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GI Bill Information: Ask the Expert BlogExpert Answers to Your GI Bill Benefits Questions
Author: Jeffery Anderson
March 18th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
My husband is getting out soon and I am a veteran. If we are both going to school full time, will we both get the housing allowance? And if we take summer or winter classes (courses between regular semesters) will be continue to receive the allowance? Krystyne
Hi Krystyne, If you and your husband are each using your own Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits at approved schools and are full-time students, you should both be eligible for the housing allowance. If you both are eligible for full Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, you should each receive the full allowance as full-time students.
Your second question is a little tougher. The Post 9/11 GI Bill will no longer provide Break Pay between semesters as of 1 August 2011. Many schools offer a full summer semester and by taking enough classes during that semester to be considered a full-time student, you should be eligible for the housing allowance during that period. I am not sure how the VA would consider taking one or two classes during the winter break, but my guess is that you probably would not get the allowance during that period.
You might want to talk to the VA Certifying Official at your school to get a clarification on how their winter and summer class programs will be classified for VA housing allowance purposes. If you are only taking a couple of classes during each period, you may not receive the allowance.
March 17th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I was discharged under Honorable conditions and I paid the initial $1,200 for the GI Bill. I was rejected for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits because I didn’t get an Honorable Discharge. I wasn’t dishonorably discharged so why did they reject my claim? Daniel
Hi Daniel, the official VA policy is that a service member must receive a full Honorable Discharge to be eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill or the Post 9/11 GI Bill. An Other than Honorable Discharge under Honorable Conditions does not meet that definition.
That being said, many veterans with OTH discharges end up receiving their Post 9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill benefits. If there are no bad conduct issues associated with your discharge, there is a good chance that your application for benefits will be approved if you appeal the decision to deny your benefits. I have communicated with many veterans with situations similar to yours and just about all of them had their initial application denied. However, when they appealed the denial quite a few of them had the decision reversed.
This is only when there are no bad conduct issues involved. If you have a situation with bad conduct involved, I don’t believe you will receive your benefits.
March 17th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I have an Honorable Discharge and re-enlisted and got a General Discharge. I applied for my Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits and was denied. Why was I denied if I served Honorably for 4 years from 2001 to 2005. Daniel
Hi Daniel, Based on the information you have given me it sounds like you should not have been denied your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. If you have an Honorable Discharge from youe initial enlistment during which you earned your GI Bill benefits, a subsequent enlistment with a less than Honorable Discharge should not affect your ability to use your benefits.
The VA is like any other large organization and occasionally makes mistakes. The person who processed your application probably just saw the General Discharge and didn’t realize there were two separate enlistments with the initial enlistment ending with an Honorable Discharge. I suggest that you appeal the decision and you should be awarded your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. You should also be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program when the decision is reversed.
If you contributed to the Montgomery GI Bill during your first enlistment, you should also be eligible for those benefits.
March 16th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I am in the Army National Guard and have the Montgomery Reserve GI Bill. I already had a Bachelor’s Degree in Education when I joined the military. Now that I am home, I am wanting to go to school to recieve my Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing to be an RN. Would my GI Bill cover me going to school for another bachelor’s degree? If not my GI Bill, would I qualify for Tuition Assistance? Ashley
Hi Ashley, National Guard members can be eligible for Tuition Assistance benefits, but they can’t be used to earn a degree at the same level of education that the member already has. In other words, they can be used to earn a Bachelor’s degree if the member has an Associate’s degree, but not to earn another Associate’s degree.
You can use your Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserves to earn another Bachelor’s degree as long as it is for an approved program and at an approved school. I would think that most nursing programs would qualify, but you should verify that information.
The Navy has a Nurse Candidate Program that provides financial assistance while working toward a degree in nursing. After completing the program you would have an active duty obligation. I’m not sure if the Army has a similar program or how it would work with your National Guard obligation, but it might be worth checking out. You might be able to save your MGIB-SR benefits for a Master’s Degree.
March 16th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
Hi there, I am an active duty USAF officer that is currently on his 13th year. I am currently pursuing a Masters in Astronomy from James Cook University on my own dime. However, after completion I am considering taking/pursuing the PhD at JCU using my 9/11 GI Bill benefits. I looked up JCU and it is listed as an approved institution of higher learning, however I did not see the PhD as an approved program (the Masters of Astronomy is listed, they do offer the PhD though). Is it simply a matter of getting the program approved in order to get GI Bill benefits to pay for it? Thanks in advance, Sherman
Hi Sherman, I did not see any PhD programs listed as approved for GI Bill use at James Cook University. I don’t know how many they have other than in Astronomy, but it seems odd that so many Master’s and Bachelor’s programs have received approvals, but no Doctoral programs made the list.
It could simply be a case that the VA hasn’t updated their list or it might be that most service members and veterans who use Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits use them for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees so the VA doesn’t always list Doctoral programs.
