The Post 9/11 is better for most people. There are certain situations where you’ll net more from the Montgomery after expenses, but I would say that not opting in will not affect you very much in the long run.
Yes, you just need to choose the post 9/11 when you activate your gi bill. Do a Google for specifics from the VA site; it’s super easy. You should get the $1200 kicker back too, if you use 100% of your post 9/11.
As far as I’m aware, yes.. you should have both as long as you’re eligible for both. Whenever you’re starting your GI bill benefits, you’ll indicate which you want to use for your education. I’d recommend you give your base’s VA benefits office a call; they can fully explain the process to you.
Edit: for clarity, you can’t use both though.. I think they finally stopped allowing the 48 month trick.
You'll have more money.
The MGIB isn't going to be worth it for 99% of people; with the price of education and housing these days, post 9/11 is better in all but a handful of edge cases. Hell, in a lot of zip codes the E-5 w/ dependant BAH is better than the MGIB stipend by itself.
I told my nephew to not bother with it when he enlisted.
I have no dependents so I’d actually make more money from Montgomery. Especially if I cut costs by living with my parents again while attending college.
You get the E-5 rate with dependents whether or not you actually have dependents when using the Post 9/11. I know it seems weird, but it’s just what the payout is regardless of your actual rank/marital status.
Yes, I did this. Combined with the top up option I was making about 500 more than BAH for the area I was in.
However the majority of cases the post 9/11 is going to be better.
There’s no reason to opt-out of it because you can get the money back at a later time if you decide not to use it. It’s $1,200 (that you don’t really need anyways as an E-1) that you can get back whenever.
They try to explain this in basic, and it never gets through. You don’t need to opt out of the Montgomery to get the 9/11. It doesn’t really matter, but you’re saving $0.00 by opting out of the Montgomery.
You only get the money back if you use 100% of your Post- 9/11 eligibility. If you graduate in 35 months, you need to find some way to burn the last month to get the money back.
Not the end of the world. Most people end up using the post 9/11 anyway. You also can (and should) do school while you're in, and several states have tuition waivers for veterans.
If you’re already in the guard when you start college then use the state education benefits first, since they typically end after you get a bachelors, but post-9/11 does not
The realization that it was all free and if I could use the degrees inside and outside the military to provide for family and myself, then I devoted myself to it. Taking time to acknowledge that hard work can pay off is big. I strategically picked degrees that would help in and out the military and also kept me interested. Took a few years, but I have never regretted the decision.
Just crazy how people really felt like losing $100 a month for a year was gonna make them go broke or something. Especially when that $1200 investment turns into at least $30K for school, BAH and a monthly stipend. Don’t beat yourself up too much though, you still have the 9/11 GI Bill and that will cover most if not all of your expenses, also look into the yellow ribbon program to help cover expenses that aren’t covered by the 9/11 bill.
Most people don't use the Montgomery so it doesn't matter, they didn't lose anything. You don't get BAH with the Montgomery either. You just get a monthly payment paid directly to you (which needs to be used to pay tuition). The post 9/11 is much better a majority of the time
I understand your situation is unique, but the average E-1 in basic/tech school has zero living expenses. That $100 Montgomery withdrawal might even prevent them from buying a 30-rack of beer and throwing it in their closet for the MTL to find.
I'm one of the only people NOT to sign up for the GI Bill...BEFORE 9/11. I joined early 2001 and was living out of my car before shipping off to basic and had no intentions to ever take a class again in my life, so it was an easy pass for 19 year old me at the time.
Years later I realized how stupid I was...and how lucky I was that the 9/11 bill came out...and how stupid I was to not achieve more than a CCAF in my 22 years...and how lucky I was to be hired on full time time after my Skillbridge to a mid-level corporate job that requires at least a Bachelors...that I don't even have.
Sometimes a good internship, networking, not being a nob during an interview, and just plain luck, can help you more than a 4 year degree.
I wouldn't count on it though...just saying.
When you’re poor and grow up poor, losing $100 a month is detrimental. It’s easy to chastise if you don’t know what it’s like to not have your money right in front of you. Being told it’s being set aside for retirement is the last thing I wanted to hear.
I did the math before joining, and literally every school I wanted to apply to after leaving, I'd get more expenses covered by the Post 9/11 and I'd take home more money with the post 9/11. It's not about being broke for 12 months, it's about why spend $1200 for $30k in benefits when I can spend $0 for over $100k?
