R 241900Z JAN 24
MARADMIN 027/24
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//
SUBJ/TRANSFER OF POST-9/11 GI BILL EDUCATION BENEFITS TO DEPENDENTS (TEB) PROCESS//
REF/A/MSGID/ACMC/01AUG23//
REF/B/MSGID/DODI/08NOV23//
NARR/REF A IS WHITE LETTER 1-23, GUIDANCE TO THE FORCE. REF B IS DODI 1341.13, POST-9/11 GI BILL, CHANGE 1.//
POC/See paragraph 7//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  Pursuant to references (a) and (b), this MARADMIN provides updated guidance on a quality retention option available to eligible Marines who remain in service.
2.  Introduction.  Since 1 August 2009, the transfer of unused Post-9/11 GI Bill (PGIB) education benefits to dependents (TEB) process has been in effect as a retention tool.  TEB is neither an entitlement nor a transition benefit.  Eligible Marines may submit a request to transfer all, or a designated portion of (i.e., whole months greater than 0) their unused PGIB education benefits to one or more of their eligible dependents in return for a 4-year service obligation (i.e., from the date of their completed request).
2.a.  Prior to submitting a request to TEB, Marines are strongly advised to consider their ability to fulfill the TEB-related service obligation.
2.b.  Department of Defense (DoD) PGIB and TEB policy is provided in reference (b).
2.c.  This MARADMIN does not apply to eligibility for, or the administration of, the PGIB.  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for policies and procedures regarding eligibility and administration of the PGIB, along with the use of approved transferred education benefits.  Additional information is available at https:(slash)(slash)benefits.va.gov/gibill.
3.  General.  Eligible Marines must use the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) milConnect Web application (hereafter, milConnect) to request, track, and modify TEB-related actions at https:(slash)(slash)milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect.
3.a.  The date that a request is submitted in milConnect is considered the TEB election date.
3.b.  Except as provided in paragraph 4.c, a Marine’s TEB-related Service Obligation End-Date (OED) is 4 years from their most recent TEB election date.  A Marine whose request was disapproved may submit a new request once the disqualifying factor is remedied.  A new request resets the TEB election date and OED.  Accordingly, Marines are responsible for contacting their respective TEB point of contact (POC), provided in this MARADMIN, to request guidance before resubmitting a new TEB request.
3.c.  Eligible Marines who have submitted a TEB request via milConnect should not assume that their request has been approved.  Each requestor is responsible to track the status of their request.  Only Marines with an official DMDC Approval Letter posted in their milConnect account have an approved request.  The DMDC Approval Letter provides each Marine with the details of their approved request.
3.d.  The respective Director, Manpower Management Division (MM) and Director, Reserve Affairs Division (RA) determine whether an Active Component or a Reserve Component Marine, respectively, is precluded by statute or policy from being able to complete the required additional service obligation.
3.d.1.  Neither MM, nor RA are authorized to approve requests in the case of Marines who are precluded from being able to complete the additional service obligation, except as provided in paragraph 4.c.
3.d.2.  Marines are encouraged to work with their unit Career Planner to submit a request to extend or reenlist.
3.e.  Upon a Marine’s retirement or separation, any months of benefits that have not been transferred, along with any dependents that have not been allocated at least 1 month of benefits, are not considered part of an approved TEB request.  Accordingly, Marines are strongly encouraged to allocate all unused education benefits to their dependents and transfer at least 1 month of benefits to each of their eligible dependents prior to their separation or retirement.
4.  Eligibility Criteria
4.a.  Eligible dependents are identified as such at milConnect.
4.b.  Marines who meet the following four criteria on their TEB election date may submit a request to TEB:
4.b.1.  Criteria 1:  Serving on active duty or in the Selected Reserve (SELRES).  SELRES encompasses the Selected Marine Corps Reserve, Individual Mobilization Augmentees, and Active Reserve.
4.b.1.a.  Marines participating in the Career Intermission Program (CIP) are not eligible to submit a request to TEB while in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR).  All other eligibility criteria apply.
4.b.1.b.  Marines who have not applied for TEB, and who are either on limited duty or processing through the Disability Evaluation System, or both, must wait until the process is complete before submitting a request to TEB.  All other eligibility criteria apply.
