Transferability of Benefits
One of the great things about some of the most substantial education benefits for military personnel is that they can be transferred to the service member’s spouse or children. That means that if your parent (living or who died during active duty), spouse, or ex-spouse is entitled to education benefits, they might be transferable to you or your child in certain circumstances. The only benefits eligible for transfer, however, are those offered under the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI bills.
The rules can be quite complex and should be thoroughly discussed with someone’s benefits contact within the military, but here are the basics:
• Benefit amount—The amount transferred is the unused portion of the original service member’s amount. So if he has used half, his spouse or child could use only the remaining half.
• Housing allowance—No housing allowance is offered by the military under transferred benefits.
• Length of service required—The service member must have served at least six years active duty, National Guard, or Select Reserves, plus have enlisted for four more years.
• Time limit to use benefits—Spouses have 15 years from the service member’s retirement or date of active-duty death to use his benefits. Children have until their 26th birthdays to use benefits.
• Control over benefits—It is at the service member’s discretion whether a spouse, an ex-spouse, or a child can use the benefits. Further, the service member can revoke someone’s right to use it at anytime, even after that person’s education has started.
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