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GI Bill Information: Ask the Expert BlogArchive for May, 2010
May 27th, 2010
by GIBillExpert
by GIBillExpert
My father is in the Air Force, and tells me I’m eligible to benefit from the new GI bill. What I don’t know is how many academic terms the GI bill can apply for. Is there a limit of any kind regarding that? Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it! — Benjamin F.
The Transfer of Educational Benefits program is one of the most anticipated features of the new Post 9/11 GI Bill. For the first time, service-members can transfer some or all of their GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child. This wasn’t possible under other GI Bill programs. In order to qualify for the program, a service-member must be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and have served at least 6 years. When making the transfer, he promises to serve at least 4 more years (unless he is close to retirement, in which case the service obligation may be less).
The full amount of benefits under the new GI Bill is 36 months. When a service-member transfers benefits, he selects how many months of benefits to transfer, up to the full 36 months. He can change this amount at any time, and even cancel the transfer if desired.
May 27th, 2010
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I want to go to helicopter flight school. Phoenix helicopters in Mesa, Arizona will become a GI Bill accepting school in June 2010. The Old GI Bill only covers 60% of everything after the private license and no financial aid schools are supporting these types of schools. I want to go to this school full time and get every license, which should take a year to a year and a half. I have been told that the New GI Bill covers some of these schools and will even start out at the private license level and go beyond. Is this true and how can I get this started so I’m not out of pocket $15,000 or more because a technical school is much better than a four year degree school any day. Thank you, Neil
Hi Neil, Helicopter flight school has all of a sudden become popular, I just answered a question about helicopter flight school and the two GI Bills the other day. If you want to use your Post 9/11 GI Bill for helicopter flight school, you might have to change your mind about schools which award degrees.
The Post 9/11 GI Bill can only be used at an institution of higher learning. The VA defines an institution of higher learning as a school which is approved to award degrees. The education program you are taking at the school doesn’t have to result in a degree, but the school has to have the ability to award degrees. The example I used for the other question is an aeronautical college that can award degrees in programs such as aeronautical engineering. If you can find a school like this that is approved by the VA as an institution of higher learning, and they have helicopter flight training in their curriculum, then you should be able to use your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits there. You can search for VA approved schools and programs on this VA webpage.
Otherwise you may be using your Montgomery GI Bill benefits to attend helicopter flight school. Receiving 60% of your costs for attending is still better than having to pay for everything yourself, but hopefully you can find a program that you can use your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits with.
Wherever you attend flight school, I can’t stress enough that you make sure the school is approved by the VA for GI Bill use. Just because a school says that they will accept the GI Bill doesn’t mean that the VA accepts them. I have heard about some commercial diving schools that are being a bit vague on that account, and veterans are finding that they owe a lot of money that they thought their GI Bill was going to pay.
May 27th, 2010
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I received a letter in the mail saying I have 30 days to switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. I am not sure what one I want to use. What do I do? How can we change it that online students are not receiving BAH? We are still going to school, supporting a family, everything that people do on campus! Any ideas? Tina
Hi Tina, I’m a little confused here. Did you get a letter from the VA telling you that you had to switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill? When you say that you aren’t sure which you want to use, I’m assuming that you haven’t used any of your GI Bill benefits yet, and you are also eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill benefits.
If everything I am assuming is correct, and the letter is from the VA, then I believe an error has been made. You don’t have to decide which GI Bill benefits you want to use until you are ready to attend school. If you are eligible for both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you can use all 36 months of your MGIB benefits and then receive 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. If you switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill prior to using all of your MGIB benefits, you will only receive the number of months that you have remaining from the MGIB.
Double check to make sure the letter is indeed from the VA and not some sort of scam. If it looks official, I would contact the VA to see what’s up with the letter and why they are asking you to switch prior to deciding on an education program.
Regarding the housing allowance and online classes, it is my understanding that provision is being looked at, but whether anything ever gets changed is anyone’s guess. Contact your local Congressperson about it and let them know how you feel. As it is right now though, you can still take a lot of online classes and be eligible for the housing allowance.
