Military.com's New Tool Assists Military Community with GI Bill Benefits Decisions
SAN FRANCISCO – Military.com today announced the release of its new GI Bill Calculator (http://www.military.com/gi-bill-calculator), designed to address confusion over GI Bill benefits surrounding the new Post-9/11 GI Bill which took effect August 1, 2009. Military.com is the nation's largest military and veteran online membership organization and a business unit of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW).
In a late Fall 2008 survey conducted by Military.com, more than 70 percent of veteran respondents and 58 percent of active duty respondents reported not fully understanding the differences between the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Furthermore, an alarming 12 percent of respondents were not aware of the Post-9/11 GI Bill at all.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill calculates benefits and eligibility based on a variety of criteria including length of service after 9/11/01, school location, current military status and more. These criteria vary from those used to determine benefits and eligibility under the Montgomery GI Bill, which uses a less complex set of criteria with less variation. This makes evaluating the cash value of both options difficult on an individual basis.
"Education benefits are among the most important and yet, historically, most confusing benefits to service members, veterans and their families," said Navy Rear Adm. (retired) T. McCreary, president, Military.com. "Making well-informed choices around those benefits are key to maximizing one's education opportunities. While it's not intended to replace VA representatives or local school veteran advisors, Military.com's GI Bill Calculator can help decipher these confusing benefits, greatly aiding service members in their decision-making process."
The GI Bill Calculator helps determine the cash value of benefits eligible to a service member and provides side-by-side comparisons of previous and new GI Bill education benefits based on the user's profile and declared needs. While the choice between GI Bills for funding education involves more than money, Military.com's GI Bill calculator helps one focus on cash value to aid in making the best decision for that particular service member's situation or needs. For more advice on the difference between the two GI Bills, visit Military.com's recent article: Fact Checking the New GI Bill.
For more information, please contact Terry Howell, Managing Editor of Military.com and co-author of The Military Advantage, at terry.howell@military-inc.com
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