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COVID-19 GI Bill Extensions

This article is preserved here for archival purposes. This program was offered to students affected by COVID-19 during the pandemic. For information about this program or its start/end dates, contact the Education Service Call Center at 888-442-4551.

COVID-19 GI Bill Extension

Thanks to the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 and Public Law 116-140, the Department of Veterans Affairs was authorized to extend the eligibility periods for students who were pursuing a course of instruction with their GI Bill benefits when their school either closed or suspended a program after March 1, 2020.

Who was Eligible for the Extension?

If you were enrolled in a course or program utilizing your VA benefits, and your benefits had not expired before March 1, 2020, the VA allowed for an extension of your eligibility period based on the benefit you were using.

This applies to:

• Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (chapter 30)
• Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserves (chapter 1606)
• Dependents’ Education Assistance for Children (chapter 35)
• Post 9/11 GI Bill (including Fry Scholarship recipients)
• Post 9/11 GI Bill Transfer of Entitlement to Spouses and Children

Requirements for the Extension

Public Law 116-140 authorized the VA to extend the 10-year eligibility period for the MGIB and the 15-year eligibility period for the Post 9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries who met the following criteria:

• You were actively enrolled between March 1, 2020 and December 21, 2020;
• You had an interruption in training due to COVID-19;
• You had not reached the delimiting date (expiration of benefit) prior to the interruption, AND
• You experienced a closing (either permanent or temporary) of the educational institution OR
• You experienced a temporary suspension of a program

How to Apply for the Extension

To apply for this extension, you were required to submit a request to the VA. There is no specific form required for this request, but your signed statement required:

• The beginning and ending dates showing the beneficiary was unable to attend training and 
• A statement indicating that it was “due to COVID-19.”

To send your request, use the VA’s “Ask a Question” link on their Help Portal. It will be on the right side of the page, near the top, and above the “Call Us” section.

The Extension was NOT Automatically Applied

This extension was not be automatically applied, so please take advantage of this opportunity to extend your benefit eligibility dates if you meet the criteria listed above.

If you have questions about your GI Bill benefits, or if you’re not sure when your benefit expires, contact the VA’s Education Call Center at 888-442-4551 (888 GI BILL 1), between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday.

(Photo by Benedikt Geyer on Unsplash)

RELATED:

• New Protections for Student Veterans During Covid-19
• Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020
• SVA Student Veteran Survey Insights
• Important GI Bill Update: 48-Month Rule