If you are a Veteran who has been out of the service for a number of years, or if you are an active duty Servicemember who is nearing retirement, then you may be qualified for a Veterans Education Assistance Program. The program, called VEAP for short is a situation where the government in some situations will match your contributions for educational purposes 2 to 1, for every dollar that you contribute the government will give $2 dollars. This can be a great advantage if you are preparing to leave the military and want to go back to school.
The benefits can be used to pay for vocational schooling, vocational apprenticeship on the job training, correspondence courses, certificate and degree programs, as well as typical university and college degree courses. In some cases if you need refresher training, deficiency or remedial training then you may also qualify to use the benefits for those purposes as well.
You can be entitled from one month up to a maximum of 36 months worth of benefits under the VEAP program. If you are a veteran, and no longer on active duty you have up to ten years to access the VEAP program benefits that you may still qualify for. For those personnel that contributed money to their own VEAP benefit account and then didn’t use the educational benefits any contributed money will be refunded at the end of the ten-year eligibility period.
The VEAP program is lucrative but it doesn’t apply to every Veteran, there are some qualifying factors in order to be eligible for this program. Basically, if you meet the following conditions or qualifying factors then you are eligible for benefits under this program: if you opened a VEAP matching fund account before 1987, if you contributed at least $25 dollars but not more than $2,700 dollars to your VEAP fund, if you entered the military service for the first time between 1977 and 1985, if you have completed at least your first enlistment period of service, and if you are scheduled to be discharged (or are already discharged) under honorable conditions, then you appear to qualify.
If you appear to be eligible then you first should find a program that appears to qualify under the guidelines, and then make application using VA Form 22-1990. Send it to the regional VA office that has jurisdiction, and then wait. That should be all it takes to get you started.