May 27th, 2010
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I am retired from the US Army Reserves. I used my Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) after I left active duty in the 80s. I served a mobilization tour in support of Iraq Freedom. I am back in school working on my Bachelor’s degree. Am I eligible for any benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit package? I retired in 2006. Thank you. — Chris
With a one year mobilization tour Chris (I’m assuming it was one year), you would have some Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. With your tour, you would get 36 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits paid at the 60% tier, meaning the VA would pay 60% of your tuition/fees and you would get paid monthly 60% of the housing allowance and 60% of the book stipend. The book stipend is capped at $1,000 per year, so at the 60% rate, you would get $600.
Because I don’t know where you are going to school, I can’t project how much the VA would pay for your tuition or your housing allowance. You would be capped at 60% of the in-state maximum the VA set for each state. As far as the housing allowance, you would get 60% of the E-5-with-dependents rate for the zip code of your school. I’ve included those links, so you can figure it out.
May 27th, 2010
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
Q: My husband is in the Army National Guard and has just recently started using his GI Bill. I have finished my degree and have student loans. I have read somewhere about soldier student loan forgiveness. Can I use his loan forgiveness? — Heidi
A: What you are referring to Heidi is the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). It is a separate program and not part of the GI Bill. As a matter-of-fact, a servicemember can’t have both SLRP and the GI Bill for the same qualifying period of time.
SLRP is usually offered as an enlistment or re-enlistment incentive and if the servicemember selects it, he/she incurs a three-year obligation in return to have qualifying student loans paid off. After the three-year period, time starts qualifying for the Post 9/11GI Bill.
For a six-year enlistment, a servicemember could get both SLRP and the GI Bill. The theory behind it is if the servicemember already has student loans when he/she enlists, they probably don’t need the GI Bill, but could use SLRP. However, even if your husband had SLRP, he could not use it to pay off your student loans – only his own loans. Sorry!
May 26th, 2010
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
Hi there. I am attending the University of Phoenix working on my Bachelor’s Degree with a concentration in Communications and Technology. It is 100% online. I want to enroll in my local community college to take one class per semester in-residence. Will my GI Bill pay for two colleges at once? Will taking one 3-credit in-residence class (while staying in University of Phoenix full-time) enable me to receive the BAH under the Post 9/11 GI Bill? If so, are there any limitations or requirements I need to be aware of? Thanks, Linda
Hi Linda, Congratulations on using your GI Bill benefits, and I think that is a great degree you are working towards!
The Post 9/11 GI Bill may only be used for one degree at a time. When you have earned your bachelor’s that you are working towards now you can immediately start on another degree at another school if you have benefits left. My understanding is that the only time the VA will allow a student to use Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits at 2 schools at the same time is if a class is needed to complete a degree program, and for some reason it is not available or can’t be taken at the initial school.
In answer to your second question, the way the Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance is worded is that you can’t take exclusively online classes. That means that if you are maintaining at least enough credit hours per semester to be considered more than a 1/2 time student, and at least one of the classes in your degree program is being taken in-residence, you should qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance.
Don’t forget that if you are using your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits you can also be participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
May 26th, 2010
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
Do I qualify for the GI Bill? My dad is in the Army active duty and also in college. My mom is 100% disabled. I want to attend a community college. My mom lives in Alabama and my dad lives in Texas. I need to know if I qualify? Thank you, Shalesia
Hi Shalesia, There is some information I don’t know that can affect my answer to your question. You mention that your mother is 100 percent disabled. If your mother was in the military and is disabled due to a service related accident or injury, then you may be eligible for benefits under the Dependents’ and Survivors’ Education Assistance Program (DEA). This program can provide you with up to 45 months of education benefits which can be used for various educational programs.
