Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) Preliminary Guidance

1. SITUATION 
A. GENERAL. REF (A) WAS SIGNED INTO LAW ON 28 OCT 04 ESTABLISHING A
NEW EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM UNDER CHAPTER 1607, TITLE 10 U.S. CODE THAT
PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO MEMBERS OF THE READY RESERVE IN
CHAPTER 1607 OF TITLE 10 U.S. CODE, HEREAFTER CALLED REAP.
CURRENTLY, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) IS WORKING ON A FULL
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR REAP. BECAUSE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
(MOU) WAS RECENTLY SIGNED BETWEEN DOD AND THE VA, THE VA IS NOW
ACCEPTING AND PROCESSING REAP CLAIMS.
B. PURPOSE. TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND INTERIM GUIDANCE ON REAP
ELIGIBILITY AND BENEFIT ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES FOR MARINE CORPS
RESERVE MEMBERS ORDERED TO ACTIVE DUTY SUPPORTING CONTINGENCY
OPERATIONS OR NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT OR
CONGRESS. ASSISTANCE MAY BE PROVIDED UNDER REAP FOR PURSUIT OF
EDUCATION APPROVED FOR PURPOSES OF CHAPTER 30 OF TITLE 38 U.S.C.
(MONTGOMERY GI BILL-MGIB). 
2. MISSION. ON OR AFTER 11 SEP 01, MARINES IN THE RESERVE COMPONENT
ARE ENTITLED TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNDER REAP IF THEY SERVED ON
ACTIVE DUTY IN SUPPORT OF A CONTINGENCY OPERATION FOR 90 CONSECUTIVE
DAYS OR MORE. ACTIVE RESERVE (AR) PERSONNEL MAY QUALIFY FOR THIS
BENEFIT IF THEY RECEIVE(D) ORDERS CHANGING THEIR DUTY STATUS,
LOCATION, OR ASSIGNMENT TO SUPPORT A CONTINGENCY OPERATION. MARINES
WHO WERE ORDERED TO ACTIVE SERVICE AS PRESCRIBED ABOVE BUT ARE
RELEASED FROM DUTY BEFORE COMPLETING 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS BECAUSE OF
AN INJURY, ILLNESS OR DISEASE INCURRED OR AGGRAVATED IN THE LINE OF
DUTY ARE ENTITLED TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNDER REAP. ENTITLEMENTS
IN THE LATTER CASE WILL EXPIRE AT THE END OF TEN YEARS FROM THE DATE
THE SERVICE MEMBER INITIALLY BECAME ELIGIBLE (DATE OF SEPARATION
FROM ACTIVE DUTY).
3. EXECUTION 
A. CMC INTENT. TO PROVIDE ELIGIBLE MARINES WITH THE MOST CURRENT
INFORMATION TO ASSIST THEM IN APPLYING FOR REAP. THE END-STATE WILL
CONSIST OF FULL INCORPORATION OF THE REAP PROGRAM INTO REFS (B) AND
(C). 
B. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNDER REAP IS
BASED ON A PERCENT, AS SHOWN BELOW, OF THE APPLICABLE RATE PROVIDED
UNDER THE MGIB (ACTIVE DUTY) PROGRAM (HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS 
MGIB-AD) OUTLINED IN REF (C) FOR COMPLETION OF THREE YEARS OF ACTIVE
DUTY: (1) 40 PERCENT IN THE CASE OF A RESERVE MARINE WHO PERFORMED
ACTIVE SERVICE FOR 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS BUT LESS THAN ONE CONTINUOUS
YEAR; 
(2) 60 PERCENT IN THE CASE OF A RESERVE MARINE WHO PERFORMED ACTIVE
SERVICE FOR ONE CONTINUOUS YEAR BUT LESS THAN TWO CONTINUOUS YEARS;
OR 
(3) 80 PERCENT IN THE CASE OF A RESERVE MARINE WHO PERFORMED ACTIVE
SERVICE FOR TWO CONTINUOUS YEARS OR MORE. 
