The Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR), Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) has a role in assisting you in collecting your Montgomery GI Bill benefits through an apprenticeship or on-the-job-training (OJT). The apprenticeship programs and OJT allow you to work on a lifelong career while earning money and collecting your GI Bill benefit. There are a wide variety of career opportunities that include not only the construction trades but healthcare, firefighting, culinary and auto mechanics in addition to others.

Any occupation that requires at least one year of training and requires related and supplemental instruction classes can be made apprenticeable. This enables you to receive pay during your OTJ or apprenticeship and collect your GI benefit. In the beginning when your paycheck is the smallest, you receive the largest GI benefit you are eligible to. The payments decline as your salary increases. If the apprenticeship program is long enough, you can receive all the eligible money in your fund.

An occupation that requires 2 years or less of training and does not require related and supplemental education could possibly qualify if it is written as an OJT program. This allows you to draw your benefits and not attend school. If there is a parallel program or some other obstruction that makes it difficult or impossible for DAS to approve a program in a timely fashion, DAS has the option to write a program solely for purpose of receiving the G.I. benefits. However, DAS would not issue a certificate of completion.

You can try to find work with one of the existing apprenticeship programs or you can find your own and ask the employer to contact DAS and set up an apprenticeship or trainee program.

For more information on the variety of existing apprenticeship programs visit http://www.dir.ca.gov/databases/das/aigstart.asp.

For more information on your Montgomery GI Bill benefit and eligibility visit www.gibill.va.gov.

Also keep in mind that your spouse has many opportunities with the apprenticeship or OJT programs, they just do not collect GI Bill benefits unless they are also veterans.