Okay, lets talk about your dad now. You mentioned that he is on active duty in the Army and attending college. If your father has been in the military for 6 years, he may be eligible to transfer some of his Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to you. He will have to agree to stay in the military for another 4 years if the transfer of benefits is approved, unfortunately you will not be eligible to use the benefits until he has at least 10 years of military service.
If he has already been in the military for 10 years, and he agrees to transfer some of his Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to you, then you may be in good shape. Otherwise, I suggest you check with your state’s Department of Veterans Affairs. Sometimes states have education benefits programs for the eligible children of veterans. Another place to check is with the Army Emergency Relief. They often have grants and scholarship programs for the children of Army veterans, and they also have links to others sites which offer education benefits for eligible dependent children.
May 26th, 2010
by Ron Kness
by Ron Kness
I am debating whether or not to enroll as a full-time or part-time student this Fall. What will the difference be in benefits under the new Post 9/11 GI Bill if I only enroll part-time? Also, if I only take classes part-time, will I still only receive benefits for 36 months? – - Julia
Your 36 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits won’t change Julia; it will just take you longer to use them up. If you go to school part-time, your benefits are reduced based on pro-rating. Say you take 7 credits for a term and full-time is considered 12 credits. Your GI Bill benefits for that term would be reduced by 7/12ths, so if your term is 5 months, your benefits would reduce 7/12th of 5 months or about 3 months.
The real difference would be in the Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance. If you are a half-time student or less, you won’t get the housing allowance, but if your rate of pursuit is over half-time (generally 7 credits or more), then you will get it. Depending on the zip code of your school, that can amount to over $2,800 per month.
Don’t forget that you will also get $41.67 per credit hour in a book stipend. There is a $1,000 per year annual cap, but if you are only going part-time, you probably won’t hit the cap, or if you do, it will be towards the end of the school year. If you do the math, you’ll see the book stipend will pay for 24 credits.
May 26th, 2010
by GIBillExpert
by GIBillExpert
I have already went to school for the 36 months under my old GI Bill with the Kicker I paid in while I was in service. I served over the MGIB’s required 36 months, and have enough time after 2001 to qualify for 100% coverage under the new GI Bill. My question is since I’ve exhausted my 36 months of the old GI Bill, is there a chance I could get some sort of GI Bill help for school now that there is a new GI Bill? I would appreciate it if you could help me out with that information. Thank You, Sgt. Tackett USMC
You are most likely in luck. If you completely exhausted all 36 months of your Montgomery GI Bill benefits, then you may be eligible for benefits under the new Post 9/11 GI Bill. As long as you served at least 36 months of active duty after September 11, 2001, not counting time solely for training or time spent paying off another form of education benefits (the old GI Bill or college loan repayment), and are otherwise eligible, you can qualify for 100% benefits under the new GI Bill for another 12 months.
This is because the law stipulates that you cannot get more then 48 months of benefits from any combination of VA educational benefits.
If you still have any months of benefits remaining under the MGIB, you will have to exhaust them before you can make use of the 12 additional months of the new GI Bill.
May 26th, 2010
by GIBillExpert
by GIBillExpert
I am an active duty Air Force captain who just got selected for AFIT. I am a nurse so I will attend an accredited school of my choosing, not Wright-Patterson. I have been in the Air Force for 6 1/2 years. Can I use the GI Bill while attending AFIT and if so, are my benefits gone after that or can I use the remaining of my entitlement at a later date? — JoAnn P.
When it comes to the GI Bill, being accepted to the Air Force Institute of Technology Master’s Degree Program is a special case. There’s no real opportunity to make use of the GI Bill benefits in this program. You are still on active duty, and the cost of the tuition is covered by your service, and so the GI Bill will provide little additional benefit.
Under the Montgomery GI Bill, if you use the benefits while on active duty, the bill is limited to the cost of actual tuition. AFIT tuition is provided, so the benefit would be nothing.
Under the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, the benefits are always limited to the cost of tuition, so you have the same problem. Also, since you are on active duty, you would not receive the housing allowance or the book stipend.
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