Using eBenefits to Manage Your GI Bill
For years, veterans, service members, and their families used the eBenefits portal to manage their VA benefits. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been part of a long-term effort to modernize its systems, albeit with varying degrees of success.
As a result of these modernization efforts, the eBenefits portal is being phased out, and the central hub for managing nearly all your VA benefits, including the GI Bill, is now VA.gov.
Related: How to Activate the GI BIll
If you are accustomed to using eBenefits, this guide will help you locate all the key GI Bill management features on the new, streamlined platform.
Using eBenefits to Manage Your GI Bill: From eBenefits to VA.gov
The eBenefits portal was launched in 2007 as a joint venture between the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a “central access point” for benefits. While it served this purpose for over a decade, the VA’s digital modernization initiative led to the development of VA.gov as a single, more user-friendly site.
Today, almost all features related to education, healthcare, and disability compensation have been permanently migrated to VA.gov. Although the eBenefits site may still be available, it primarily serves as a directory, redirecting users to VA.gov for most tasks.
Applying for Your GI Bill
One thing that has not changed is that you must apply for your GI Bill benefits before you can manage them. This process is done directly on the VA.gov website.
You can complete the application online. Visit the “Education and Training” section of VA.gov to access the application and begin the process.
How to Manage Your GI Bill on VA.gov
Once you are logged into your VA.gov account, your “My VA” dashboard serves as your personalized homepage. From here, you can navigate to the “Education and Training” section to handle all the tasks you previously did on eBenefits.
- On VA.gov, you can check your GI Bill enrollment status through the “Check your claim, decision review, or appeal status” tool; this same tool is where you will find the status of any education-related appeals.
- To see your remaining GI Bill entitlement, you can view and download your GI Bill Statement of Benefits from your account’s education section.
- You can also review your entire VA payment history, including education and housing stipends, in the “View your VA payment history” section.
Related: GI Bill Status: How to Check
Monthly enrollment verification is still required for Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) recipients to continue receiving payments. Several convenient options have replaced the old WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) system.
The easiest method is to reply “Yes” to the VA’s monthly text message. If you do not use text, the VA will send an email, and you must select “Yes” to verify.
You can also log in to VA.gov to use the online verification tool or call the Education Call Center. Note that for Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30 and 1606) users, this is also where you will update your direct deposit information.
For Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients, updating your direct deposit information is streamlined; you can change it directly in your VA.gov profile. This one change will update your information across most VA benefits, including disability and pension.
- The process for transferring your GI Bill benefits (TEB) remains a two-step process. First, as an active-duty service member, you must request the Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB) through the DoD’s milConnect website.
- This is where you designate your dependents and the number of months for which they will receive benefits.
What You Need to Use VA.gov
To access your protected data on VA.gov, you can use ID.me and Login.gov. While some users may still have older DS Logon credentials, the VA encourages everyone to use these more modern and secure options.
These accounts require identity verification but provide secure access to your most sensitive VA and other government information.
Related: Which GI Bill do I Have?
About the author
Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
