Q: My father would like to transfer his GI Bill benefits to me, but we're not sure if he's still able to. He served 20 years active duty in the Army and retired in 1997. Is this a possibility for us or is it too late because so much time has passed? Please help. Thanks.

A:  It is not so much as too much time has passed, which it has, but the Montgomery GI Bill, for the most part is not transferable to dependent children. The Montgomery GI Bill, which is what your father would have had back in 1997, did not have a transferability option unless he specifically paid for that option as a re-enlistment option for being in a critical MOS or designated unit.

The payment I’m talking about is not the $1,200 he originally paid in to get the Montgomery Bill – he would have made another payment out of his re-enlistment incentive pay. Also, the Montgomery GI Bill has a 10-year delimiting date, so it expired in 2007 – 10 years from his discharge.