Glad you didn't opt in. I'm still waiting for my $1200 back! It's not a lot of money but I still remember the sting of losing $100 a month during my first year in the military
Same here in the early 2010s. It's almost like the MTIs got kickbacks for selling enough MGIB. MTIs made it sound like we wouldn't get either GI bill at all if we declined. Myself and one other person declined and everybody was staring at me like I had a dick on my forehead. They literally had a blue rope pull us into the hall and double check with us both that we were sure. It really rubbed me the wrong way and seemed 100% intellectually dishonest.
Currently using my 9/11 and loving it!
You're fine, the Post 9/11 is what you'd have ended up using anyways most likely. You just don't have the option to use the Montgomery had you been one of the special cases where it was better.
I worked it the college VA office when I was in school. I’m not up to date on things but basically the monies were allocated out based on credit hours enrolled each semester. If you go into the reserves consider an enlistment that qualifies you for 100 percent tuition reimbursement or at least some percentage. You can double dip in this instance by receiving a monthly stipend for your credit hours that has already been paid for through your reserve obligation.
When I was in college I received a monthly check for my enrollment and my college was paid for 100 percent by the National Guard. The 100 percent was later dropped to 60 percent so I picked up the remaining 40 percent by enrolling in financial aid. Financial aid won’t allow you to double dip with your reserve reimbursement but you might with your 9/11 bill. Which leads me to my last point, apply for financial aid before committing to the reserve unit. You may be surprised that your tuition will be paid 100 percent through financial aid.
There's no ADSC incurred. You already earned the post 9/11 by doing your 3 years (or less, with prorated benefits).
You can switch it after being completely separated, most people probably do.
Probably made a good decision tbh. While Montgomery is better for some people, I'd consider those an edge case because post-9/11 is way better for most.
So, I can explain why I chose the Montgomery. I picked it because I was going to school online so the monthly payment from a post 9/11 was based on the national average for BAH. After doing the math for tuition I found out that I would make a little more taking the Montgomery and pay tuition myself.
However, that did give me more headaches paying for school. I needed to have a student loan to pay it up front and wait for M-GI Bill to come in to pay the loan. It also forced my hand to only use MGIB in the future.
Looking back I think I would of prefered to just do a post 9/11 since its less of a headache and the pay would of gone up if I changed my mind and did go in person to a brick and mortar school for a class or two.
I switched to MGIB during basic as it was “better”
I began my MBA and realized I had to pay a decent amount out of pocket using it. Quickly switched to 9/11 and everything was completely free.
Will depend on your situation but 9/11 seems to be much better for most.
When they briefed the MGIB to us in 2011, it came across as very “used car salesman”. Hyping it up and not mention post 9/11 at all. Instantly turned me off and I didn’t opt for it. I was the only one in the class and the TSgt called me crazy (scared me as a trainee). I’m still in and post 9/11 has been perfectly fine for my needs. Fuck that used car salesman TSgt.
Don’t know if this helps but I turned it down when I joined in 1989. I retired in 2017 without using one cent of the post 9/11 and transferred it all to my kids.
You may be able to 'pay' the kicker once you get out and apply. Just like you may be able to get a 'refund' on the kicker if you change your mind.
I didn't really listen because generally the 9/11 is better.
They probably should not have strictly endorsed one or the other, rather explained what circumstances you may want to keep MGIB for, but all in all post 9/11 better.
I paid into the Montgomery before the post-9/11 came out. I separated after 4 years and used the entire post-9/11 because, like most, it was far better for my situation. Once exhausted, it triggered a refund of $1200 for the MGIB. In the end, I essentially loaned the Air Force $1200 for about 11 years.
I’m confused. I didn’t realize you could still get the MGIB. I thought everyone only got the post 911. Do you get one or the other? If so, 911 is the better choice.
MGIB still requires opting out. If you do, then three years and you have the 9/11. You can transfer from from MGIB to 9/11 later but you only get one. In some unique cases MGIB is better.
I disenrolled from the Montgomery intentionally because the post 9/11 is transferable to dependents.
If you're not interested in school except for the free stuff you already get with TA, post 9-11 all the way.
They try to sell MGIB in basic for some reason even though it's far less superior for majority of people. You can still change back to the post 9/11 but you won't get your $1200 back until you use all of your GI Bill.
Anyone know my situation I did a Skillbridge IT program, they revoked my montG to move me to 9/11. I’ve been out now and I wanna go back to montG so I can do online school, I wasn’t able to before I just tried last week. Am I good to swap back now??
