VA launches online tool to calculate education benefits

The Veterans Affairs Department has launched a new online tool that lets service members, veterans and their families calculate their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and get information about continuing education opportunities.

The GI Bill Comparison Tool, currently in beta, lets users determine their eligibility, get information about schools or employers, and calculate their benefit amounts for tuition, housing and book stipends.

The tool, which combines information from 17 online sources and three federal agencies, is part of VA’s response to Executive Order 13607, signed in April 2012, which is designed to support and protect beneficiaries of federal education funds and establish “Principles of Excellence” for institutions that receive those funds, VA said in a statement. The department also recently implemented a GI Bill online complaint system to collect feedback on its benefits programs.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill, approved by Congress in 2008, applies to service members and veterans who have been on active duty for at least 90 days since Sept. 10, 2001. The department to date has dispersed more than $30 billion in education payments as part of the program, VA said.