![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infographic.png.png\")
Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Kate Atanasoff said in an email the service is working on an update to the way it trains airmen in GI Bill benefits. Come January, recruits will need to opt in to the Montgomery GI Bill to be enrolled \u2014 rather than having to opt out in order to avoid being enrolled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across all service branches currently, new service members get a DD 2366 form to fill out, which states that they are automatically enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill unless they choose to decline the benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The amount of time they have to decide varies by service, but new sailors have just two days to sign the form, while new soldiers have three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Will Hubbard, vice president of government relations for Student Veterans of America, finds such time limits problematic. At boot camp, he said, education benefits are not troops\u2019 No. 1 focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe real question, I believe at this point, is why DoD is still telling and directing recruits to pay into the benefit,\u201d Hubbard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DoD deferred to the VA when asked for comment on this story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public affairs officers for the service branches said new recruits are not steered toward a particular benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cServicemembers are not persuaded to choose one program over the other but are provided explicit details of what each program offers,\u201d said Coast Guard spokeswoman Lisa Novak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same is true for new sailors, said Lt. Commander Katherine Meadows of Naval Education and Training Command. \u201cOur goal is to ensure that they have all necessary information in order to make the best decision for them and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But a PowerPoint presentation given to new Army recruits presents the options to new soldiers this way: The Montgomery GI Bill is a one-time offer. Opting in means you have a choice of benefits down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One slide states, \u201cAfter declining MGIB, you cannot change your mind.\u201d The word \u201ccannot\u201d is underlined for emphasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides the $1,200 price tag on the Montgomery GI Bill benefits, there are other distinct differences between the two education benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Montgomery GI Bill pays a set monthly amount directly to eligible veterans for 36 months, at a current full-time rate of $1,928 per month. Those monthly benefits can increase if service members opt to make an additional $600 contribution, above the initial $1,200 investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Post-9\/11 GI Bill covers full tuition and fees for 36 months at the in-state tuition rate for public schools, or up to $22,805.34 annually at private schools for service members who are fully eligible for the full benefit. While this money is paid to the school, the service members also receive a large housing stipend and money for textbooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Montgomery GI Bill is good for 10 years after a veteran\u2019s release from active duty. Under a recent change to the Post-9\/11 benefit, new recruits who go on to use the benefit have no expiration date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor most participants, the Post-9\/11 GI Bill is the best option,\u201d the VA\u2019s Christian said. \u201cBut in certain limited circumstances, the (Montgomery GI Bill) may be better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A veteran with a full scholarship attending school at half-time or less who would not qualify for the monthly housing allowance could fall into this category, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steve Clair, deputy chief of continuing education at Army Human Resources Command, also gave the example of someone who lives in a state that offers full tuition benefits for veteran students. In these situations, service members could end up pocketing more each month by using the Montgomery GI Bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The majority of recruits who buy into the Montgomery GI Bill benefit don\u2019t end up using it, and, in many cases, they never see their $1,200 again. Service members who choose to go the Post-9\/11 route are eventually eligible for a refund from the VA, calculated by dividing their unused Montgomery GI Bill benefits by 36 months, then multiplying that number by 1,200. The $600 fee for increased benefits is nonrefundable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Veteran education advocates like Hubbard have proposed ending the Montgomery GI Bill all together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen any movement on this just yet. Obviously the data is still fresh and still new,\u201d Hubbard said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s something that we suspected for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A large majority of new troops are spending $1,200 on a veterans education benefit most of them will never use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":50169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":15,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,7,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3388],"class_list":["post-31121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-education-transition","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ZXBVD7FRYVC5JCXO2CV7GJW27M","arc_canonical_url":"\/education-transition\/education\/2017\/12\/22\/wasting-money-most-new-recruits-pay-1200-for-lesser-education-benefit\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DD-2366.png.png\")