You may be eligible for education benefits as a veteran if you meet the following criteria. Other eligibility requirements may apply in addition to the information noted below. Contact the Veterans Administration Western Region Office (Muskogee, Oklahoma) at 1-888-442-4551 to discuss your eligibility status. Or visit the Western Region VA Office online at http://www.vba.va.gov/ro/muskogee/index.htm.
Under VEAP, active duty personnel voluntarily participated in a plan for education or training in which their savings were administered and added to by the federal government. Service members were eligible to enroll in VEAP if they entered active duty for the first time after 12/31/1976, and before 07/01/1985. Some contribution to VEAP must have been made prior to 01/01/1987. The maximum participant contribution is $2,700. While on active duty, participants may make a lump-sum contribution to their VEAP account.
Service members who participated in VEAP are eligible to receive benefits while on active duty if:
- At least three months of contributions are available, except for high school or elementary school, in which case only one month is needed; AND
- They enlisted for the first time after 09/07/1980, and completed 24 months of their first period of active duty. Refer to the above website for length of service requirements for those who enlisted for the first time prior to 09/07/1980.
To use benefits after separation from active duty, veterans must receive a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable for the qualifying period of service.
Veterans who enlisted for the first time after 09/07/1980, or entered active duty as an officer or enlistee after 10/16/1981, must have completed 24 continuous months of active duty, unless they meet a qualifying exception.