I would think that with that many approved programs the school has a VA Certifying Official or someone who works closely with U.S. service members and veterans. I suggest you talk to them to find out the status of the PhD program and the ability to use your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits for it. You might also want to talk to your education officer or the closest VA rep and I wouldn’t sign up for the courses until the VA verifies the program is covered by your benefits.
In the U.S. each state has a State Approving Agency that works with the VA in approving schools and programs. I’m not sure who assists the VA in approving overseas schools and programs.
March 15th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I retired from the Army in Feb 2008. Would I be able to transfer what’s left of my GI Bill to my son? My active duty dates are from 1 July 1986 to 31 January 2008. Thanks, Raymond
Hi Raymond, I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to transfer your benefits. When Congress approved the transfer of education benefits provision of the Post 9/11 GI Bill and it was added in August of 2009, only service members who were in the military at that time or who entered after that date were eligible for the provision.
There is legislation in Congress that would change that and allow veterans who retired after at least 20 years of service and who have Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to transfer those benefits to eligible dependents and spouses. The legislation did not get voted on last year and hasn’t been re-introduced this year. I don’t hold out much hope for it being passed with the concerns about lowering the deficits, but you might want to contact your local Congressperson and express your thoughts on the matter.
In the meantime your son might want to check with the Army Emergency Relief when the time comes for him to go to college. They sometimes have grants and scholarships available for the dependents of Army veterans.
March 15th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
Am I eligible for a GI Bill if my father is a veteran even though my parents never married? Karen
Hi Karen, Even if your parents were married, your father would not be eligible to transfer his GI Bill benefits to you. I’m not sure when he left the military, but if he had the Montgomery GI Bill, that program does not allow the transfer of education benefits. If he had the Post 9/11 GI Bill, that program doesn’t allow the transfer of education benefits once the service member leaves the military.
There are financial assistance programs you might want to consider that can help you with your college costs. ROTC Scholarships are open to any student and if you are accepted into one of the programs, they can pay just about all of the costs associated with earning an undergraduate degree. You might also try seeking an appointment to one of the service academies.
Many students use Federal financial aid to assist with their college educations and in some cases you may be eligible for grants and scholarships that don’t require repayment.
March 14th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I have used my GI Bill to attain my B.S. in Environmental Health at California State University Fresno. I still have money left and want to start my MSc program this year. I will be attending the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. I need to know if I will be able to use my GI Bill here. Also…do I qualify for the adjusted amount added to some of the GI Bills?? Thank you, Kristina
Hi Kristina, The only graduate program I see approved for GI Bill use at the University of Copenhagen is a Masters of Economics. It’s possible that the VA’s site isn’t up to date so you may want to check with the school and follow up by talking to a VA rep at the closest regional office to your location. It seems unusual that only one graduate program would be approved, but I guess it’s possible. If you are counting on GI Bill assistance to attend school, I would verify with the VA that your program is covered before enrolling.
I’m not sure what adjusted amount you are referring to that is added to the GI Bills. If you are talking about the 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits that some veterans are eligible for, that is an option for veterans eligible for both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill. If they use all 36 months of their Montgomery GI Bill, they can apply for 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. If that’s not what you were referring to, please write back in and I’ll try to answer your question.
March 14th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
My father has transferred a portion of his GI Bill to me and I was hoping to get a housing allowance, but I do not live on campus. Can you still get a housing allowance if you do not live on campus, and if so how do you tell the VA how much you will be needing? Ethan
Hi Ethan, You can be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill even if you don’t live on campus. As it stands at the moment you can be eligible for the allowance if you are carrying enough credit hours each semester to be considered more than a half time student. If your school considers 12 credit hours per semester to be a full course load for an undergraduate degree program, then you would need to carry at least 7 credit hours per semester to be eligible for the allowance. At least one of those classes would have to be conducted in a classroom setting rather than being online.
Starting on 1 October of this year you will need to carry a full course load of classes to be eligible for the full housing allowance. You can still be eligible for an allowance as more than a half time student, but it will not be the full housing allowance.
Your Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance is based on the zip code of where your school is located. If you are eligible for the full allowance, you will receive the BAH rate of an E-5 with dependents based on that zip code. Your school will base your eligibility on the paperwork your school submits for your Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition payments. If you have any questions about the paperwork or how many credit hours your school requires to be classified as a full time student, you should talk to your VA Certifying Official at the school.
March 11th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
by Jeffery Anderson
I currently enlisted in the MN National Guard and I was trying to find out if there is any program out there to pay off any of my old student loans I have from before I joined? If there is, is there any program that would also let me or allow me to help me pay my wife’s student loans off as well? Dustin
Hi Dustin, the only student loan repayment programs the military offers have to be entered into when you enlist to go onto active duty. They aren’t offered to everyone and they aren’t always available, but they have to be put in place at the time of your enlistment.
These programs could help you if you decide to enlist in the regular Army, but they are not going to help you with your wife’s loans. I am not aware of any military benefits program that would do that.
The programs that you may become eligible for while in the National Guard such as the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserves or the Post 9/11 GI Bill if you are called onto active duty, can provide you with benefits for attending school, but they are not going to help you with any past student loans.
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