Maximizing Gi Bill Benefits & Transfer Of Benefits
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The Power Of The Post
The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides 36 months of benefits that cover college tuition up to the maximum in-state college tuition rate, a Monthly Housing Allowance equivalent to an E-5 with dependents rate, and a $1,000 annual stipend to help cover the cost of books and supplies. There are also other benefits such as the Yellow Ribbon program that help cover the cost of more expensive private colleges.
Altogether, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the housing allowance, and other benefits are generous enough to cover college tuition at state schools and many private schools, and it should be enough to provide enough additional income to provide a decent quality of life while attending school.
But its only enough to cover college tuition for one person. Well look at this in more detail in a moment.
Notre Dame Law School
The Notre Dame Law School is a reputable graduate law school affiliated with the University of Notre Dame. The Notre Dame Law School was founded in 1869, making it one of its oldest continuously operating law schools.
Why Is Notre Dame Law School a Good Law School for Veterans?
North Dame Law is highly respected among veterans colleges in the United States. It is also a partner in the Yellow Ribbon Program. In the 2020-2021 academic year, some veterans with Yellow Ribbon Program eligibility received tuition and mandatory fee assistance of $18,963.
In addition, these veterans will also receive matching funds through the VAs Yellow Ribbon Program, up to a combined benefit and scholarship amount that does not exceed the total tuition and fees.
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What Is The Net Payer Rule How Does It Affect Maximizing The Benefits
In general, the Net Payer rule says the VA is the last payer when multiple forms of financial aid are used to pay for tuition. In other words, all the other forms of financial aid that must be applied towards tuition are applied first to pay down the tuition bill and the VA pays what it is authorized to pay on the balance.
So how does this affect maximizing your Post 9/11 GI Bill? What many using their New GI Bill dont realize is that regardless of how much the VA pays toward their tuition, the amount of entitlement deducted from their remaining balance is the same generally four months per semester.The net payer rule does not affect the monthly housing allowance or book stipend, but depending on what the VA ends up paying, the entitlement expenditure for what the student get in return might not be the best bang for the buck.
A Month Of Benefits Doesnt Always Mean A Month
This depends first of all on the type of benefits that the student is using: In all cases, entitlement refers to the number of months and days that a student can use benefits for as found on their Certificate of Eligibility. Most students start with 36 months, but it depends on their length of service. The term months can often be confusing. The 36 months of benefits does not mean you have only 36 months to use it, nor does it mean you must use it all in one 36 month period.
For non-Chapter 33: Entitlement is charged based on the dates that the student is enrolled. If the student is enrolled from September 1st September 30th, they use 30 days of eligibility, regardless of how many credits they are attending.
For Chapter 33: Entitlement is charged based on the rate of pursuit. The is calculated by dividing the number of credit hours enrolled, by the number of enrolled credits hours considered to be full-time. The resulting percentage is rounded to the nearest tenth to get the rate of pursuit. .
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How Many Credits Must I Be Enrolled In To Be Eligible For Mha Under The Post 9/11 Gi Bill
Students using CH 33 benefits must be enrolled in at least seven credits to be eligible for MHA during fall and spring semesters. If you are enrolled less than fulltime during fall or spring, MHA payments will be prorated in 10% increments. Please note that if you are enrolled in condensed courses your MHA will also be impacted. MHA rates are based on the zip code of the school. Current GI Bill® payment rates can be found on the GI Bill® Comparison tool. WSU Vancouvers zip code is 98686. Rate of pursuit is calculated differently for summer term, so please contact the Veterans Coordinator for guidance.
Survivors And Dependents Educational Assistance Program
The DEA program is for dependents of veterans. Current rates of allowance can be found here. Eligible people are the children or spouses of the following:
- A veteran who died or who is completely and permanently disabled because of active service.
- A veteran who died when a service-related disability existed.
- Missing in action or captured service members.
- Service members detained by foreign governments.
- A service member who has a total disability and is either receiving medical care or is about to be discharged.
Children of these service members have to be between ages 18 and 26. You can be married, but you cant be in active service in the military and use your DEA benefit. You can get an extension for the amount of time you were serving, but it wont extend past an individuals 31st birthday. If youre a spouse, you have 10 years to use these benefits, either from when youre determined to be eligible or from when your spouse dies.
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Lake Area Technical Institute
Lake Area Technical College is a public community college in Watertown, South Dakota. The campus covers 40 acres and serves an area of 18,000 square miles. Founded in 1965, Lake Area Tech was the first technical school established in South Dakota, followed by schools in Mitchell, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City.
A team of highly qualified instructors trains full-time students of all ages at Lake Area Technical Institutes Cosmetology Department. Upon completion of the Cosmetology program, students have the option of leaving after 1,500 hours. The Cosmetology Lab on the Lake Area Tech campus is a fully operational salon that teaches skills in hair, nail, and skincare and explores cosmetology fundamentals.
Overview of the Veterans Program at Lake Area Technical Institute
The Lake Area Technical College is a military-friendly institution. The staff includes many veterans and military personnel, including the President, the Registrar, the Retention Coordinator, the Corporate Education Coordinator, and several instructors and support staff.
How Do I Apply For Gi Bill Education Benefits
You can apply for your GI Bill benefits online with VA at their new vets.gov website.
as soon as possible. When you first apply, it can take about a month to process your GI Bill application.
To get the process started:
- Gather the documents and information listed below that youll need to apply for education benefits.
- See what benefits youll get at the school you want to attend. Go to the GI Bill Comparison Tool.
- Work with a trained professional with a Veterans Service Organization who can help you pick the right program. Find an accredited representative.
What documents and information do I need to apply?
- Social Security number
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Can I Take Online Classes And Classes On Campus If I Am Using The Post 9/11 Gi Bill
Yes, a student can take a combination of resident and distance classes. MHA is paid based on the instruction modality of the majority of your courses, meaning a student must be in a majority of in person classes in order to receive the 98686 MHA rate. If a student is enrolled in a majority of online classes, the MHA rate is half the national average, which is significantly less.
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How Much Does Ta Pay And What Does It Cover
Tuition assistance rules and amounts arent necessarily set in stone, but there are some general guidelines.
- Military OneSource outlines that TA can lessen your financial concerns considerably, since it now pays up to 100% of tuition expenses for semester hours costing $250 or less.
- In general, Tuition Assistance pays for tuition plus course-specific fees for certain training courses or courses leading to a bachelors or masters. It isnt designed to pay for PhD, MD, or JD programs, though there may be exceptions in some cases.
- TA is not unlimited. There are financial caps to the benefit. For example, under current Air Force TA program rules, TA will cover 100% tuition & fees, not to exceed: $250 per semester hour, $166 per quarter hour, and $4,500 per fiscal year. These caps are fairly consistent across each branch of the service, though the Army and Coast Guard have lower annual caps at this time.
- Members who have the GI Bill can use the Top-Up Program to cover the gap if they exceed their TA caps, although this is not always recommended if youre saving that GI Bill for later.
- TA also doesnt pay for books, other course materials, or repeated classes if you fail to pass the first time. It also wont cover flight training fees or courses that arent completed while serving in the military. The GI Bill, on the other hand, was designed to cover tuition and other college costs after separation from the service.
What Does The Gi Bill Cover
The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays for many of the costs of attending school, including:
- Tuition and fees: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will pay the full cost of in-state tuition and fees at a public college, but it caps the benefit if you attend a private institution.
- Money for housing: Students enrolled in school more than half time receive a housing allowance at the end of each month. The amount is based on the cost of living where the school is located.
- Books and supplies: GI Bill recipients also get up to $1,000 at the beginning of each school term to pay for textbooks and supplies.
- Moving expenses: Students who need to move from a rural area to attend college may qualify for a one-time payment of $500 to cover moving expenses.
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The Truth About Using The Gi Bill For Community College
The GI Bill gives veterans access to a variety of institutions, from vocational to Ivy League universities. While youre trying to decide where you belong in your academic journey, you may find that you should use your GI Bill for community college. Humble and often underrated, community colleges can offer many advantages to veterans that may surprise you.
The Adult Student
You may not feel completely like an adult, but chances are, you didnt follow the path of most of your high school friends. You joined the military. Maybe you did one enlistment, maybe you did five, either way, youre considered an adult student.
Perfect! Well, community colleges are created with a variety of students, including adult students, in mind. They dont have the same from high school senior to college freshman pipeline that are almost expected at four-year schools.
How does this make a difference? Have you seen the GI Bill memes on Facebook? We all feel a little like Billy Madison. Were older and/or more experienced with a unique slice of life. Using the GI Bill for community college, you wont be the only grown-up in the student body.
Getting Back Into the Groove
Im not talking about how Stella Got Her Groove Back , Im talking about getting out of the military and entering this new academic world where cursing is frowned upon. Yes, I know, its terribly unfair, the entire civilian world and its no cursing thing. Ugh.
Flexibility
Take a Look
I Recently Came Off Active Duty Why Havent I Received Any Mha Payments Yet
You probably need to send the VA an updated DD214. You are not eligible for MHA from the GI Bill® while you are active duty. For example, if the semester starts in August, but you come off active duty in October, you will not be paid MHA for August, September, or October. You will begin earning MHA November 1 and you will receive payment on December 1 for the month of November. The VA needs the most up to date DD214 showing when you came off active duty in order to start paying your MHA. You can fax your updated DD214 to the VA at 1-918-781-7863.
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Vso Assistance With Application
If you need help applying for education benefits, you can also seek the assistance of a Veteran Service Officer . The VSOs are trained and certified in the VA administrative processes and can assist with all your VA-related needs.
If you choose to work with a VSO, you will need to fill out an Appointment of Individual as Claimants Representative . This will allow the VSO to work with the VA on your behalf.
How Much Of Your Childrens College Tuition Should You Pay
We all want the best for our children, but Im a big believer in taking care of your own needs before saving for college. Why? Because you can always borrow money for college. But you cant borrow money for retirement.
So when it comes to prioritizing our finances, my wife and I make sure we fully fund our emergency fund, save in our IRA and Thrift Savings Plan accounts, and make sure we have met our long term savings needs. Only then do we put additional funds into a 529 College Savings Plan .
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Veteran Readiness And Employment
Formerly known as Vocational Rehabilitation and sometimes referred to as Chapter 31 caters to veterans with a service-connected disability and a minimum of 10% rating. VR& E provides resources for veterans including VA-funded job training with the focus on getting veterans employed. It’s recommended that you use VR& E first and then your Post-9/11 GI Bill to maximize your educational benefits.
What Is A Gi Bill Non
A non-college degree program is a type of education that focuses on special topics and provides applied knowledge and skills training without resulting in a degree.
These types of programs are offered to both undergraduate and postgraduate students seeking to widen their knowledge and skills set.
Because these are shorter and more specialized programs compared to typical college degrees, they are a great way to improve your resume and broaden your opportunities in advancing your career without spending 2 to 4 years in college.
These types of programs can be at universities and colleges, as well as trade schools, vocational schools, and skill training schools. Using the GI Bill to attend trade school is a great way to “fast track” your way to a great paying job.
However, these do not include flight school, correspondence school, on-the-job training, and licensing and certification programs, which the VA classifies as separate categories, and provide different payment rates and qualification metrics for each. An example of on-the-job training is using the GI Bill to attend the Police Academy.
If you are interested in finding more information about these other programs that you can use your GI Bill benefits for, you can check out these links:
As long as you are enrolled in a VA approved program and school, and you have remaining entitlement benefits, you can take advantage of the many benefits in pursuing your non-degree education.
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National Testing Programs/licensing & Certification Tests
Section 108 of Public Law 115-48 amends 38 U.S.C. §§ 3315 to allow for the proration of entitlement charges for licensing and certification examinations and national tests under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Specifically, the charge against an individuals entitlement for payment for licensing and certification examinations and national tests will be pro-rated based on the actual amount of the fee charged for the test relative to the rate of $2,099.24 for one month. The maximum reimbursable amount for licensing and certification tests is $2000. There is no maximum reimbursable amount for national tests.
What Is The Gi Bill
Believe it or not, The Servicemens Readjustment Act of 1944 commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights was a controversial piece of legislation that almost didnt happen. The bill stalled in Congress as legislators for both the House and the Senate debated the provisions it contained. Both sides of congress agreed that something must be done about education and homeownership, but the unemployment provisions were at the center of the debates.
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