Certain individuals with 38 U.S.C. chapter 34 eligibility may establish eligibility for educational assistance under 38 U.S.C. chapter 30. This section requires an individual to complete certain academic requirements before applying for educational assistance. If the individual applies before completing those requirements, VA will disallow the application. However, the individual's premature application will not prevent the individual from establishing eligibility at a later time by applying for educational assistance again after having completed those academic requirements. In determining whether an individual has met the service requirements of this section, VA will exclude any period during which the individual is not entitled to credit for service for periods of time specified in §3.15.

(a) Eligibility based solely on active duty. An individual may establish eligibility for basic educational assistance based on service on active duty under the following terms, conditions, and requirements—

(1) The individual must have met the requirements of 38 U.S.C. chapter 34, as in effect on December 31, 1989, establishing eligibility for educational assistance allowance under that chapter;

(2) As of December 31, 1989, the individual must have entitlement remaining for educational assistance allowance under 38 U.S.C. chapter 34;

(3) The individual, before applying for educational assistance, must:

(i) Complete the requirements for a secondary school diploma or an equivalency certificate; or

(ii) Successfully complete (or otherwise receive academic credit for) 12 semester hours (or the equivalent) in a program of education leading to a standard college degree;

(4) After June 30, 1985—

(i) The individual must serve at least three years continuous active duty in the Armed Forces, or

(ii) The individual must be discharged or released from active duty—

(A) For a service-connected disability, or

(B) For a medical condition which preexisted the individual's service on active duty and which VA determines is not service connected, or

(C) Under 10 U.S.C. 1173 (Hardship discharge), or

(D) For the convenience of the Government provided the individual completes at least 30 months of active duty, or

(E) Involuntarily for convenience of the government as a result of a reduction in force, as determined by the Secretary of the military department concerned in accordance with regulations

prescribed by the Secretary of Defense or by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, or

(F) For a physical or mental condition that was not characterized as a disability and did not result from the individual's own willful misconduct but did interfere with the individual's performance of duty, as determined by the Secretary of each military department in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense or by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy;

(5) Upon completion of the requisite active duty service the individual must either—

(i) Continue on active duty, or

(ii) Be discharged from active duty with an honorable discharge, or

(iii) Be released after service on active duty characterized by the Secretary concerned as honorable service and

(A) Be placed on the retired list, or

(B) Be transferred to the Fleet Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, or

(C) Be placed on the temporary disability retired list, or

(iv) Be released from active duty for further service in a reserve component of the Armed Forces after service on active duty characterized by the Secretary concerned as honorable service; and

(6) The individual must have been on active duty at any time during the period beginning on October 19, 1984, and ending on July 1, 1985, and continued on active duty without a break in service; or

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3011)

(7) Effective December 27, 2001, an individual must meet the following requirements. He or she—

(i) Was not on active duty on October 19, 1984;

(ii) Reenlists or reenters on a period of active duty after October 19, 1984; and

(iii) Serves at least three years of continuous active duty in the Armed Forces after June 30, 1985. The individual is not required to serve three years if he or she is honorably discharged or released from active duty for one of the reasons shown in paragraphs (a)(4)(ii)(A) through (a)(4)(ii)(F) of this section.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3011(a)(1))

(b) Eligibility based on combined active duty service and service in the Selected Reserve. An individual may establish eligibility for basic educational assistance based on a combination of service on active duty and service in the Selected Reserve under the following terms, conditions and requirements.

(1) The individual must have met the requirements of 38 U.S.C. chapter 34, as in effect on December 31, 1989, establishing eligibility for educational assistance allowance under that chapter;

(2) As of December 31, 1989, the individual must have entitlement remaining for educational assistance allowance under 38 U.S.C. chapter 34;

(3) The individual, before applying for educational assistance, must:

(i) Complete the requirements for a secondary school diploma or an equivalency certificate; or

(ii) Successfully complete (or otherwise receive academic credit for) 12 semester hours (or the equivalent) in a program of education leading to a standard college degree.

(4) The individual either—

(i) Must have been on active duty on October 19, 1984, must have served without a break in service from October 19, 1984, through June 30, 1985, and after June 30, 1985—

(A) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, must serve at least two years of continuous active duty in the Armed Forces characterized by the Secretary concerned as honorable service, and

(B) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(6) of this section, after completion of this active duty service, must serve at least four continuous years service in the Selected Reserve, during which the individual must participate satisfactorily in training as prescribed by the Secretary concerned; or

(ii) Effective December 27, 2001, must not have been on active duty on October 19, 1984, must reenlist or reenter on a period of active duty after October 19, 1984, and after June 30, 1985—

(A) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, must serve at least two years of continuous active duty in the Armed Forces characterized by the Secretary concerned as honorable service, and

(B) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(6) of this section, after completion of this active duty service, must serve at least four continuous years service in the Selected Reserve, during which the individual must participate satisfactorily in training as prescribed by the Secretary concerned.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3012(a)(1))

(5) The individual also must—

(i) Be discharged from service with an honorable discharge, or

(ii) Be placed on the retired list, or

(iii) Be transferred to the Standby Reserve or an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve after service in the Selected Reserve characterized by the Secretary concerned as honorable service, or

(iv) Continue on active duty, or

(v) Continue in the Selected Reserve.

