Rudisill v. McDonough

Rudisill v. McDonough
Decided April 16, 2024
Full case nameRudisill v. McDonough
Docket no.22-888
Citations601 U.S. 294 (more)
Holding
Soldiers who accrue educational benefits under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills may use either one and may use them in any order.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan
Neil Gorsuch · Brett Kavanaugh
Amy Coney Barrett · Ketanji Brown Jackson
Case opinions
MajorityJackson, joined by Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett
ConcurrenceKavanaugh, joined by Barrett
DissentThomas, joined by Alito
Laws applied
G.I. Bill

Rudisill v. McDonough, 601 U.S. 294 (2024), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that veterans who accrue educational benefits under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills may use either or both, and may use them in any order.[1][2]

Subsequent cases

In Perkins v. Collins, 24-6515 Vet. App. (2025), the Department of Veterans Affairs argued that the two "qualifying periods of service" that made a veteran eligible to use both respective GI Bill needed to fall under separate enlistments. The United States Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims ruled that the Rudisill decision was not rooted in distinct periods of service, but in total length of service. The Perkins ruling held that veterans who serve six years on active duty -- 3 years to qualify for the Montgomery GI Bill and 3 years to qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill -- can claim both, in either order, for up to 48 total months of benefits.[3]

References

  1. ^ Rudisill v. McDonough, 601 U.S. ___ (2024)
  2. ^ "Rudisill v. McDonough". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "Perkins, No. 24-6515 (Vet. App. 2025)". Justia Law. Retrieved March 1, 2026.