Top-Up allows your Montgomery GI Bill to pay tuition and fees not covered by active-duty Tuition Assistance.
Top-Up is a program that allows active-duty service member to use Department of Veterans Affairs Montgomery GI Bill benefits to supplement the tuition and fees not covered by active-duty Tuition Assistance. The amount of the benefit can be equal to the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of Tuition Assistance that is paid by the military for the course.
Top-Up is not available under the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve program.
Top-Up Eligibility
To be eligible for the Top-Up benefit, you must be approved for federal Tuition Assistance by your command and be eligible for Montgomery GI Bill benefits.
Related: Military Tuition Assistance
The amount of the benefit is limited to the amount that you would receive for the same course if regular GI Bill benefits were being paid. In no case can the amount paid by the military, combined with the amount paid by VA, be more than the total cost of the course.
If you receive the Top-Up benefit, your Montgomery GI Bill entitlement is charged based on the dollar amount of benefits VA pays you. You will be charged one month of entitlement for each payment you receive that is equal to the full-time monthly rate for the GI Bill.
To apply for Top-Up, you must provide a copy of the Tuition Assistance authorization form for the course that has been signed by an authorized military official; and visit the VA.GOV website.
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