bullet GI Bill Information: Ask the Expert Blog
GI Bill Home >> Blog >> Tuition Assistance

Posts Tagged ‘Tuition Assistance’

What Am I Entitled To If I Use Both Tuition Assistance and GI Bill?
November 18th, 2011
by Ron Kness
I would like to attend Commercial Dive School in FL. I am currently a resident of Meridian MS and a member of ANG. I would like to use my tuition assistance and GI Bill, but I really need to find out what I am entitled to, as it is a pricey school for me.

I called and I was told I am only entitled to 40% of my GI Bill and that I had waived my rights to my Chapter 30 benefits. I don’t know why I would do this nor do I remember saying I wanted this. I have student loans that I just paid off with my tax return in Jan, so I can’t understand how I would have used up my GI Bill. Can you please help me understand all of this I am so afraid that somehow I have messed up my benefits that I earned and won’t be able to use them. – Wendi

I can help you Wendi understand your issue. There are only two ways you could have waived your Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) rights – either you signed a declination when you first enlisted (and never had it), or you switched to the Post 9/11 GI bill.

I don’t think you initially declined the MGIB when you enlisted as it sounds like you had (or at least you think you had) the MGIB at one time. However, you might have signed away your MGIB rights if you submitted VA Form 22-1990 and checked the wrong box. Unfortunately, the switch is a one-way street – once you make the switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, there is no turning back. But I would think you would have remembered if you had made the switch.

I don’t think the issue is you used up your GI Bill entitlement as much as you switched to a different GI Bill. What I’m not understanding is why you are at the 40% level, which means you only have 6 months of creditable Post 9/11 GI Bill time since September 10, 2001. If you had the MGIB – AD, then you should be at a higher percentage – at least 70% with two years of active duty service.

If you are talking about the Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserves, then I could see the 40% level as none of your ANG time would count except for the time you spent on a Title 10 active duty order in support of a contingency operation.

However, even at the 40% level of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, it will pay much more than the MGIB-SR, which currently pays $345 per month. Plus under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you get a book stipend and a housing allowance each payable at the 40% level.

Tags: ,
Posted in New GI Bill | No Comments »

If I Give My Wife Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits, Can I Still Use Tuition Assistance?
March 17th, 2011
by Ron Kness
Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, if I signed it over to my wife, would I still be eligible for tuition assistance as an active duty member? Thank you. – McCarley

Certainly. Transferring Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to your wife doesn’t really have anything to do with you having eligibility to use Tuition Assistance while on active duty. The only effect it could have is if you transfer all of your months of entitlement, you would not have any months left for yourself to use under the Tuition Top-Up program, but you could still use the Tuition Assistance program.

If you have not used Top-Up before here is how it works. Tuition Assistance pays up to $250 per credit and up to a cap of $4,500 per fiscal year. If your tuition is over that amount, or you hit your cap early in the year, you can use your GI Bill to pay what TA will not. Your service branch pays the whole tab and then bills the VA for what they can’t pay. The VA pays your service branch back and then converts that dollar amount to months/days of entitlement and reduces your unused benefits by that amount. It is a good way to conserve on using GI Bill benefits.

Tags: , ,
Posted in New GI Bill, Transferred Benefits | No Comments »

Can I earn another bachelor’s degree?
March 16th, 2011
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.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserves, Veterans Education Benefits | No Comments »

Can I earn another GI Bill?
March 9th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
Hello, I was Regular Army for 8 years and decided to get out to go to school.  I used up my GI Bill and the one year of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits that they gave me.  I am in the ROTC program and will be commissioned in May with the regular (active) Army again.  My question is, can I pay into the GI Bill again and get the benefits or will I be eligible for more than the one year of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits?  Thank you, Cesar

Hi Cesar, First off, congratulations on using your GI Bill benefits to help earn your degree and it sounds like you have a great career ahead of you.

Unfortunately, you will be unable to earn any more GI Bill benefits.  Service members are limited to earning a total of 48 months of benefits.  Between the 36 months of the Montgomery GI Bill and the 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill, you have already reached that limit.  The only way you could receive more benefits would be if a spouse or parent transferred benefits they had earned to you.

