If I were to die after I had the new GI bill, can the benefits still be transferred to my dependents or do I need to transfer the benefits to my dependents before I die? Is there a form to fill out to transfer my benefits to my dependents?

-- Anonymous

Nothing in the GI bill update will change death benefits, and even under the old rules those benefits are transferrable if a servicemember is killed in combat.

Transferability issues still need to be worked out, so we don’t know for sure if families who didn’t already set up paperwork to move benefits from a servicemember to a spouse or child would still have the same procedures or if they’d be handled under a different program. But regardless the format, it looks like they’ll be taken care of.

On a related note, if a servicemember is killed or injured in the line of duty, the new rules require them only to have served 30 days on active duty for full benefits, not the three years required in most cases.