, and national tests.

Who can Transfer the Benefit?

The service member must usually be on active duty or in the Selected Reserve when asking for the transfer. The request is approved only if the service member has completed at least six years of service and agrees to serve four more years. The dependent who will receive the benefit must also be enrolled in DEERS. A Purple Heart recipient does not have to meet the normal service rule, but the transfer request still has to be made while the person is on active duty. If a veteran leaves the military without setting up the transfer first, a new transfer usually cannot be created later.

The transfer request must be made through milConnect while the service member is still serving. After the Defense Department approves it, the spouse or child must apply separately to VA. The dependent must use their own Login.gov or ID.me account, or they can send VA Form 22-1990e by mail. VA then reviews the application and, if it is approved, sends a Certificate of Eligibility that shows how many months can be used and the time limit for using them.

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When can Spouses and Children use it?

A spouse can start using transferred benefits right away. This is true even if the service member is still on active duty. The only limit is that the spouse usually cannot get the monthly housing allowance while the service member is still serving. If the spouse applies, the benefit may stay usable forever after January 1, 2013, unless the transfer is revoked.

A dependent child has to wait longer. The child can start only after the service member has completed at least 10 years of service. The child must also be at least 18 years old or have a high school diploma or equivalent certificate, and the child must use the benefit before turning 26. In some cases, the child may still get the monthly housing allowance even while the service member is on active duty.