The Reserve Education Assistance Program

The Reserve Education Assistance Program is an education program that provides up to 36 months of education benefits to members of the Selected Reserves, Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), and National Guard, who are called or ordered to active service in response to a war or national emergency, as declared by the President or Congress. 

REAP Eligibility
Eligibility will be determined by the Department of Defense (DoD) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as appropriate. Generally, a member of a Reserve component who serves on active duty on or after September 11, 2001 under title 10, U.S. Code, for at least 90 consecutive days under a contingency operation, is eligible for REAP. There is no specific time frame to use REAP; however, your eligibility generally ends when you leave the Selected Reserves.
National Guard members are eligible if their active service extends for 90 consecutive days or more and their service is:

• authorized under section 502(f), title 32, U.S. Code,
• authorized by the President or Secretary of Defense for a national emergency, and
• supported by federal funds.

REAP Benefits

The educational assistance allowance payable under REAP is a percentage of the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB) rate based on the number of continuous days served on active duty. Persons released before 90 days due to an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated in the line of duty receive the 40% rate. Current rates of payment can be found on our Internet web site or by calling the toll-free number below.

• Members who serve 90 days but less than 1 year will receive 40% of the MGIB 3 year rate.
• Members who serve 1 year but less than 2 years will receive 60% of the MGIB 3 year rate.
• Members who serve 2 or more continuous years will receive 80% of the MGIB 3 year rate.

The amount VA pays is based on the type of training program and training time (i.e. full time, half time, etc). If attendance is less than a month or less than full-time, payments are reduced proportionately. 

Institutional Training
Training Time	Consecutive service of 90 days but less than one year	Consecutive service of 1 year +	Consecutive service of 2 years +
Full time	$528.40	$792.60	$1056.80
3/4 time	$396.30	$594.45	$792.60
1/2 time	$264.20	$396.30	$528.40
Less than 1/2 time More than 1/4 time	$264.20**	$396.30**	$528.40**
1/4 time or less	$132.10**	$198.15**	$264.20 **

** Tuition and Fees ONLY. Payment cannot exceed the listed amount.

Available Programs:
The following programs are available:

• College or University Degree Programs
• Vocational Programs
• Independent Study or Distance Learning Programs
  Correspondence Courses
• Flight Training
• On-the-Job Training and Apprenticeship Programs
• Entrepreneurship Courses

Applying for REAP

Once you find a program approved for VA training, complete VA Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits, and send it to the VA regional office that serves the state where you will train.  Indicate on the form you are applying for REAP.  You can also apply online through our web site at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp.

Note:  VA does not approve schools or programs for benefits.  Each individual state approves schools and courses.  To find out if your school or program is approved for VA educational benefits under REAP, contact your school's VA Certifying Official, or call VA at the toll-free number below.