The transferability option under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® allows Service-members to transfer all or some unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children. The Department of Defense (DoD) determines whether or not you can transfer benefits to your family. Once the DoD approves benefits for transfer, the new beneficiaries apply for them at VA.
Check out How to Transfer and Use Benefits to:
- Check Your Eligibility to Transfer
- Check Eligibility – your children
- Check Eligibility – your spouse
- How to Complete Your Application (VA Form 22-1990E)
Online Application (*takes approximately 15 min)
- How to Manage Benefits After Transfer
Process Overview
Follow this process to complete a transfer of education benefits:
- Submit the transfer request so that the Status changes to Submitted.
- Sign in to milConnect regularly to check the status of your request.
- When your transfer request is approved, the Status is updated to Request Approved, the Status Date is set to the date that the Service Representative approved the request, the age displays a link to the Approval Form letter, and your request data is sent to the VA.
- After the Status becomes Request Approved, each family member receiving an education benefit must complete the VA Form 22-1990E to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) before they can use their benefit.
- The VA sends the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to the family member.
- The family member must provide the Certificate of Eligibility to the school that they plan to attend.
- The VA sends the tuition directly to the school.
If the family member does not receive the Certificate of Eligibility from the VA before they enroll in school, the family member should ask the veterans' certifying official at the school to submit an enrollment certification to the VA for the academic term.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The absence of the registration symbol ® does not constitute a waiver of VA's trademark rights.