Posted: 3/26/2007 9:12:51 PM EDT
| I know there is a 10 year time limit to using your GI Bill once you leave active duty. My question is whether joining the Reserve/Guard will reset the clock on the GI Bill. I hate to let the money go to waste and have been considering going into the Reserve/Guard anyway. I would go to school now, but working graves and living over an hour from work makes it difficult. |
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It depends. Just joining the reserves won't extend your GI Bill delimiting date (10 years after being discharged from active duty) unless you go active duty for more than 90 days (other than for training purposes). If you go active for more than 90 days (other than for training purposes), then yes according to the GI Bill website. If you are joining the reserves for their GI Bill benefits remember that even though they may say you would get three years of reserve benefits for serving a six year obligation, you can only pull a total of 48 months of entitlement. Usually 36 months for your prior service AD time, and only 12 for your reserve benefits. |
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That pretty much answer it. If you are in the Guard, state activations won't count for extending your GI Bill though. Only federal call ups. Once released from federal active duty, you will have a new ten year window to use it, starting from the date of your REFRAD (Release From Active Duty). This was a very good thing for me. My Regular Army ets was in Feb '95, so my eligibility ended in 2005. But my unit was activated in 2004, and I was released in Aug '05, so I now have until 2015 to use it or lose it. |