The Post 9/11 GI BILL (chapter 33) differs significantly from Chapter 30, providing greater flexibility in meeting the needs of today's service men and women. The new GI Bill includes: 

*An extended time frame of 15 years to use the benefits, from the time of discharge. 

*An elimination of a required individual buy-in 

*A provision that allows veterans to transfer benefits to spouse or dependents. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

To be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you must have 

*An Honorable discharge 

*Served at least 90 aggregate days on or after September 10, 2001; or discharged with a service connected disability after 30 continues days. 

*Length of service determines a veteran's maximum benefits*

Please visit www.mass.edu/veterans for more information 

Benefits: 

Based upon the length of service, veterans are entitled to recieve a percentage of the following: 

*The cost of tuition and fees up to the highest public in-state undergraduate rate, that is paid directly to the college or university. 

* A monthly housing allowance equal to the Department of Defense E-5 with dependents based on the zip code of the college/university that is paid directly to the beneficary.

*A book stipend of 41.67 per credit of up 24 credits or 1,000 dollars per acadmeic year, also paid directly to the beneficiary 

Yellow Ribbon Program: 

This program allows degree granting institutions to voluntarily enter into an annual agreement with the VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the highest in-state tuition undergraduate rate. The charges for graduate students, out-of-state students and students attending independent institutions may exceed this rate. Under this program, institutions may contribute up to 50% of these unmet charges and the VA will match dollar per dollar this amount. 

Only veterans who qualify for 100% of the full chapter 33 benefit are eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program. Veterans who participate in the Yellow Ribbon during one academic year are entitled to receive Yellow Ribbon benefits throughout their education, as long as the institution continues to participate in the program and the student in in good academic standing with the school. Yellow Ribbon contributions may change each academic year. 

Below is the current list of colleges and universities participating in the Yellow Ribbon program. 

State Education Benefits 

Tuition Waivers 

Under M.G.L. c. 15A, s. 19, Massachusetts veterans who are not in default of any federal student loans and who are legal residents of Massachusetts may be eligible for any state-supported course in an undergraduate degree program or certificate program offered by a public college or university. Under Chapter 130 of the Acts of 2005, National Guard members are eligible for a waiver of state college and state university fees and tuition. For more information, you may contact the Veterans Representative at the college or university, or visit the University of Massachusetts veterans’ website at: www.mass.edu/veterans. 

Public Service Scholarship Programs 

Massachusetts sponsors a scholarship for certain dependants of deceased veterans. Scholarships will be awarded to the children of prisoners of war, the children of military or service persons who are missing in action in Southeast Asia whose service was between February 1, 1955, and the end of the Vietnam campaign, and the children of veterans who were killed in action or otherwise died as a result of such service. See Appendix D for service requirements. The scholarships are awarded for undergraduate study at Massachusetts institutions of higher education. For more information contact: 

Other Education Benefits 

The Fund for Veterans’ Education will provide scholarships to help with the cost of higher education for veterans from all branches of the United States Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001 and who are now enrolled in college or vocational-technical school. For more information or an application, visit: www.veteransfund.org. Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) coordinates associate and bachelor’s degree programs in a variety of curriculum areas for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. These degree 

programs are offered by colleges and universities on or accessible to Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard installations worldwide. Within each curriculum or degree network, member colleges agree to accept each other’s credits in transfer. Service members and their family members in isolated locations can take courses through such “distance learning” methods as the Internet, correspondence, computer, or video. This allows service members to continue earning their degrees during frequent transfers. For more information, visit: www.soc.aascu.org.  

Scholarship Opportunities 

The VFW Scholarships offers a variety of scholarships to veterans and their families. For more information, visit: http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.levelc&cid=1836.  The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans offers scholarships for veterans. To be eligible for the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship, a veteran must be U.S. citizen, have served in either Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom after September 11, 

2001, and be in need of financial assistance. For more information, visit: www.horatioalger.com/scholarships_military.  

AMVETS annually awards scholarships to veterans/active military, and their children or grandchildren. A child or grandchild of a deceased veteran is also eligible. The scholarship provides assistance to high school seniors, high school JROTC students and veterans pursuing a higher education on the basis of academic excellence and financial need. For more information, visit: http://www.amvets.org/programs/programs_scholarships.html. The Mehadi Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Lance Corporal Jeff Key, USMC, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Mehadi Foundation scholarship provides assistance with college tuition to veterans who have struggled with addiction but who are at least six months clean and sober and in school. For more information, visit www.mehadifoundation.org.

Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund: 

The Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund (MSLF) has been established to specifically help the children of Massachusetts Servicemen and Women who have died while deployed on operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. The MSLF is specifically designed to grant funds for current and future college/university students whose parent's "home of record" at the Department of Defense was Massachusetts and were killed on deployment during Operations Enduring or Iraqi Freedom.

There is no selection process. If the student is a child of a Serviceman or Woman whose service is credited to Massachusetts and gave his/her life in Operation Enduring or Iraqi Freedom, that student qualifies for funds. Prior to each school year, the trustees will distribute equal grant shares to those students who qualify. The only requirement for recipients will be that they have filed applications establishing that they are qualified, and that they remain enrolled in the undergraduate or postgraduate program at the college or university.

The MSL Fund has been recognized as a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization.
All donations are tax-deductible. MSL Fund IRS Tax #: 20-1909556

Please Follow this link for more information: 

http://www.mslfund.org/

Contact Information: 

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

One Ashburton Place Room 1401 Boston, MA 02108

Phone # 617.994.6914

Fax# 617.727.6397

www.mass.edu/veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

Washington D.C. Centeral Office

1.888.GIBILL1 or 1.888.442.4551