VA Education Benefit Programs

Please follow the appropriate link below to apply for or change the school for the VA Education Benefit you are utilizing.

Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)

Most of the Military Connected Students studying at Framingham State are using the benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® . Service members who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001 are eligible for these benefits and may have transferred them to their child or spouse dependent. You can receive up to 36 months of benefits, including:

Tuition and fees. If you qualify for the maximum benefit, the full cost of public, in-state tuition and fees will be covered. If you receive less than max benefits that percentage will be covered.
Money for housing (if you’re in school more than half time). Your monthly housing allowance (MHA) on the cost of living where your school is located.
Money for books and supplies. You can receive up to $1,000 per school year.
Transferring this benefit to a dependent must be completed with the Department of Defense prior to applying for VA benefits.

Montgomery GI Bill® -Active Duty (Chapter 30)

If you paid into education benefits while on Active Duty prior to the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, you qualify for a stipend. Chapter 30 does not pay for cost of attendance or a book stipend. If you exhaust all 36 months of the Montgomery GI Bill®, you may be eligible for 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits.

Veteran Readiness & Employment (Chapter 31)

If you have a service-connected disability that limits your ability to work or prevents you from working, Veteran Readiness and Employment (formerly called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment) can help. This program—also known as Chapter 31 or VR&E—helps you explore employment options and address training needs. In some cases, your family members may also qualify for certain benefits.

Chapter 35 Survivors and Dependents Education Assistance (DEA)

The DEA benefit is available to dependents of a veteran who has died or is permanently disabled due to a service-connected disability. Qualified children must be between the ages of 18 and 26 to receive up to 45 months of educational benefits. The period of eligibility for a qualifying spouse ranges from 10 to 20 years.

Montgomery GI Bill®-Select Reserve- (MGIB-SR/1606)

MGIB-SR or 1606 is for actively drilling reservists with no active duty time (training only). Chapter 1606 pays a stipend each month you are enrolled and actively attending course. If you are eligible for a “kicker,” and provide proper documentation, that “kicker” amount is applied to your stipend. When applying for Chapter 1606 Select Reserve GI Bill®, please include your Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) or a DD214, if applicable.

Fry Scholarship

Named after the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry, the Fry Scholarship education benefit is for the children of surviving spouse of an Active Duty Service Member wo died in the line of duty on or after September 1, 2001. Much like the Post 9/11GI Bill® benefits, an eligible individual may receive up to 36 months or benefits which include money for tuition, housing, books, and supplies.

As the child of a service member

You can be married or unmarried.
If you turned 18 or graduated from high school before January 1, 2013, you can get a Fry Scholarship until you’re 33 years old.
If you turn 18 or graduate from high school after January 1, 2013, you can get a Fry Scholarship at any age over 18 or after you graduate (whichever comes first).
If your parent died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, you may qualify for both the Fry Scholarship and the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program. But you can use only one program at a time.
If you’re receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), you’ll need to give up those payments when you start to use the Fry Scholarship.
Read about DIC

As the spouse of a service member

If you remarry, you’ll no longer be eligible for the Fry Scholarship.
You can still get Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments while using the Fry Scholarship.
Read about DIC