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Your length of service
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Where and when you served
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Your discharge characterization
Veteran benefits and length of service
Eligibility for most veterans benefits requires a minimum length of military service. Take a gander at this table. As you can see, to qualify for full Active-Duty GI Bill benefits, you have to serve for a minimum of 36 months. On the other hand, you could qualify for VA disability compensation or VA medical care with only one day of active duty. But don’t get too excited, because for disability or medical care, you have to meet a slew of other qualification requirements.| Benefit | Minimum Service Requirement | Period of Service | Discharge Characterization |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA healthcare | Any | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Military health insurance | 20 years | Any | Honorable |
| VA pension | 90 days active duty | Before Sept. 7, 1980 | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| VA pension | 2 years active duty | On or after Sept. 7, 1980 | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| VA disability compensation | Any | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Military retirement | 20 years | Any | Honorable |
| Military life insurance programs | Any | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Burial and memorial benefits | Any | Enlisted: Service on or before Sept. 7, 1980 Officers: Service on or before Oct. 16, 1981 | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Burial and memorial benefits | 24 months continuous active duty | Enlisted: Service after Sep. 7, 1980 Officers: Service after Oct. 16, 1981 | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Active-Duty GI Bill | 36 months active duty | Any | Honorable |
| Reserve GI Bill | After initial training | Any | N/A |
| 21st Century GI Bill | 90 days continuous active duty or 6 months total active duty | After Sept. 11, 2001 | Honorable |
| Vocational training for disabled veterans | Any | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Veterans job preference | 1 day | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Veterans small-business loans | Any | Any | Honorable general, or VA determination |
| VA Home Loan Program | 90 days active duty | Sept. 16, 1940, to July 25, 1947; or June 27, 1950, to Jan. 31, 1955; or Aug. 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975 | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| VA Home Loan Program | 181 days continuous active duty | Enlisted: July 26, 1947, to June 26, 1950; or Feb. 1, 1955, to Aug. 4, 1964; or May 8, 1955, to Sep;. 7, 1980 Officers: May 8, 1975 to Oct. 16, 1981 | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| VA Home Loan Program | 24 months continuous active duty | Enlisted: Sept. 7, 1980, to present Officers: Oct. 16, 1981, to present | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| VA Home Loan Program | 6 years Guard/Reserve service | Any | Honorable |
| Homeless veterans programs | Any | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Military retirement homes | 20 years | Any | Honorable |
| Military retirement homes (100% disabled) | 1 day | Any | Honorable, general, or VA determination |
| Military shopping benefits | 20 years or 100% disabled | Any | Honorable |
| Military travel benefits | 20 years or 100% disabled | Any | Honorable |
Veterans benefits and where and when you served
It seems that Congress just can’t make things simple. Just to complicate things, where and when you served in the military can have an impact on your eligibility for certain veterans benefits.Take another look back at the table. To qualify for the VA Home Loan Program, you need at least 90 days of active-duty service if you served during the Vietnam War. However, if your military service was during the Gulf War, you must have at least 24 months of continuous active-duty service to qualify.
A member of the National Guard or Reserves must have at least six years of Guard/Reserve service to qualify (unless they otherwise qualify due to active-duty service).
Veterans benefits and service discharges
It's amazing how many people, including military people, think that there are only two types of military discharges (sometimes called characterizations): honorable and dishonorable. Didn’t anyone watch JAG on TV?Military discharges come in two basic flavors:
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Administrative: Administrative discharges are granted by the discharge authority, who is usually a high-ranking commanding officer.
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Punitive: Punitive discharges can be imposed only by a military court-martial.
If you received an Other Than Honorable (OTH) administrative discharge, or a Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD), or dismissal imposed by a special court-martial, you may or may not be eligible for veterans benefits.
If you received an honorable or general discharge, you’re eligible for most veterans benefits, assuming you meet the other qualifying factors for that benefit. A few benefits specifically require an honorable discharge.