EDUCATION AND
TRAINING
Army Knowledge Online (AKO)
Army Knowledge Online (AKO) is
rapidly moving to become the central repository for Army Web Sites and access to
secured information. As part of the Army Transformation, the personnel
community is moving rapidly toward streamlining its systems and giving soldiers
access to their military personnel information on-line. We are currently
using AKO for Career Field Designation (CFD), Command, and Senior Service
College preference statements submission via the web. In the very near future
you will no longer have to send away for a copy of your fiche, you will be able
to view your file to include your photo on-line. Eventually you will be
able to view and possibly update some of your personnel data through the
web. We are strongly encouraging all officers to sign up for an AKO
account. With this you receive an e-mail address that will follow you
throughout your career, eliminating the every 2-3 year updates and ensuring you
receive the latest information from your assignment branch. If you have an
account and do not know your password, you can call the toll free number on the
AKO WebPages to receive it. To access AKO, type
www.us.army.mil into your browser.
The Montgomery GI
Bill
The Montgomery
GI Bill (MGIB) was enacted by Congress to attract high quality men and women
into the Armed Forces. The program provides up to 36 months of educational
benefits to eligible persons enrolled in degree and certificate programs,
apprenticeship and on-the-job training and correspondence courses approved for
veteran’s training. The program is administered the Department of Veterans
Affairs. An on-line MGIB pamphlet
provides more detailed
information.
Tuition Assistance Top-Up
On October 30, 2000, the President signed into
law an amendment to the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty education program that
permits VA to pay a Tuition Assistance Top-up benefit. The amount of the benefit can be equal to the difference
between the total cost of a college course and the amount of Tuition Assistance
that is paid by the military for the course.
To
be eligible for the Top-up benefit, the person must be approved for
federal Tuition Assistance by a military department and be eligible for
MGIB-Active Duty benefits. To be eligible for MGIB benefits, the person must be
an MGIB – Active Duty participant and must have served at least 2 full years on
Active Duty.
The amount of the benefit is limited
to the amount that the person would receive for the same course if regular MGIB
benefits were being paid. In no case can the amount paid by the military
combined with the amount paid by VA be more than the total cost of the
course.
If a person receives
the Top-up benefit, his or her regular MGIB benefits will be reduced. The amount
of entitlement charged for Top-up payments is determined by dividing the amount
of the payment by the claimant’s full-time monthly
rate.
The benefit is available for all courses that began on
or after October 30, 2000. A copy of the Tuition Assistance Authorization form
for the course that has been signed by an authorized military official will be
required. People who have not requested MGIB benefits before should submit a VA
Form 22-1990 to establish eligibility.
The application and other evidence should be sent to one of
the VA’s four education processing offices in Atlanta, Buffalo, Muskogee (OK),
or St. Louis. The application form and the addresses of the offices are
available on the Internet at www.gibill.va.gov
National Guard State College Tuition Assistance
Programs
Contact your Education Officer for further information about your
State’s College Tuition Assistance Program.
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