(4) THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MONTHS OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE THAT MAY
BE PROVIDED UNDER REAP IS 36, OR THE EQUIVALENT THEREOF IN PART-TIME
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 
(5) LIFETIME AGGREGATE BENEFITS CANNOT EXCEED 48 MONTHS, OR THEIR
PART-TIME EQUIVALENT, UNDER TWO OR MORE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.
(6) ELIGIBILITY FOR REAP IS AUTOMATIC WITH NO SPECIFIC DELIMITING
DATE FOR AN ELIGIBLE RESERVE MARINE UNLESS THE MEMBER BECOMES
SUBSEQUENTLY INELIGIBLE UNDER PARA D (4) OF THIS MARADMIN. 
ADDITIONALLY, REAP DOES NOT REQUIRE AN ORIGINAL ENTRY ARMED FORCES
DATE LATER THAN 30 JUN 1985 AS REQUIRED FOR OTHER EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS IN REFS B AND C. 
C. TASKS
(1) COMMANDERS, COMMANDERS OF DEPLOYED RESERVE UNITS, AND COMMANDERS
OF UNITS WITH RESERVE INDIVIDUAL AUGMENTEES WHO WILL BE DEMOBILIZING
RESERVE COMPONENT MEMBERS WILL ENSURE THE FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE
FUNCTIONS ARE PERFORMED: 
(A) ELIGIBILITY NOTIFICATION: NOTIFY IN WRITING ALL MARINES
CURRENTLY IN THE RESERVE COMPONENT WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR REAP
RETROACTIVE TO 11 SEP 01. NOTIFY MARINES UPON REACHING ELIGIBILITY
FOR REAP FOLLOWING THE 90TH CONSECUTIVE DAY OF ACTIVE DUTY, BUT NO
LATER THAN THEIR RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY. NOTIFICATION WILL BE
ACCOMPLISHED BY PROVIDING THE MARINE WITH A STATEMENT OF ENTITLEMENT
TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FORM (NAVMC 11535). 
(B) ELECTION OF BENEFITS: MARINES WILL BE PROVIDED A STATEMENT OF
ELECTION OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FORM (NAVMC 11536) UPON REACHING
TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF ACTIVE SERVICE IN ORDER TO ELECT EITHER
REAP OR MGIB-AD CHAPTER 30 MGIB BENEFIT OUTLINED IN REF (C). 
(2) CMC (MI) DIVISION: ESTABLISH DATA PROTOCOLS AND IMPLEMENT SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY AND TERMINATION OF REAP
BENEFITS IN THE MARINE CORPS TOTAL FORCE SYSTEM (MCTFS). 
D. COORDINATING INSTRUCTIONS 
(1) ENROLLMENT. CURRENT ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES ARE FOUND ON THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) WEBSITE INDICATED IN PARA 5B OF
THIS MARADMIN. MARINES MAY APPLY TO THE REGIONAL PROCESSING OFFICES
OF THE VA BY USING VA FORM 22-1990 IF THE MARINE HAS NEVER SUBMITTED
AN EDUCATION CLAIM TO THE VA, OR VA FORM 22-1995 IF THE MARINE HAS
PREVIOUSLY FILED A CLAIM FOR EDUCATION BENEFITS. ANNOTATE CHAPTER
1607 ON ALL VA FORMS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
(2) DUAL ENROLLMENT. A MARINE WHO QUALIFIES FOR REAP AND MGIB-AD
MUST MAKE AN IRREVOCABLE ELECTION AS OUTLINED IN PAR 3C(1)(B).
MARINES WHO ELECT REAP WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER EDUCATIONAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UNDER REFERENCES B AND C (CHAPTER 1606 OF TITLE
10 U.S.C., CHAPTERS 31, 32, OR 35 OF TITLE 38, OR UNDER THE HOSTAGE
RELIEF ACT OF 1980 (PUBLIC LAW 96-449 5 U.S.C. 5561 NOTE)). THE VA
WILL TERMINATE BENEFITS FOR OTHER EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
UPON ELECTION OF REAP. THE RESTRICTION ON DUPLICATION OF EDUCATIONAL
ASSISTANCE DOES NOT APPLY TO MARINES ELIGIBLE FOR THE SRIP/MGIB-SR
KICKER PROGRAM. 