4.b.2.  Criteria 2:  Eligible for PGIB educational assistance.  Service members may check their PGIB eligibility at https:(slash)(slash)va.gov/education/gi-bill/post-9-11/ch-33-benefit.
4.b.3.  Criteria 3:  Have completed at least 6 years of creditable military service (i.e., active duty and/or SELRES).4.b.4.  Criteria 4:  Not precluded by either policy or statute from being retained (i.e., on active duty or SELRES) for 4 years from their most current TEB election date.
4.c.  Purple Heart Exception.  Criteria 3 and 4 do not apply to recipients of the Purple Heart.  All other provisions of this MARADMIN apply.  For clarification purposes, this exception is applicable only to requestors who meet Criteria 1 on their TEB election date.
4.c.1.  Upon submitting a request in milConnect, recipients of the Purple Heart are responsible for contacting their respective TEB POC to confirm award information in conjunction with their request.
4.c.2.  The 4-year service obligation does not apply to eligible requestors who are recipients of the Purple Heart.  Upon approval, MM or RA will ensure that the requestor’s OED is equivalent to their TEB election date.
5.  Failure to Complete the Additional Service Obligation.  During the milConnect application process, Marines must complete a TEB Acknowledgements Checklist where they agree to complete their TEB-related additional service and acknowledge their responsibility for any overpayments due to not completing the additional obligated term of service before separating from active duty or the SELRES.
5.a.  If an approved requestor fails to serve (i.e., on active duty or SELRES) to the OED provided on their current official DMDC Approval Letter, any transferred entitlement used as of the date of such failure will be treated by the VA as an overpayment of education benefits.  The VA will automatically cease further benefit awards for the dependent(s) and initiate recoupment of all transferred benefits paid.  The Service cannot stop collection actions.
5.b.  The VA treats any break in service time greater than 24 hours as a breach of the member’s OED (e.g., being joined to the IRR for greater than 24 hours).
5.b.1.  See paragraph 6.a regarding service obligation and CIP.
5.c.  A member will be considered to have completed an approved TEB-related service agreement upon the specific exceptions provided in reference (b).  Broadly, these exceptions apply in the case of death, temporary early retirement authority, or under particularly designated involuntary separations.  Marines who are already approved to TEB who believe any specific exceptions may apply to their circumstances are responsible for immediately notifying their respective TEB POC for an exception determination and for any modifications to their TEB record, as necessary.
6.  Unique Cases
6.a.  Time in the IRR is not credited toward a member’s TEB-related service obligation.
6.a.1.  A Marine with an approved TEB request who has entered into a CIP agreement but has not yet completed their TEB-related service obligation is responsible for immediately contacting their respective TEB POC (MM/RA) to modify their OED in accordance with their current CIP agreement.
6.a.2.  Pursuant to notification by the Marine, and confirmation of the Marine’s status, MM/RA is authorized to adjust the Marine’s OED based on the current CIP agreement.  This administrative action will temporarily suspend the effect of the TEB-related service obligation while the Marine is in the CIP.
6.b.  Marines conducting an intra-Service transfer (e.g., active component to SELRES), inter-Service transfer, or accepting active duty for operational support orders are responsible to ensure that they do not have a break in service greater than 24 hours, as required by reference (b).
6.c.  In cases where a Marine approved to TEB passed away on or after 1 November 2018, the VA will distribute any remaining months of benefits evenly between any previously approved designated transferees.
7.  POC
7.a.  Active component enlisted Marines:  Manpower Management Enlisted Assignments (MMEA-1).  703-432-9145, usmc.teb@usmc.mil.
7.b.  Active component officers:  Manpower Management Officer Assignments (MMOA-3).  703-784-9284 or 9285, smbmanpowerofficerpr@usmc.mil.
7.c.  Reserve component:  Reserve Affairs (RAM-1).  703-784-3676, ram-1@usmc.mil.
7.d.  General officers:  Manpower Management Senior Leadership (MMSL).  703-784-9231, Senior_Leader_Help_Desk@usmc.mil.
7.e.  PGIB, education systems and training, transition readiness, liaison with the VA and the DMDC:  Marine and Family Programs (MF MRR-1).  703-784-9550.
7.f.  Policy and retirees:  Manpower Military Policy (MPO).  703-784-9386, hqmc_mpo@usmc.mil.
8.  This MARADMIN is applicable to the active component and the Selected Marine Corps Reserve.
9.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General James F. Glynn, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.//