UNCLASSIFIED// 
ROUTINE 
R 061336Z AUG 21 MID200001043954U 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC 
TO NAVADMIN 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC 
BT 
UNCLAS 
 
NAVADMIN 170/21 
 
PASS TO OFFICE CODES: 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// 
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/AUG// 
 
SUBJ/POST-9/11 GI BILL POLICY UPDATE// 
 
REF/A/DOC/DVA/5JAN21// 
REF/B/DOC/USD P AND R/9APR21// 
REF/C/DOC/DOD/31MAY13// 
 
NARR/REF A IS THE JOHNNY ISAKSON AND DAVID P. ROE, M.D. VETERANS HEALTH CARE 
AND BENEFITS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2020.   
REF B IS UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PERSONNEL AND READINESS MEMORANDUM, 
UPDATE ON THE DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE DEPENDANTS FOR THE TRANSFER OF POST- 
9/11 GI BILL EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS FOR FOSTER CHILDREN AND LEGAL 
WARDS.   
REF C IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSTRUCTION 1341.13 CHANGE 1,  
POST-9/11 GI BILL.// 
 
RMKS/1.  This NAVADMIN announces the addition of foster children and legal 
wards to the definition of an eligible dependent for the purposes of Post-
9/11 GI Bill transfer of education benefits (TEB), as directed in reference 
(a) and implemented in reference (b). 
 
2.  Effective date of this change is 5 January 2021.  The Department of 
Veterans Affairs will only pay benefits effective this date or the date the 
service approves the TEB, whichever is later. 
 
3.  Service Members currently serving on Active Duty (AD) or in the Selected 
Reserve (SELRES) who have been approved for TEB, may transfer benefits to 
foster children or legal wards who have been residing with the Service 
Member, pursuant to a court order, for at least 12 consecutive months. 
 
4.  For AD and SELRES previously approved for TEB and who have foster 
children or legal wards listed in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility 
Reporting System (DEERS), the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) made these 
dependents available to receive transferred benefits but did not assign them 
any months.  Service Members should take action described in paragraph 5c to 
allocate benefits as desired. 
 
5.  AD and SELRES not yet approved for TEB must follow paragraphs 5a-5c to 
transfer benefits to eligible foster children and legal wards. 
    a.  On initial application in DMDC milConnect, allocate at least one 
month of benefits to an eligible spouse or child. 
    b.  After approval of initial TEB application, DMDC will manually make 
foster children and legal wards eligible to receive benefits, but will not 
assign them any months.  There will be no notification that DMDC has taken 
this action. 
    c.  While continuing to serve on AD or in the SELRES, log in to DMDC 
milConnect and allocate any unused benefits among eligible dependents, 
including foster children or legal wards, without additional service 
obligation. 
    d.  A future DMDC update will display foster children and legal wards as 
eligible transferees during the initial application. 
 
6.  After transfer of benefits to a foster child or legal ward, termination 
of the foster child/legal ward relationship does not rescind the transferred 
benefits.  The former foster child or legal ward will remain eligible until 
they reach 26 years of age, or the transferor revokes the TEB. 
 
7.  Children who are no longer in a foster or legal ward status, or who had 
their association with the Service Member terminated in DEERS, without having 
at least one month of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits allocated to them by the 
Service Member prior to termination of their status, are not eligible to 
receive transferred education benefits. 
 
8.  All other Post-9/11 GI Bill and TEB policies remain in effect. 
An update to reference (c) will incorporate this definition change. 
 
9.  For Post-9/11 GI Bill and TEB questions, contact the following: 
    a.  Mr. Jim Johnson, Education Policy Branch, via e-mail at 
james.p.johnson@navy.mil. 
    b.  AD and Full-Time Support may submit inquiries to MyNavy Career Center 
(MNCC) at 1-833-330-6622 or via e-mail at askmncc@navy.mil. 
    c.  SELRES may submit inquiries to Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command 
(CNRFC), Post-9/11 GI Bill Manager, at 1-800-621-8853 or via e-mail at 
cnrfc_post911gib.fct@navy.mil. 
 
10.  This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, 
whichever occurs first. 
 
11.  Released by VADM John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.// 
 
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