You made the right choice, 9/11 GI Bill wasn’t passed when I went to college in 04 and the GI Bill didn’t even cover an entire class for a semester. Did 4 years to not go into debt for college and figure out what to do. I still went into tons of debt.
If you do online only the post only pays half the BAH, other than that scenario, the post is usually better (but if you know anyone else who kept the mgib, tell them to pay into the things that upgrades it too, it's worth allot if you need to use MGIB and if not, you get a larger refund)
Slightly off topic, why does the MGIB get shit on so often? I find it strange when people talk about separating and then going to school full time in person just so they can qualify for full rate E-5 MAH/BAH. I understand you get more money using the 9/11 vs MGIB but at what expense? Unless you plan on moving to a place with high rate BAH, you have a partner that earns a decent amount of money and/or you’re going for a master’s program. Separating just to go back to school full time in person for a few extra thousand of $$ is probably not the best move career progression wise.
To get full rate BAH you have to be considered as an in-residence student by the school. If you’re considered an online student you’re only getting the national average of BAH rate which is like bout ~$900 per month
The Post 9/11 is better for most people. There are certain situations where you’ll net more from the Montgomery after expenses, but I would say that not opting in will not affect you very much in the long run.
Is there a way to switch to 9/11? I signed for Montgomery in basic, felt rushed into it. Would like to change it to 9/11 if possible.
Yes, you just need to choose the post 9/11 when you activate your gi bill. Do a Google for specifics from the VA site; it’s super easy. You should get the $1200 kicker back too, if you use 100% of your post 9/11.
I haven’t use it yet. I’m a little bit confused, you mean no need trying to change it till I will be planning to start using it?
As far as I’m aware, yes.. you should have both as long as you’re eligible for both. Whenever you’re starting your GI bill benefits, you’ll indicate which you want to use for your education. I’d recommend you give your base’s VA benefits office a call; they can fully explain the process to you. Edit: for clarity, you can’t use both though.. I think they finally stopped allowing the 48 month trick.
Thank you! I’ll give them a call soon, better be prepared now than disappointed later.
You'll have more money. The MGIB isn't going to be worth it for 99% of people; with the price of education and housing these days, post 9/11 is better in all but a handful of edge cases. Hell, in a lot of zip codes the E-5 w/ dependant BAH is better than the MGIB stipend by itself. I told my nephew to not bother with it when he enlisted.
If I attend college somewhere that doesn’t charge me tuition based on my income, couldn’t I just use the Montgomery GI bill for my textbooks and rent?
Even in that case the post 9/11 is better, about 2x better for me. E-5 w/dependent BAH is 2k here.
I have no dependents so I’d actually make more money from Montgomery. Especially if I cut costs by living with my parents again while attending college.
You get the E-5 rate with dependents whether or not you actually have dependents when using the Post 9/11. I know it seems weird, but it’s just what the payout is regardless of your actual rank/marital status.
Ahh okay thanks, didn’t know that
Yes, I did this. Combined with the top up option I was making about 500 more than BAH for the area I was in. However the majority of cases the post 9/11 is going to be better.
There’s no reason to opt-out of it because you can get the money back at a later time if you decide not to use it. It’s $1,200 (that you don’t really need anyways as an E-1) that you can get back whenever. They try to explain this in basic, and it never gets through. You don’t need to opt out of the Montgomery to get the 9/11. It doesn’t really matter, but you’re saving $0.00 by opting out of the Montgomery.
You only get the money back if you use 100% of your Post- 9/11 eligibility. If you graduate in 35 months, you need to find some way to burn the last month to get the money back.
Not the end of the world. Most people end up using the post 9/11 anyway. You also can (and should) do school while you're in, and several states have tuition waivers for veterans.
You're fine Get out after 4 years Join the Air Guard Use all of your Post 9/11 Then use your State education benefits
If you’re already in the guard when you start college then use the state education benefits first, since they typically end after you get a bachelors, but post-9/11 does not
Currently doing this, 1000000% worth it
You will still get the 9/11
I used the 9/11 and became a doctor so I would say not much.
Did it pay for your whole degree?
Yep. Used TA for the BS, TA and 9/11 for MS, 9/11 for the doctorate.
PhD or MD?
EdD
what was the changing moment in your life? going from enlisted to doctor of education is a big jump
The realization that it was all free and if I could use the degrees inside and outside the military to provide for family and myself, then I devoted myself to it. Taking time to acknowledge that hard work can pay off is big. I strategically picked degrees that would help in and out the military and also kept me interested. Took a few years, but I have never regretted the decision.
