VA Forms Required for Parental Education Benefits Transfer: Transferring educational benefits to family members can complicate the process of navigating the benefits available to service members.
A provision within the Post-9/11 GI Bill program permits active-duty service members to transfer their educational benefits to their immediate family members.
As a parent contemplating a benefit transfer, you must be well-informed of the forms and prerequisites to ensure a seamless procedure.
Between 2009 and 2019, 2.7 million enlisted #veterans were eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which provides #postsecondary education benefits to veterans and their families.https://t.co/KjGSLy722w
— American Institutes for Research (@AIRInforms) February 15, 2024
To commence, you have the option to transmit a portion or the entirety of your 36 months of education benefits to any eligible immediate family member, such as your spouse, children, or a blended couple.
However, it is essential to confirm your eligibility and that of your dependents before initiating the transfer.
For transferring benefits, you must have fulfilled the following requirements: as of October 1, 1998, you cannot have any outstanding balances on Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans. Additionally, you must have accomplished a minimum of six years of service.
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Parental forms that must be submitted to transfer?
After eligibility has been verified, the requisite paperwork must be attached to commence the transfer procedure.
Use VA Form 22-5490, which is designed specifically for educational benefits under Chapter 35 Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA) or Chapter 33 Fry Scholarship, when transferring benefits to a spouse or dependent.
In addition, each family member who intends to utilize the transferred benefits is required to apply for a certificate of eligibility with the VA using VA Form 22-1990E.
To be eligible for transferred benefits, your offspring must be enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).
Additionally, age restrictions do apply; minors between the ages of 18 and 20 are exempt, whereas those between the ages of 21 and 22 must be enrolled full-time to qualify.
In most cases, transferred benefits do not qualify for children older than 22 years.
After the transfer request is approved and the required forms are received, the VA will proceed with processing the education benefit requests of each family member and provide them with a certificate of eligibility.
Students are subsequently required to present this certificate to their respective educational institutions to commence the process of tuition fund disbursement.
It is critical to remain informed throughout the process and use milConnect to track the status of your transfer request.
Additionally, keep in mind that transferred benefits remain your property, and a transfer request may be reviewed, modified, or revoked at any time.
To obtain the aforementioned VA forms and further details regarding the transfer procedure, please refer to the VA Application for Education Benefits webpage on the official VA website.
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