However, you should be eligible for financial assistance through the Army’s Tuition Assistance program while on active duty.  You can use the benefits for approved classes to earn a degree at a level above that which you already have.  I assume you will have a Bachelor’s degree at graduation so you can use Tuition Assistance to earn a Master’s degree. Tuition Assistance can’t be used beyond a Master’s Degree.

The benefits are offered through GoArmyEd and as an officer you will incur an additional service obligation by using them.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Montgomery G I Bill, New GI Bill, Veterans Education Benefits | No Comments »

What benefits do I rate?
March 3rd, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
I enlisted in the Marines and have been on active duty since 14 August 2000. I have served five tours in Iraq and am on my first tour to Afghanistan.  While in boot camp I elected not to put money into the Montgomery GI Bill because I did not want to lose out on the money because I was about to be married and had bills to pay.  Since this time I have been trying to find out if I can still get the GI Bill.  I am getting out of the Marines in August of 2012.  What GI Bill benefits do I rate?  Leo

Hi Leo, You can get a head start on continuing your education by taking advantage of Tuition Assistance prior to leaving the military.  The program will pay part, or in some cases all, of your tuition for approved classes you take while on active duty.  Many of the classes can be taken online.  I’m not sure if your schedule would allow it, but you might want to look into that program as it helps a lot of service members.

You are also eligible for the full benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  This program entitles you to 36 months of benefits to attend an approved school.  Changes taking place this year will allow you to receive the full tuition and fees to attend a public college or university at an in-state student tuition rate for as long as you have the benefits.  If you take enough classes per semester, you can also be eligible for a housing allowance while attending school.

It’s a great program and should help you continue your education toward earning an undergraduate or graduate degree.

Tags: , ,
Posted in New GI Bill, Veterans Education Benefits | No Comments »

Can We Use My Husband’s GI Bill to Pay Off My Student Loans?
February 9th, 2011
by Ron Kness
I am a military spouse and now a stay-at-home mom. My husband and I were wondering if we were able to use any of his GI Bill to pay off my past student loans to help out with our monthly income. He plans to start taking classes (eventually), but wants to use Tuition Assistance. Please your insight would be appreciated. – Sarah

No Sarah, none of the GI Bills can be used to directly pay off student loans. They are two entirely separate programs. One suggestion would be for your husband to ask if there is a Student Loan Repayment Reenlistment option. Some of the Armed Forces branch offer this as a reenlistment incentive.

As far as the Tuition Assistance program, I would encourage your husband to start using it. Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) currently pays up to $250 per credit with an annual $4,500 cap. It is free money provided by his service branch.

For tuition costs over the FTA per credit limit, or if he hits his cap early in the academic year, he would use the Tuition Top-Up program. Top-Up pays what FTA won’t and while that amount does come out of his GI Bill, it uses that entitlement at a much slower rate.

I know this does not help your student loan situation, but it could help him get his degree and prevent him from needing to take out more student loans.

Tags: ,
Posted in Tuition Assistance Top-Up, Veterans Education Benefits | 1 Comment »

How Do I Get Started?
February 8th, 2011
by Jeffery Anderson
I recently dropped out of a university because I was confused about how the GI Bill works; when I was in it a Master Sergeant had said that when I had gotten back to my station and turned in my paperwork, I would have to wait 30-45 days to receive my GI Bill money and I’ve gotten back in October of last year and now it’s January and I still haven’t received anything yet.  And so I asked one of my sergeants and he said I had to obtain it online, but I have no clue on how to get it so now I’m stuck.  And I was told that I was supposed to be getting some monthly payment for housing, but I’m confused about that too, what do I have to do to get my Montgomery GI Bill for college?  Ronald

Hi Ronald, It sounds like you’re still on active duty so the first thing you should do is request a meeting with your battalion education officer to get some assistance and direction.  Most service members on active duty use Tuition Assistance to get started on their college degree and save as much of their GI Bill benefits for after they leave the military as possible.