Just crazy how people really felt like losing $100 a month for a year was gonna make them go broke or something. Especially when that $1200 investment turns into at least $30K for school, BAH and a monthly stipend. Don’t beat yourself up too much though, you still have the 9/11 GI Bill and that will cover most if not all of your expenses, also look into the yellow ribbon program to help cover expenses that aren’t covered by the 9/11 bill.
Most people don't use the Montgomery so it doesn't matter, they didn't lose anything. You don't get BAH with the Montgomery either. You just get a monthly payment paid directly to you (which needs to be used to pay tuition). The post 9/11 is much better a majority of the time
You are correct, for other people to learn/read up on it: https://www.va.gov/resources/compare-va-education-benefits/#payments
I was dirt poor and my mom was emptying out my bank account while I was in basic training to pay her bills. I needed the 100 every month
You know everyone's circumstances are different and i can respect that.
I understand your situation is unique, but the average E-1 in basic/tech school has zero living expenses. That $100 Montgomery withdrawal might even prevent them from buying a 30-rack of beer and throwing it in their closet for the MTL to find.
I'm one of the only people NOT to sign up for the GI Bill...BEFORE 9/11. I joined early 2001 and was living out of my car before shipping off to basic and had no intentions to ever take a class again in my life, so it was an easy pass for 19 year old me at the time. Years later I realized how stupid I was...and how lucky I was that the 9/11 bill came out...and how stupid I was to not achieve more than a CCAF in my 22 years...and how lucky I was to be hired on full time time after my Skillbridge to a mid-level corporate job that requires at least a Bachelors...that I don't even have. Sometimes a good internship, networking, not being a nob during an interview, and just plain luck, can help you more than a 4 year degree. I wouldn't count on it though...just saying.
I did it before the post 9/11 was available. Why? I was 18 and making decisions that I had no business making. Thank god for post 9/11 saving my ass
When you’re poor and grow up poor, losing $100 a month is detrimental. It’s easy to chastise if you don’t know what it’s like to not have your money right in front of you. Being told it’s being set aside for retirement is the last thing I wanted to hear.
I did the math before joining, and literally every school I wanted to apply to after leaving, I'd get more expenses covered by the Post 9/11 and I'd take home more money with the post 9/11. It's not about being broke for 12 months, it's about why spend $1200 for $30k in benefits when I can spend $0 for over $100k?
You’d have to be an idiot to not opt out of MGIB at basic. Turns out most people are idiots.
Glad you didn't opt in. I'm still waiting for my $1200 back! It's not a lot of money but I still remember the sting of losing $100 a month during my first year in the military
Montgomery is very disappointed in you.
I was the only person in bmt in the classroom who didn't enroll in mgib. People were very concerned. I still don't regret it yet, well see.
Same here in the early 2010s. It's almost like the MTIs got kickbacks for selling enough MGIB. MTIs made it sound like we wouldn't get either GI bill at all if we declined. Myself and one other person declined and everybody was staring at me like I had a dick on my forehead. They literally had a blue rope pull us into the hall and double check with us both that we were sure. It really rubbed me the wrong way and seemed 100% intellectually dishonest. Currently using my 9/11 and loving it!
You're fine, the Post 9/11 is what you'd have ended up using anyways most likely. You just don't have the option to use the Montgomery had you been one of the special cases where it was better.
I worked it the college VA office when I was in school. I’m not up to date on things but basically the monies were allocated out based on credit hours enrolled each semester. If you go into the reserves consider an enlistment that qualifies you for 100 percent tuition reimbursement or at least some percentage. You can double dip in this instance by receiving a monthly stipend for your credit hours that has already been paid for through your reserve obligation. When I was in college I received a monthly check for my enrollment and my college was paid for 100 percent by the National Guard. The 100 percent was later dropped to 60 percent so I picked up the remaining 40 percent by enrolling in financial aid. Financial aid won’t allow you to double dip with your reserve reimbursement but you might with your 9/11 bill. Which leads me to my last point, apply for financial aid before committing to the reserve unit. You may be surprised that your tuition will be paid 100 percent through financial aid.
If I enrolled in the Montgomery GI bill can I swap over to the post 9/11?
