Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)

Members of the Selected Reserve play a special role in the U.S. Armed Forces, and they can also benefit from a special version of the Montgomery GI Bill--the MGIB-SR. The Selected Reserve (SELRES) includes members of the reserves of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, along with the Army and Air National Guard.

Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the MGIB-SR, SELRES members must:

• Sign up for a six-year enlistment. For officers to use this GI Bill, they must sign up for an additional six years beyond their current obligation
• Complete both Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, known as Initial Active Duty Training (IADT)
• Earn a high school diploma or equivalent before starting GI Bill benefits
• Be a Selected Reserve member in good standing in a drilling reserve or Guard unit

Servicemembers who meet eligibility requirements qualify for 36 months of GI Bill education benefits. Benefits terminate 14 years after eligibility is established or upon discharge from the Selected Reserve, whichever is first.

Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve Application Procedure

For eligible members to use the SELRES GI Bill, they must follow a five-step process:

• Get DD Form 2384-1, Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), from SELRES unit personnel
• Complete VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits, which can be submitted online at Veterans Online Application (VONAPP) or downloaded
• Receive Certificate of Eligibility from the VA after application for education benefits is approved
• Register and enroll in school as a GI Bill student by using the Certificate of Eligibility
• Log online to WAVE account each month to verify attendance

Logging onto WAVE monthly is an important step many miss. Failure to do so will terminate payments until attendance is verified.

Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve Payout and Benefit Information

Once eligible for the MGIB-SR, members may use their 36 months of education assistance for both degree and non-degree programs, including:

• Undergraduate and graduate degrees
• Trade and technical programs
• Professional certifications
• Apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs
• Licenses
• Correspondence courses
• Independent study programs
• Vocational flight training

For servicemembers whose eligibility started on or after October 1, 1992, their benefits end 14 years from their date of eligibility. For those whose eligibility began prior to October 1, 1992, benefits expired by 2002.

In both cases, eligibility also ends on the day of discharge from the Selected Reserves. The one exception is if the servicemember is called to active duty. Generally, eligibility is extended for the length of the active-duty deployment plus four months. However, the servicemember must stay in the SELRES to use extended benefits.

Eligibility may be suspended if a servicemember:

• Enters the Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) program
• Has unsatisfactory membership
• Receives an active duty Senior Reserve Officers Training (ROTC) scholarship (section 2107, title 10). Members receiving a reserve ROTC scholarship (section 2107a, title 10) remain eligible for the MGIB-SR.

The MGIB-SR does not have a transfer option where benefits can be transferred to a spouse or dependent children, so benefits must be used by the SELRES member. Currently, servicemembers receiving MGIB-SR benefits get $337 per month and receive a check from the VA to pay their own tuition, fees, and other education-related expenses. In addition, the student may use a combination of Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) and state tuition assistance aid programs to supplement the MGIB-SR.

Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve Restrictions of Benefits

In addition to suspensions, benefits may be restricted if a servicemember:

• Takes courses not credited toward an educational objective or vocation
• Doesn't matriculate (state an education goal) by the third term of using MGIB-SR benefits
• Tries to repeat a course already successfully passed
• Takes courses covered under the Government Employees Training Act
• Tries using the Tuition Top-up Program with the MGIB-SR

For Reserve and National Guard members who are eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill due to a Title 10 mobilization or deployment of at least 91 days in length may choose to give up their Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve benefits and switch to Post-9/11 GI Bill.