(6) An individual is exempt from serving two years on active duty as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section when he or she is discharged or released during those two years—

(i) For a service-connected disability, or

(ii) For a medical condition which preexisted such service on active duty and which VA determines is not service-connected, or

(iii) Under 10 U.S.C. 1173 (hardship discharge), or

(iv) For convenience of the government provided the individual completes at least 20 months of active duty, or

(v) Involuntarily, for the convenience of the government as a result of a reduction in force as determined by the Secretary of the military department concerned in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense or by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, or

(vi) For a physical or mental condition that was not characterized as a disability and did not result from the individual's own willful misconduct but did interfere with the individual's performance of duty, as determined by the Secretary of each military department in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense or by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3012; Pub. L. 98-525, Pub. L. 99-576, Pub. L. 100-689, Pub. L. 101-510) (Oct. 19, 1984)

(7) An individual is exempt from serving four years in the Selected Reserve as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section when—

(i) After completion of the active duty required by this paragraph he or she serves a continuous period of service in the Selected Reserve, and

(A) Is discharged for a service-connected disability, or

(B) Is discharged for a medical condition which preexisted the individual's becoming a member of the Selected Reserve and which VA determines is not service connected, or

(C) Is discharged for hardship, or

(D) Is discharged or released after a minimum of 30 months service in the Selected Reserve for convenience of the Government, or

(E) Is discharged involuntarily for the convenience of the government as a result of a reduction in force, as determined by the Secretary of the military department concerned in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense or by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, or

(F) Is discharged for a physical or mental condition that was not characterized as a disability and did not result from the individual's own willful misconduct but did interfere with the individual's performance of duty, as determined by the Secretary of each military department in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense or by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy; or

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3012; Pub. L. 98-525, Pub. L. 99-576, Pub. L. 100-689, Pub. L. 101-510) (Oct. 19, 1984)

(ii) The individual is obligated at the beginning of the two years active duty described in paragraph (b)(3) of this section to serve the four years in the Selected Reserve as described in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, and during the two years of active duty service he or she is discharged or released from active duty in the Armed Forces—

(A) For a service-connected disability, or

(B) For a medical condition which preexisted that period of active duty and which VA determines is not service connected, or

(iii) Before completing four years service in the Selected Reserve the individual ceases to be a member of the Selected Reserve during the period beginning on October 1, 1991, and ending on September 30, 1999, by reason of the inactivation of the individual's unit of assignment or by reason of involuntarily ceasing to be designated as a member of the Selected Reserve pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 268(b). However, this exemption from the four years service requirement does not apply to a reservist who ceases to be a member of the Selected Reserve under adverse conditions as characterized by the Secretary of the military department concerned, or to a reservist who after having involuntarily ceased to be a member of the Selected Reserve is involuntarily separated from the Armed Forces under adverse conditions as characterized by the Secretary of the military department concerned.

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 16133(b)(1); sec. 4421(b) and (c), Pub. L. 102-484, 106 Stat. 2718)

(8) A veteran who has completed the active duty service required by this paragraph and has made a commitment (as determined by the Secretary concerned) to serve four continuous years in the Selected Reserve may pursue a program of education with basic educational assistance while performing the required Selected Reserve service.

(9) For the purpose of determining continuity of Selected Reserve service, the Secretary concerned may prescribe by regulation a maximum period of time during which the individual is considered to have continuous service in the Selected Reserve even through he or she—

(i) Is unable to locate a unit of the Selected Reserve of the individual's Armed Force that the individual is eligible to join or that has a vacancy, or

(ii) Is not attached to a unit of the Selected Reserve for any reason prescribed by the Secretary concerned by regulation other than those stated in subdivision (i) of this subparagraph.

(10) Any decision as to the continuity of an individual's service in the Selected Reserve made by the Department of Defense or the Department of Transportation under regulations described in paragraph (b) (8) or (9) of this section shall be binding upon VA.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3011, 3012, 3016; Pub. L. 98-525, Pub. L. 100-689) (July 1, 1985)

(11) The individual must have been on active duty at any time during the period beginning on October 19, 1984, and ending on July 1, 1985, and continued on active duty without a break in service.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3012(a)(1)(B))

(c) Restrictions on establishing eligibility. Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, an individual, who would otherwise be eligible for educational assistance under paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section, is not eligible for educational assistance under 38 U.S.C. ch. 30, if after December 31, 1976, he or she receives a commission as an officer in the Armed Forces—

(1) Upon graduation from—

(i) The United States Military Academy, or

(ii) The United States Naval Academy, or

(iii) The United States Air Force Academy, or

(iv) The Coast Guard Academy; or

(2) Upon completion of a program of educational assistance under 10 U.S.C. 2107 (the Reserve Officers Training Corps Scholarship Program).

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3011, 3012; Pub. L. 98-525)

(d) Exception to restrictions on establishing eligibility. Paragraph (c) of this section does not apply to a veteran who has met the requirements for educational assistance under paragraph (a) or (b) of this section before receiving a commission as an officer in the Armed Forces upon graduation from the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, or the Coast Guard Academy; or upon completion of a program of educational assistance under 10 U.S.C. 2107 (the Reserve Officers Training Corps Scholarship Program).

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3011, 3012, 3018)

[53 FR 1757, Jan. 22, 1988, as amended at 55 FR 28384, July 11, 1990; 56 FR 20132, May 2, 1991; 57 FR 29026, June 30, 1992; 59 FR 24050, 24051, May 10, 1994; 61 FR 6786, Feb. 22, 1996; 61 FR 26116, May 24, 1996; 62 FR 55761, Oct. 28, 1997; 65 FR 20745, Apr. 18, 2000; 65 FR 67266, Nov. 9, 2000; 68 FR 34329, June 9, 2003; 73 FR 2427, Jan. 15, 2008]