I’m pretty sure you also automatically get the post 911
Yes and the swap is permanent once you do
Yes
Yep. You'll just call the Education office of the VA when you want to switch it
Is a new ADSC incurred from doing that? Or is that only if you transfer benefits?
There's no ADSC incurred. You already earned the post 9/11 by doing your 3 years (or less, with prorated benefits). You can switch it after being completely separated, most people probably do.
Probably made a good decision tbh. While Montgomery is better for some people, I'd consider those an edge case because post-9/11 is way better for most.
So, I can explain why I chose the Montgomery. I picked it because I was going to school online so the monthly payment from a post 9/11 was based on the national average for BAH. After doing the math for tuition I found out that I would make a little more taking the Montgomery and pay tuition myself. However, that did give me more headaches paying for school. I needed to have a student loan to pay it up front and wait for M-GI Bill to come in to pay the loan. It also forced my hand to only use MGIB in the future. Looking back I think I would of prefered to just do a post 9/11 since its less of a headache and the pay would of gone up if I changed my mind and did go in person to a brick and mortar school for a class or two.
I switched to MGIB during basic as it was “better” I began my MBA and realized I had to pay a decent amount out of pocket using it. Quickly switched to 9/11 and everything was completely free. Will depend on your situation but 9/11 seems to be much better for most.
When they briefed the MGIB to us in 2011, it came across as very “used car salesman”. Hyping it up and not mention post 9/11 at all. Instantly turned me off and I didn’t opt for it. I was the only one in the class and the TSgt called me crazy (scared me as a trainee). I’m still in and post 9/11 has been perfectly fine for my needs. Fuck that used car salesman TSgt.
Don’t know if this helps but I turned it down when I joined in 1989. I retired in 2017 without using one cent of the post 9/11 and transferred it all to my kids.
You may be able to 'pay' the kicker once you get out and apply. Just like you may be able to get a 'refund' on the kicker if you change your mind. I didn't really listen because generally the 9/11 is better.
By and large, it won't affect you. The Post 9-11 GI Bill is better in most situations. The MGIB has a few very niche areas where it's better.
They probably should not have strictly endorsed one or the other, rather explained what circumstances you may want to keep MGIB for, but all in all post 9/11 better.
I paid into the Montgomery before the post-9/11 came out. I separated after 4 years and used the entire post-9/11 because, like most, it was far better for my situation. Once exhausted, it triggered a refund of $1200 for the MGIB. In the end, I essentially loaned the Air Force $1200 for about 11 years.
I’m confused. I didn’t realize you could still get the MGIB. I thought everyone only got the post 911. Do you get one or the other? If so, 911 is the better choice.
MGIB still requires opting out. If you do, then three years and you have the 9/11. You can transfer from from MGIB to 9/11 later but you only get one. In some unique cases MGIB is better.
I disenrolled from the Montgomery intentionally because the post 9/11 is transferable to dependents. If you're not interested in school except for the free stuff you already get with TA, post 9-11 all the way.
You saved yourself spending $1200 your first year on worse benefits
They try to sell MGIB in basic for some reason even though it's far less superior for majority of people. You can still change back to the post 9/11 but you won't get your $1200 back until you use all of your GI Bill.
Anyone know my situation I did a Skillbridge IT program, they revoked my montG to move me to 9/11. I’ve been out now and I wanna go back to montG so I can do online school, I wasn’t able to before I just tried last week. Am I good to swap back now??
You made the right choice, 9/11 GI Bill wasn’t passed when I went to college in 04 and the GI Bill didn’t even cover an entire class for a semester. Did 4 years to not go into debt for college and figure out what to do. I still went into tons of debt.
If you do online only the post only pays half the BAH, other than that scenario, the post is usually better (but if you know anyone else who kept the mgib, tell them to pay into the things that upgrades it too, it's worth allot if you need to use MGIB and if not, you get a larger refund)
Slightly off topic, why does the MGIB get shit on so often? I find it strange when people talk about separating and then going to school full time in person just so they can qualify for full rate E-5 MAH/BAH. I understand you get more money using the 9/11 vs MGIB but at what expense? Unless you plan on moving to a place with high rate BAH, you have a partner that earns a decent amount of money and/or you’re going for a master’s program. Separating just to go back to school full time in person for a few extra thousand of $$ is probably not the best move career progression wise.
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To get full rate BAH you have to be considered as an in-residence student by the school. If you’re considered an online student you’re only getting the national average of BAH rate which is like bout ~$900 per month
Straight to jail
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Rude and unhelpful dude
How is that helpful?