EDUCATIONVA program

Montgomery GI Bill: Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR, Chapter 1606)

Education benefit for members of the Selected Reserve (Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard, Air National Guard).

Available to Selected Reserve members with 6-year service obligation

View on VA.gov

Step-by-step guide

What your component and VA look for

A 6-year Selected Reserve obligationAn enlistment, reenlistment, or extension that makes the obligated Selected Reserve service at least 6 years, or an officer's agreement to serve 6 more years. VA.gov notes the obligation must have started after June 30, 1985, or after September 30, 1990 for some training types.
Initial training done, a diploma, and good standingInitial active duty for training is complete, a high school diploma or equivalent was earned before finishing that training and before applying (12 college credits do not substitute here), and the member is participating satisfactorily in a Selected Reserve unit. The service decides every point except the diploma; VA decides that one.
The NOBE from your unitThe unit issues DD Form 2384-1, the NOBE, when the member meets the service rules, and codes the status into the Defense Department personnel system so VA can see it. The application says to attach a copy; the unit replaces a lost one.
14 years, and still in the Selected ReserveBenefits run 14 years from the date the benefit opened, and they close the day the member leaves the Selected Reserve, whichever comes first. Time mobilized under certain orders, plus 4 months, is not counted against the 14 years. A separation for a disability not caused by misconduct keeps the 14 years; VA.gov also lists a unit deactivation or an involuntary separation for reasons other than misconduct between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2014.

Source: 38 CFR 21.7540 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab); VA Form 22-1990 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7550 (opens in new tab)

Which situation is yours?

Serving in the Selected Reserve
The Reserve or Guard component decides the service points and issues a notice; VA decides the diploma point and pays.
Source: 38 CFR 21.7540 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7550 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab)
Getting paid while you train
VA pays you a monthly amount, not the school, set by the training type and the load you carry.
1. An approved programAn approved program of education with an educational, vocational, or professional goal, approved for VA benefits, for a credential you do not already hold. A member whose obligation began after September 30, 1990 can use every training type, including trade schools, apprenticeships, correspondence, and flight training; earlier obligations face limits.
2. Your school certifies, and you verify each monthThe school's certifying official reports your enrollment to VA before any payment, and you verify your enrollment at the end of each month to keep payments coming.
Source: 38 CFR 21.7610 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7652 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve rates (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7540 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: GI Bill Comparison Tool (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7654 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab)

What to gather, and what it shows VA

Documents for this benefit: what each is, what it shows VA, and how VA gets it
Document	What it shows	How VA gets it	Have it?
NOBE (DD Form 2384-1) The notice your unit issues when you meet the Selected Reserve service rules. It is the paper that goes with the application.	The 6-year obligation, completed initial training, and good standing, as the service found them	Your unit issues it and codes the same status into the Defense Department system. Ask the unit for a duplicate if yours is lost, and attach a copy to the application.	Yes
VA Form 22-1990 The application for VA education benefits. It asks the date of your diploma or equivalency certificate, each period of service, and the school and goal if known.	The diploma date, the program, and the benefit you are claiming	File it online on VA.gov, or mail the PDF to the VA regional processing office for your school's state. If training already started, take it to the school with the NOBE instead.
Enrollment certification from your school The certification your school's VA certifying official sends VA for each term, listing the program, dates, and credit or clock hours. If you already started training, the school sends it with your application and NOBE.	That you are enrolled in an approved program, and at what load	Tell the certifying official, often in the registrar, financial aid, or veterans office, that you applied. They send it to VA; you do not file it.
Mobilization orders Orders to active duty under the sections VA.gov and the regulation list. The time on those orders, plus 4 months, does not count against the 14 years.	Active duty time that extends the window	You keep copies. VA can also confirm the orders through Defense Department records.	Yes
Medical records for an extension request Records showing a physical or mental disability, incurred or made worse in Selected Reserve service, kept you from starting or finishing your program within the window. A spell of 30 days or less counts only if it blocked enrollment or forced a withdrawal.	The period the disability blocked study, which sets the length of the extension	Ask VA for the extension within 1 year after the window ends or the disability ends. VA tells you what it needs, and VA will request this for you from your providers with your authorization. The extension still ends when you leave the Selected Reserve.

Your unit codes your status for the Defense Department, and VA reads it there. BeneVets does not ask for copies of your records.

Steps, in order

Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
Get your NOBE from your unit
Ask your unit for DD Form 2384-1. The unit also codes your status into the Defense Department personnel system, which is how VA confirms it.
Source: VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab)
Make sure the program is approved
Check the school or program on the GI Bill Comparison Tool or ask the school. If it is not approved, only the school can ask VA for approval, you cannot use the benefit until VA approves, and you pay all costs if it does not.
Source: VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab); VA.gov: GI Bill Comparison Tool (opens in new tab)
Apply with VA Form 22-1990
If you have not started training, apply online on VA.gov or by mail with a copy of the NOBE. If training already started, take the completed form and the NOBE to your school or employer, who completes the enrollment certification and sends all three to VA.
Source: VA Form 22-1990 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for the GI Bill (opens in new tab)
Ask the school to certify your enrollment
The certifying official may sit in the financial aid, veterans, registrar, admissions, or counseling office; for an apprenticeship, in the employer's training or human resources office.
Source: VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7652 (opens in new tab)
Verify your enrollment at the end of each month
Payments depend on a monthly check-in, online, by text, or by phone.
Source: VA.gov: verify your school enrollment (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7654 (opens in new tab)
If VA says no
An education decision can be reviewed. The options are a Higher-Level Review, a Supplemental Claim, or a Board Appeal, each filed within 1 year of the decision.
Source: VA.gov: after you apply for education benefits (opens in new tab); VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab)

Good to know

A monthly rate paid to you, with a kicker possible

The full-time rate applies at colleges and trade schools, with lower rates for three-quarter, half, and smaller loads. Apprenticeships pay a share that drops after the first 6 months and again after 12. A kicker set by the service can add to the monthly amount. Payments are prorated by the days enrolled.

Source: VA.gov: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve rates (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.7636 (opens in new tab)

36 months

Each member gets up to 36 months of full-time benefits, within the 48-month cap that applies across VA education programs.

Source: 38 CFR 21.7570 (opens in new tab)

Selected Reserve service counts toward one program

Reserve service used to build Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty rights (the 2 by 4 route) cannot also count here; the choice becomes permanent with the first payment. Someone with rights under both can use them one after the other on service not already credited. An election of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in place of this program is permanent too.

Source: 38 CFR 21.7540 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.9520(c) (opens in new tab)

One benefit at a time

A member with more than one VA education program picks one and can change it, but not more than once in a calendar month, or once a term when the change is to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA does not pay for a course the Armed Forces are paying for while you are on active duty, or for a course covered by a Senior ROTC scholarship.

Source: 38 CFR 21.7642 (opens in new tab)

Work-study sites include Defense Department and Guard offices

Members using this program can hold a VA work-study job at a Department of Defense, Homeland Security, or National Guard location, on top of the usual VA and school sites.

Source: VA.gov: Work Study (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 21.4145 (opens in new tab)

BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you