We Got You 1776 seal
WE GOT YOU 1776™
For Military Families
Sources

Sources and Official References

We Got You 1776 is not part of VA or the Department of Defense. The site, The Order Matters, the reference charts and College Tool are built from the official sources on this page, so you can check any of it yourself.

RA, author mark
How to use this page

Start with VA's page for your benefit. The law and VA's regulations are where the rules are written, and they are listed here so the source of every rule is one click away. VA decides eligibility and benefits; confirm your plan with VA and your School Certifying Official.

The law

Title 38 of the U.S. Code sets the benefits. Chapter 33 is the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Fry Scholarship, chapter 35 is DEA, and chapter 36 holds the rules that apply to all of them, including the combined limits.

  1. 38 U.S.C. 3313What the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays: tuition and fees, housing by rate of pursuit, the foreign and online rates, books
  2. 38 U.S.C. 3319Transfer of Post-9/11 GI Bill months to a spouse or child
  3. 38 U.S.C. 3322One program at a time, and the Fry Scholarship with DEA
  4. 38 U.S.C. 3501Chapter 35 (DEA): who is an eligible person
  5. 38 U.S.C. 3695The combined limits: 48 months for programs from your own service, 81 for Chapter 35 with others

The laws that changed the rules

When Congress changes a benefit, it does it in a public law. These are the ones behind the rules the guide, the charts and the app follow.

  1. Public Law 112-154, section 401Raised the limit for Chapter 35 with other programs from 48 to 81 months, effective October 1, 2013
  2. Public Law 115-48, section 107Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (the Forever GI Bill): housing by the campus where you attend, from August 1, 2018
  3. Public Law 117-76, section 4REMOTE Act: rounding out in the final term
  4. Public Law 118-210Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act: the Fry 120-day case, final-term housing, electronic letters, notice of policy changes

VA's regulations

38 CFR Part 21 is how VA applies the law. The eCFR shows the current text and the date each section last changed, and the Federal Register prints each change when VA makes it.

  1. 38 CFR Part 21VA's regulations for education benefits
  2. 38 CFR 21.4020Two or more programs: the 48 and 81 month limits, amended July 31, 2025
  3. 90 FR 35965, July 31, 2025The 81-Month Rule for Dependents' Education Assistance (final rule amending 38 CFR 21.4020), document 2025-14486
  4. 38 CFR 21.9641Post-9/11 GI Bill rates of payment: housing more than half time, rounded to the nearest 10 percent, the foreign rate

VA's pages

VA's own explanation of each benefit, its rates, and the tools to check your own record.

  1. VA.govVA education and training benefits
  2. VA.govPost-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)
  3. VA.govPost-9/11 GI Bill rates, August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027
  4. VA.govSurvivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, Chapter 35)
  5. VA.govChapter 35 (DEA) rates, effective October 1, 2026
  6. VA.govFry Scholarship
  7. VA.govTransfer your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
  8. VA.govYellow Ribbon Program
  9. VA.govGI Bill Comparison Tool: approved schools, housing, Yellow Ribbon, caution flags
  10. VA.govCheck remaining GI Bill and other education benefits
  11. VA.govVerify your school enrollment each month
  12. benefits.va.govChanges to education policy and guidance (VA's 90-day notices)
  13. VASchool Certifying Official Handbook
  14. benefits.va.govContact VA about education benefits: 888-GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551)

The Defense Department

DoD decides transfers of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and sets the housing table the allowance is drawn from.

  1. DoD milConnectRequest, change or revoke a transfer of Post-9/11 GI Bill months
  2. Defense Travel Management OfficeBAH rate lookup, the table the GI Bill housing allowance is drawn from

Other aid

Grants and scholarships sit on top of VA benefits.

  1. studentaid.govFAFSA, the federal student aid application

Using VA's information

Why we can work from what VA publishes, and the rule for using the GI Bill name.

  1. VAVA's copyright policy: material VA produces on its websites is not copyright protected
  2. 17 U.S.C. 105Works of the U.S. Government are not copyrighted
  3. VAVA Open Data Plan (September 2025; VA's page dated December 4, 2025) archived copy
  4. 44 U.S.C. 3502Definitions behind open government data, including an open license
  5. benefits.va.govGI Bill Trademark Terms of Use
  6. 79 FR 13391, March 10, 2014GI Bill Trademark Terms of Use, document 2014-05110
What this means here

VA's copyright policy says the material VA produces for its websites is not copyright protected, and the law behind that is 17 U.S.C. 105: works of the U.S. Government carry no copyright. VA's Open Data Plan is how VA publishes its data for anyone to find and reuse, and the school and rate data College Tool reads is VA's own published data. VA's page for the plan now answers not found, so the link above includes the archived copy of VA's page as published.

GI Bill is VA's registered trademark. We use the name only to describe the benefit, with VA's notice at the foot of every page, under VA's GI Bill Trademark Terms of Use.

How this list stays current

Every source here is checked at least every three months, and again around August 1 and October 1, when VA's rates change. When one changes, every page, chart, app screen and chapter that uses it is found and corrected: the site right away, the book and the app at their next edition. Last checked 18 October 2026.

Spotted something out of date? Tell us through Chart notes, Book feedback or App suggestions, with the official source that says otherwise, and it is checked against that source.

Get the app