The Post-9/11 GI Bill - Beneficiaries, Choices, and Cost - May 2019

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Provides an analytical overview of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, focusing on who benefits, how beneficiaries choose schools and programs, and the law’s cost. It explains eligibility for 36 months of education, including tuition and fees, housing allowances, and related expenses, and describes benefit transfer to qualifying family members. Using Congressional Budget Office analysis of VA data and supporting research, it reviews spending levels, the types of institutions attended, and evidence on effectiveness for recruitment, retention, and veterans’ transition to civilian life.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

Benefits

Choices

Spending and Outcomes

What Benefits Does the Post-9/11 GI Bill Offer?

Eligible Schools and Programs

How Much Is Spent on the Law’s Benefits?

Veterans Benefits Administration Data

Does the Law Meet Its Objectives?

Recruitment and Readjustment

The Post-9/11 GI Bill: Beneficiaries, Choices, and Cost MAY 2019 © [Sean Locke Photography/Shutterstock.com](Sean Locke Photography/Shutterstock.com) At a Glance Beginning August 1, 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill extended educational benefits to service members who were on active duty in the military after September 10, 2001. This GI Bill is the most extensive educational package ever offered to current and former service members. The Congressional Budget Office examined the law’s cost, its beneficiaries, and their educational choices and reviewed research related to some of the law’s stated purposes. • Benefits. Beneficiaries are eligible for 36 months of education, including full tuition and fees at the in-state rate for programs at any public institution of their choice (or up to $23,672 for the 2018–2019 academic year toward tuition and fees at private schools), a housing allowance, books and supplies, and other related expenses. Benefits may be transferred to family members once service members have been in the military between 6 and 16 years. • Choices. Beneficiaries choose colleges—often public—more than other types of educational programs or training. However, veterans and spouses are more likely than the average U.S. student to choose for-profit programs. For-profit schools have received a disproportionate share of money for tuition and fees relative to the number of Post-9/11 GI Bill students. • Spending. The Veterans Benefits Administration spent $65 billion (in 2018 dollars) on about 1.6 million beneficiaries in the seven years from the law’s inception through 2016, including about $11 billion in 2016 (an average of $17,400 per student) . Most spending was for veterans, and the remainder was for spouses and children. Housing accounted for about half of annual total spending. Tuition and fees were most of the rest. • Success of Program. Recent research indicates that, like prior educational benefits, the Post-9/11 GI Bill attracts additional high-quality military recruits but makes retaining service members more difficult. [www.cbo.gov/publication/55179](www.cbo.gov/publication/55179) Contents Summary 1 What Benefits Does the Post-9/11 GI Bill Offer? 1 How Much Is Spent on the Law’s Benefits? 1 What Types of Schools Do Beneficiaries Attend? 2 Does the Law Meet Its Objectives? 2 Overview of Benefits 3 Objectives ofthe Law 3 Benefits Provided by the Law 3 Eligibility for Benefits 4 Eligible Schools and Programs 5 How the Post-9/11 GI Bill Compares With Other Educational Aid 6 The Veterans Benefits Administration’s Data on the Post-9/11 GI Bill 7 Beneficiaries 7 Institutions 7 Additional Data 8 Limitations ofCBO’s Analysis 8 Spending on the Post-9/11 GI Bill 9 Spending for Beneficiaries in 2016 9 Payments to Institutions in 2017 12 Effectiveness in Achieving Program Objectives 14 The GI Bill’s Effects on Recruitment and Retention 14 The GI Bill’s Effect on Veterans’ Readjustment to Civilian Life 15 List of Tables and Figures 19 About This Document 20 Notes Unless otherwise specified, all years referred to in this report are federal fiscal years, which run from October 1 to September 30 and are designated by the calendar year in which they end. All dollar values are expressed in 2018 dollars and are adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s price index for the gross domestic product. This report uses the terms spending and payments to refer to outlays, which are payments by the federal government to meet a legal obligation. Outlays may be made for obligations incurred in a prior fiscal year or in the current year. Numbers in the text and tables may not add up to totals because of rounding. The Post-9/11 GI Bill: Beneficiaries, Choices, and Cost Summary Beginning August 1, 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill extended educational benefits to service members who were on active duty in the military on or after September 11, 2001. T

FAQs

Who is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and what benefits does it provide?

Eligibility is tied to qualifying active-duty service after September 10, 2001. Benefits cover up to 36 months of education, including tuition and fees (with caps for private schools), housing allowances, books and supplies, and other related expenses.

How do beneficiaries’ school and program choices differ under the Post-9/11 GI Bill?

Beneficiaries often choose colleges, frequently public institutions. However, veterans and spouses are more likely than the average U.S. student to select for-profit programs, which have received a disproportionate share of tuition and fees relative to enrollment.

What does the report say about the GI Bill’s cost and program outcomes?

VA spending totaled $65 billion (in 2018 dollars) for about 1.6 million beneficiaries from the law’s inception through 2016, with housing accounting for about half of total spending. Research indicates the program attracts higher-quality recruits but makes retaining service members more difficult, with broader effects on readjustment to civilian life also discussed.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob