Making the Most of Their Benefits: Robert & Lori Hill

Robert and Lori Hill met while they were attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). They'd hang out between classes at the Ladder Day Saints Institute of Religion and talk or play darts and have lunch together. They've now been married 11 years, have three children, and are one of the many families taking advantage of military education benefits.

Robert earned his bachelor's degree at UNLV and attended Air Force Officer Training School, which was his commissioning source. Robert has been an officer for a little more than seven years and is currently a captain (O-3) living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he teaches math at the Air Force Academy Prep School. Though he and Lori are considering a long-term military career, they are keeping their options open and those options definitely involve education.

Military Education Benefits for Robert: Tuition Assistance

Robert is currently working on his MBA with a concentration in Program Management, which is a big benefit to his long-term military career plans. "Earning a master's degree is important for field grade officers, such as majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels," explained Robert. "The fact that a member has a master's degree is not masked--that is, it is visible--to the promotion board. My career field is Acquisition Management, so the MBA-PM is a very good fit. By federal law I need to gain and maintain certifications in the Acquisition Professional Development Program. This particular degree from this school won't qualify me for additional certifications, but my classes should count as continuing education credit."

Robert is using Tuition Assistance (TA) to pay for a portion of his graduate degree. TA is a benefit provided through every branch of the military as a Department of Defense (DoD) continuing education benefit for active duty servicemembers. Each branch of service administers its own TA program, has its own benefits caps (based on a DoD uniform tuition assistance policy) and rules for how TA can be combined with other branch-specific education benefits, according to the Army, the Navy, and the DoD.

TA adds a two-year commitment that starts on the last day of the classes it covers. Since Robert plans to complete his MBA in July 2011, he's committed until July 2013. "Because there is a cap on tuition assistance, it is only paying a little more than one-third of my tuition costs. I might have been averse to the commitment since I'm not getting a tremendous benefit from TA but the commitment is almost entirely concurrent with the four-year commitment that goes along with the Post 9/11 GI-Bill."

Military Education Benefits for Lori: Post-9/11 GI Bill

Robert invoked his Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, too--but he's not the one using them. Instead, he's capitalizing on one of the new GI Bill benefits that allows the transfer of education benefits (known as TEB) to family members so that Lori can earn her bachelor's degree. Anyone who is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and has at least six years of service can opt to serve an additional four years and transfer the benefit. Since Robert elected to transfer the benefit in December 2009, his TA commitment and GI Bill commitment both end within six months of each other in 2013.

Lori is earning her bachelor's degree in accounting with the goal of becoming a CPA, a career that is marketable and could lead to jobs at Air Force bases in the Hill's future. Why did it make sense for Lori to use the GI Bill instead of Robert? "The Post 9/11 GI-Bill will pay up to the highest undergraduate tuition rate in the state. Our school is probably on the higher end of the scale. Lori is taking 16 quarter hours per quarter, so she is realizing a much more significant benefit than I ever could if I were using it for grad school."

Though Lori applied and got accepted into MyCAA, the tuition assistance program for spouses, the timing of getting classes approved and paid for didn't work out. The popular program became so popular in fact; that in early 2010 the DoD temporarily put the program on hold to make adjustments that would ensure it would be sustainable for years to come. One such adjustment is that the MyCAA program no longer pays for bachelor's degree programs for spouses.

Robert shared his benefits with both Lori and his children. The Veterans Administration Web site points out that children can't use the benefit until they turn 18, but aren't subject "to the 15-year delimiting date" when the benefits would otherwise expire. Whatever GI Bill benefits remain after Lori completes her education will be available for the Hill's children.

The Benefits of Military Education Benefits

Though MyCAA didn't work out for Lori and TA doesn't cover all of Robert's tuition, Robert is getting a lot out of his military education benefits. "I had my reasons for [using my military education benefits], but everyone should evaluate the costs and benefits of using it and decide for themselves. If they're looking for a military career, it's a no-brainer, everyone should use it; if they're not, maybe not."

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