Education

Did you know that you can earn a degree in the military without spending a penny of your own money and without using up any of your GI Bill benefits?

Through a benefit called tuition assistance, or TA, active-duty service members can take classes in pursuit of a college degree on the military’s dime.

TA covers $250 per semester hour, with a yearly cap, but each service can set its own requirements, and some rules vary.

If you’re wondering why your child’s school asked whether a parent is active duty, it’s because for the first time, schools are being required to collect and report data on assessments of military children.

It’s anticipated that states and school districts around the country will start reporting that data later this year, according to the Department of Education. The data will be based on performance records from the 2017-2018 school year; generally states release their report cards in the winter following the school year, officials said.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of 83 House lawmakers are blasting a Defense Department plan to change rules on troops transferring their GI Bill benefits to dependents, calling it unfair and devastating for military morale.

Starting next year, service members who have been in the military for more than 16 years will no longer be able to transfer GI Bill benefits to their dependents — a change to current Pentagon policy that’s garnered mixed reviews from military advocates.

The Defense Department announced today it is instituting the 16-year cap, effective in one year, and making other changes “to more closely align the transferability benefit with its purpose as a recruiting and retention incentive,” according to a statement.