If you don’t recall, way back when, there was the creation of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. When this was implemented, military members who qualified for GI Bill benefits could elect to receive either the Mongomery or Post 9/11, but not both.

Many service members and veterans chose to go with the 36 months of Post 9/11 because it includes a monthly housing stipend as well as a $500/semester or $1000/year total for books.

However, because of a recent decision from the federal court, qualifying veterans and current service members may get the option of extending their educational benefits an extra year.

This could work by having veterans who are under post 9/11 switch to Mongomery once it is completed. However, there is also talk of being able to switch freely between the two until all benefits are used up.

The Judicial panel did rule in a 2-1 decision, according to Military Times, saying double-dipping would be prohibited. This means that an eligible recipient could not use both the Post 9/11 and Mongomery GI Bill at the same time.

Currently, what has been happening for members who relinquished their Mongomery benefits is reimbursement for what they paid into the program. For example, if a service member entered under the Mongomery GI Bill, they would have paid $1,200. However, once the Post 9/11 GI Bill came out, there was no payment required from eligible individuals. If the member chose to switch over to the Post 9/11 option, they first have to use up all benefits under that program before receiving reimbursement of the $1,200 they paid into the Mongomery GI Bill.

Unfortunately, not all qualifying service members and veterans know about this reimbursement. If this was you, it is a simple matter of using up all Post 9/11 benefits and then calling the VA for reimbursement.

However, if the use of both Mongomery and Post 9/11 GI Bills are authorized, there could be some big changes to the reimbursement option.