If you desire to transfer your Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) to Post 9-11 education benefits, you will need to go to the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP) website and set up a login and password for access.  

The basic MGIB provides a flat monthly rate entitlement. The major difference between the two bills lies in the benefits accruing to the veterans. While the Post 9/11 bill pays for degree-producing courses, MGIB also includes technical, trade, license and certification courses. There is also a difference in the manner of payment. Under the MGIB, full time students receive a dollar amount each month to go to school while the student pays tuition fees. Under Post 9/11, the VA pays directly to the school and the student receives a monthly housing allowance and a book stipend not to exceed a dollar amount every year.

Below is a FAQ reference that answers basic questions on VONAPP.

VONAPP FAQ

You can also request that your Post 9/11 Educational Benefits be transferred to your DEERS-eligible dependents before it is determined that you go through a Medical Evaluation Board. Once the Assignment Availability Code (AAC) 37 is updated in MilPDS (indicating you will undergo an MEB), you will not be transfer this benefit to one of your dependents.

The Department of Defense issued a substantive change today to its policy on the transfer by service members in the uniformed services of Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to eligible family member recipients.

Effective one year from the date of this change, eligibility to transfer those benefits will be limited to service members with less than 16 years of total active-duty or selected reserve service, as applicable.

Previously, there were no restrictions on when a service member could transfer educational benefits to their family members. The provision that requires a service member to have at least six years of service to apply to transfer benefits remains unchanged in the policy.

FOCUS ON RETENTION

“After a thorough review of the policy, we saw a need to focus on retention in a time of increased growth of the armed forces," said Stephanie Miller, director of accessions policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. “This change continues to allow career service members that earned this benefit to share it with their family members while they continue to serve.”

This change is an important step to preserve the distinction of transferability as a retention incentive, she added.

If service members fail to fulfill their service obligation because of a “force shaping” event -- such as officers involuntarily separated as a result of being twice passed over for promotion or enlisted personnel involuntarily separated as a result of failure to meet minimum retention standards, such as high year of tenure -- the change will allow them to retain their eligibility to transfer education benefits even if they haven't served the entirety of their obligated service commitment through no fault of their own.

All approvals for transferability of Post-9/11 GI Bill continue to require a four-year commitment in the armed forces and, more importantly, the member must be eligible to be retained for four years from the date of election, officials said.

The policy affects service members in the uniformed services, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the commissioned members of the U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.