From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click here for full document.

Basic period of eligibility

There is a 12-year basic period of eligibility for VR&E services. The period begins on the latter of the following dates:

• Date of separation from active duty
• Date you were first notified of a service-connected disability rating

Who is entitled to receive VR&E services?

• Active-duty Servicemembers who:
• Expect to receive an honorable discharge
• Obtain a VA memorandum rating of 20 percent or more
• Are participating in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) or have an injury or illness that prevents them from performing military duties
  • • Servicemembers participating in IDES are presumed entitled
• Are determined by VR&E to need vocational rehabilitation services

Veterans who:

• Have received an honorable or other than dishonorable discharge
• Have a VA service-connected disability rating of:
  • • 10 percent with a serious employment handicap, or
    • 20 percent or more with an employment handicap
• Are determined by VR&E to need rehabilitation services

From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click here for full webpage.

From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click here for full webpage.

You may be eligible for VA education benefits (Chapter 35 benefits) if you’re the child or spouse of a service member and one of the descriptions listed below is true of the service member.

One of these must be true. The service member:

• Died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001, or
• Is missing in action or was captured in the line of duty by a hostile force, or
• Was detained (held) by force while in the line of duty by a foreign government or power, or
• Is in the hospital or getting outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability, and is likely to be discharged for that disability. A service-connected permanent and total disability is a disability resulting from your service that doesn’t go away.

You may be eligible for VA education benefits (Chapter 35 benefits) if you’re the child or spouse of a Veteran and one of the descriptions listed below is true of the Veteran.

One of these must be true. The Veteran:

• Is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, or
• Died while on active duty or as a result of a service-connected disability

If you’re a dependent who doesn’t meet the above criteria, you may still qualify for VA education benefits if the Veteran or service member transferred some or all of their Post-9/11 GI Bill® entitlement to you while they were on active duty.

From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click here for full webpage.

One of these categories must describe you

Category I

All of these are true. You:

• Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
• Entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985, and
• Had your military pay reduced by $100 a month for the first 12 months of service

And at least one of these is true. You served continuously (without a break) for:

• 3 years, or
• 2 years if that was your agreement when you enlisted, or
• 4 years if you entered the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty (called the 2 by 4 program)

Category II

All of these are true. You:

• Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
• Entered active duty before January 1, 1977 (or before January 2, 1978, under a delayed enlistment program contracted before January 1, 1977), and
• Served at least 1 day between October 19, 1984, and June 30, 1985, and stayed on active duty through June 30, 1988 (or through June 30, 1987, if you entered the Selected Reserve within 1 year of leaving active duty and served 4 years), and
• Had at least 1 day of entitlement left under the Vietnam Era GI Bill® (Chapter 34) as of December 31, 1989

Category III

All of these are true. You:

• Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
• Don’t qualify for MGIB under categories I or II, and
• Had your military pay reduced by $1,200 before separation

And one of these is true. You:

• Were on active duty on September 30, 1990, and involuntarily separated (not by your choice) after February 2, 1991, or
• Involuntarily separated on or after November 30, 1993, or
• Chose to voluntarily separate under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) program or the Special Separation Benefit (SSB) program

Category IV

Both of these are true. You:

• Have a high school diploma, GED, or 12 hours of college credit, and
• Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1,200 lump-sum contribution (meaning you paid it all at once)

And one of these is true. You:

• Were on active duty on October 9, 1996, had money left in a VEAP account on that date, and chose MGIB before October 9, 1997, or
• Entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between July 1, 1985, and November 28, 1989, and chose MGIB between October 9, 1996, and July 9, 1997

From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Click here for full webpage.

You may be eligible for education benefits under this program if you meet the requirements listed below.

One of these must be true. You:

• Have a 6-year service obligation (you agreed to serve 6 years) in the Selected Reserve, or
• Are an officer in the Selected Reserve and you agreed to serve 6 years in addition to your initial service obligation

Note: Your obligation must have started after June 30, 1985, or for some types of training after September 30, 1990.

And all of these must also be true. You:

• Complete your initial active duty for training (IADT), and
• Get a high school diploma or certificate of equal value, like a High School Equivalency Diploma or GED, before finishing IADT (Note: You can’t use 12 hours toward a college degree to meet this requirement), and
• Stay in good standing while serving in an active Selected Reserve unit
  (Note: You’ll still be eligible if you’re discharged from Selected Reserve service due to a disability that was not caused by misconduct)