The Montgomery G.I. Bill and the Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) are tuition assistance programs administered by the VA for the benefit of service members who have made contributions to the these programs while on active duty. Your Casualty Assitance Calls Officer will be able to tell you what, if any, contributions the service member made.
Any such contributions to the Montgomery G.I. Bill or VEAP made by a service member whose death was on active duty and/or service connected and occurred one year after discharge or release from active duty, may be paid by the VA as a death benefit equal to the amount the service member contributed, less any benefits used by service member. However the death must be determined as "service connected". It will be paid to the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated by the member to receive Servicemember's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) or the by law recipients in the absence of an election. Your CACO can assist you in requesting a refund. Requests for refunds for VEAP contributions may be made by completing a VA Form 5281 or by simply submitting a written request, along with a copy of the DD Form 1300, to the nearest regional VA regional processing office. Your CACO will provide you with any forms you may need for these requests and will assist you in preparing them. Once submitted these claims usually take from 90-120 days to process.
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