When you do get ready to use your Montgomery GI Bill benefits you should pick a school and touch base with one of the VA Certifying Officials at the school for guidance.  In person is best, but if you are going to school online and the school is a distance away, a phone conversation or email also works.

The school and the program need to be approved for GI Bill use.  Your education officer and the VA Certifying Official at the school can help you ensure that the program meets all the necessary requirements.  All you have to do at that point is go online to VONAPP and apply for your benefits.

The Montgomery GI Bill does not have a housing allowance and you do not qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance while on active duty.  If at all possible, I recommend that you use your Tuition Assistance benefits before tapping your GI Bill benefits.

If you need any other help, please write in and I’ll do my best to get you moving in the right direction.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Montgomery G I Bill, New GI Bill, Tuition Assistance Top-Up, Veterans Education Benefits | No Comments »

Can I Use Top-Up Use With the Post 9/11 GI Bill?
December 1st, 2010
by Ron Kness
Hi, my question is that I’m on active duty and paying for classes can be expensive if the Tuition Assistance does not cover it. So my question is that under the New GI Bill, is Top-Up still available to be used for classes that exceed the maximum amount TA pays per class? – Joseph

Yes it is available Joseph. While you can use it to pay for tuition exceeding the $250 per credit that Tuition Assistance (TA) pays, you can also use it to pay for classes if you hit your yearly TA maximum of $4,500 early in the year and you want to take more classes.

How Top-Up works is your service branch pays all of your tuition and then they bill the VA for the portion not paid by TA. Then the VA will convert that amount into months of entitlement and deduct that from your unused months of benefits. It really is a smart way to use your GI Bill entitlements as you end up getting more bang for your buck, by using TA. It is a benefit of you serving, so you might as well take advantage of it.

Tags: ,
Posted in Tuition Assistance Top-Up | 2 Comments »

How Can I Get More Out of My GI Bill?
November 17th, 2010
by Ron Kness
I plan on receiving my bachelor’s and master’s degrees during my six-year enlistment through TUI University. I would like to have both before I separate. My question is, when I run out of TA (the $4,500 we get every fiscal year), can I get the funds from my Post 9/11 GI Bill.? My courses are $1,000 each and to get both degrees, I will have to take more than 4 or 5 classes year, which is all the TA will allow me to do. I want to move faster that. – Christina

Yes Christina, you can get funds from your Post 9/11 GI Bill – it is called the Tuition Top-Up Program.  Here is how it works.

As you know, TA will pay up to $250 per credit up to $4,500 per year. If your tuition costs more, or you hit your cap early in the academic year, your service branch still pays the bill, but they bill the VA for what TA doesn’t pay. The VA, in turn, converts the amount they had to pay into months of entitlement and deducts those months from your unused entitlement.

Using Tuition Assistance and Top-Up is a great way to stretch your GI Bill education benefits and get the most out of your education financial options. You have a very aggressive education plan and I wish you the best of luck with it.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Tuition Assistance Top-Up | No Comments »

Can I Use the GI Bill to Earn a GED?
November 15th, 2010
by Jeffery Anderson
I joined the military only having 15+ college credits.  I am now wanting to finish high school or get my GED online.  Can I use my GED to do so?  Marion

Hi Marion, I’m not sure I understand your question completely as I’m confused about you having 15 college credits without a high school diploma or GED, but you can’t use your Post 9/11 GI Bill to earn a GED.  It can only be used for a college degree program and you aren’t eligible for Montgomery GI Bill benefits without a high school diploma or GED or if you have 12 hours of college credit hours, so if you do indeed have 15 college credits you could be eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, but you can’t use it to complete your high school education.

If you’re still in the military, you should be able to take your GED testing free of charge and if you need to take some classes prior to taking the exam, Tuition Assistance should be able to pay for those classes.  Programs such as the Army’s High School Completion Program (HSCP) are in place for situations just like yours and by using Tuition Assistance you’ll still have your GI Bill to use for your college degree.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Montgomery G I Bill, New GI Bill, Veterans Education Benefits | No Comments »

« Older Entries