(3) RETROACTIVE PAYMENTS. MARINES WHO BEGIN RECEIVING BENEFITS AT A
LOWER RATE WILL NOT BE RETROACTIVELY PAID AT A HIGHER RATE WHEN THE
DURATION OF THE PERIOD OF CONTINUOUS ACTIVATED SERVICE WOULD ALLOW
FOR A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF BENEFITS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE MARINE WAS
ACTIVATED ON 1 NOV 05 AND BEGINS RECEIVING THE 40 PERCENT BENEFIT ON
1 FEB 06 AFTER BEING ACTIVATED FOR 90 DAYS AND CONTINUES ON ACTIVE
DUTY BEYOND ONE YEAR, THE MARINE WILL RECEIVE THE 60 PERCENT BENEFIT
STARTING ON 1 NOV 06. THE MARINE WILL NOT RECEIVE A RETROACTIVE
BENEFIT OF 60 PERCENT STARTING 1 FEB 2006. 
(4) TERMINATION OF ASSISTANCE. MARINES MUST REMAIN IN THE READY
RESERVE COMPONENT FROM WHICH THEY WERE CALLED OR ORDERED TO ACTIVE
DUTY UPON RELEASE TO MAINTAIN ELIGIBILITY. MARINES WHO BECAME
QUALIFIED FOR REAP WHILE A MEMBER OF THE IRR MAY REMAIN IN THE IRR
OR AFFILIATE WITH THE SELECTED RESERVE (SMCR OR IMA) AT ANY TIME TO
RETAIN THEIR ELIGIBILITY. HOWEVER, MEMBERS WHO BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR
REAP WHILE IN THE SELECTED RESERVE WHO SUBSEQUENTLY TRANSFER TO THE
IRR OR SEPARATE FROM THE READY RESERVE WILL HAVE THEIR BENEFITS
AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATED. MARINES WHO BEGIN RECEIVING FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE AS MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS
(ROTC) PROGRAM ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REAP.
4. ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS. MARINES MUST SUBMIT THE ELIGIBILITY
AND/OR ELECTION FORM TO THE COMMAND HAVING ADMINISTRATIVE COGNIZANCE
OF THEIR SRB/OQR PRIOR TO SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION TO THE VA.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE ENTITLEMENT AND ELECTION FORMS (NAVMC 11535 AND
NAVMC 11536) IS AS FOLLOWS: ORIGINAL TO THE MARINE, COPY TO THE
DOCUMENT SIDE OF THE SRB/OQR AND A COPY TO CMC (MMSB-20). 
5. COMMAND AND SIGNAL 
A. COMMAND. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MARADMIN SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO
THE HQMC MGIB R PROGRAM MANAGER AT (703) 784-9127/9129 DSN
278-9127/9129 OR TOLL FREE (877) 415-9275, OPTION 5; OR BY EMAIL AT
RESERVEGIBILL@USMC.MIL. FORMER MARINES SHOULD CONTACT THEIR LOCAL VA
OFFICE REGARDING ELIGIBILITY STATUS FOR REAP. A LISTING OF LOCAL VA
OFFICES CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.VA.GOV FIND A FACILITY OR BY CALLING
1-800-827-1000.
B. SIGNAL. INFORMATION ON THE REAP PROGRAM AND THE NAVMC 11535 AND
NAVMC 11536 FORMS ARE IS POSTED ON THE M&RA RESERVE EDUCATIONAL
BENEFITS WEBSITE AT WWW.MANPOWER.USMC.MIL RESERVE MARINE RA 
CMT BENEFITS RESERVE EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS. THE NAVMC FORMS CAN
ALSO BE FOUND IN THE MARINE CORPS ELECTRONIC FORMS SYSTEM (MCEFS).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING REQUIRED VA FORMS, APPLICATION
PROCEDURES, AND A QUESTION AND ANSWER FORUM, CAN BE FOUND ON THE VA
WEBSITE AT WWW.GIBILL.VA.GOV. 
6. THIS MARADMIN IS APPLICABLE TO THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE.