Important Info for new Accessions - GI Bill

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Thanks for the link to the new regs, Sethco.

After semi-thoroughly reading the new reg, I am going to stay with the old MGIB. The E-5 w/dep BAH rate in my current location is less than the $1471 monthly MGIB+kicker that I currently receive.

I just verified my May benefit status in WAVE.

If someone can provide a convincing point that I missed, I will reconsider.

It has been a long time since I've visited this website. My frequency of visiting is inversely proportionate to my happiness from being a civilian and as a member of a program that highly values and supports its residents. Life on the outside is great. Anyone who willingly stays in past their ADSC is completely and thoroughly INSANE.

Best of luck to all,
ex-BD

Originally Posted by BomberDoc

Thanks for the link to the new regs, Sethco.

After semi-thoroughly reading the new reg, I am going to stay with the old MGIB. The E-5 w/dep BAH rate in my current location is less than the $1471 monthly MGIB+kicker that I currently receive.

I just verified my May benefit status in WAVE.

If someone can provide a convincing point that I missed, I will reconsider.

It has been a long time since I've visited this website. My frequency of visiting is inversely proportionate to my happiness from being a civilian and as a member of a program that highly values and supports its residents. Life on the outside is great. Anyone who willingly stays in past their ADSC is completely and thoroughly INSANE.

Best of luck to all,
ex-BD

hey BD,

Good to hear from you. Hope residency and life on the outside is going well.

The main benefit of the new GI bill from a GMO standpoint is if you currently have dependents and are still in the military as of August 1, 2009. If you got this and have 10 years of service (which includes HPSP time), you can pass the benefits to them. So, theoretically (and assuming 4 years HPSP and 4 years AD), if you put in 2 years of active reserve or guard, you are eligible to pass the benefits. I have two kids and will split the benefits among them both so each has 2 years of college paid for. Who knows how much college will be 16 years from now, so this would be extremely valuable given how bad my kid's 429 plans are doing right now.

Hope you stay in touch with SDN because I will be leaving AD less than a year from now and will be looking for all the tips and advice I can get.

Cheers!

I have a question regarding Montgomery GI Bill and a switch to post-9/11.

I filed papers about a year ago to pay into the the Montgomery GI Bill. My pay deductions should begin this month with my first month of active duty.

However, after the passage of the post-9-11 Bill, am I now automatically enrolled in it? Would there be papers I would need to sign before I begin active duty service, or am i automatically qualified after the 90+ days active duty service? What forms would I need to fill out? I wish to elect for the new Bill. How does one do this? And could one cancel their montgomery GI bill monthly deductions?

Originally Posted by sethco

hey BD,

Good to hear from you. Hope residency and life on the outside is going well.

The main benefit of the new GI bill from a GMO standpoint is if you currently have dependents and are still in the military as of August 1, 2009. If you got this and have 10 years of service (which includes HPSP time), you can pass the benefits to them. So, theoretically (and assuming 4 years HPSP and 4 years AD), if you put in 2 years of active reserve or guard, you are eligible to pass the benefits. I have two kids and will split the benefits among them both so each has 2 years of college paid for. Who knows how much college will be 16 years from now, so this would be extremely valuable given how bad my kid's 429 plans are doing right now.

Hope you stay in touch with SDN because I will be leaving AD less than a year from now and will be looking for all the tips and advice I can get.

Cheers!

Don't think this is accurate. You may have to stay beyond your initial obligation to qualify. Also, its 3 years not 4. Read the FAQ on the SS website (I posted the info on another thread a while back)

Originally Posted by Gastrapathy

Don't think this is accurate. You may have to stay beyond your initial obligation to qualify. Also, its 3 years not 4. Read the FAQ on the SS website (I posted the info on another thread a while back)

Actually, it is 36 months of benefit. If you are using the GI bill benefits for residency (which is year around), you have 36 months or 3 years. If you are using it for college (which is 9 months per year), you have 36 months which comes out to 4 academic years.

I wrote to the GI Bill/VA Website. The 10 years required to pass the benefits to dependents does not have to solely be done on Active Duty. It is 10 years of Armed Forces service. It can be any combination of Guard/AD/Reserve. Therefore, for the HPSP grads,
4 years reserve service + 4 years Active Duty + 4 years Guard/Reserve = Ability to pass on benefits to dependents.

Which part did you not think was accurate?

Originally Posted by FruitFly

I have a question regarding Montgomery GI Bill and a switch to post-9/11.

I filed papers about a year ago to pay into the the Montgomery GI Bill. My pay deductions should begin this month with my first month of active duty.

However, after the passage of the post-9-11 Bill, am I now automatically enrolled in it? Would there be papers I would need to sign before I begin active duty service, or am i automatically qualified after the 90+ days active duty service? What forms would I need to fill out? I wish to elect for the new Bill. How does one do this? And could one cancel their montgomery GI bill monthly deductions?

yes, you are eligible for the post-9/11 GI Bill, but you don't have to do any "enrollment". It is automatic once you serve 90 days. If you are starting to pay into the Montgomery GI Bill, no worries. If you elect to do the post-9/11 GI Bill (and therefore, forefeit the Mont GI Bill), you will recieve a refund of the $1200 you have put in. However, if you paid the $600 into the kicker, you can not recieve a refund of the kicker.

You only fill out the forms when you are ready to use the benefits, unless you want to pass them on to dependents. If that's the case, you should apply after meeting 6 years of Armed Forces service (reserve time counted). Then, you would need to commit to an additional 4 years.

My suggestion would be to keep paying into the MGI Bill, but not the kicker (you can always pay into the kicker at a later time, prior to separation). You can always receive a refund of this money if you elect to do the post-9/11 GI Bill

Originally Posted by sethco

Actually, it is 36 months of benefit. If you are using the GI bill benefits for residency (which is year around), you have 36 months or 3 years. If you are using it for college (which is 9 months per year), you have 36 months which comes out to 4 academic years.

I wrote to the GI Bill/VA Website. The 10 years required to pass the benefits to dependents does not have to solely be done on Active Duty. It is 10 years of Armed Forces service. It can be any combination of Guard/AD/Reserve. Therefore, for the HPSP grads,
4 years reserve service + 4 years Active Duty + 4 years Guard/Reserve = Ability to pass on benefits to dependents.

Which part did you not think was accurate?

Awesome stuff, sethco, thanks. One question - for the HPSP guys, does the kind of reserve time done while in medical school count for the above reserve service? It sounds like it does, but I wasn't sure since that time doesn't accumulate as time in grade at the finance office, and I was wondering if the same stipulation applied here.

Originally Posted by AF M4

Awesome stuff, sethco, thanks. One question - for the HPSP guys, does the kind of reserve time done while in medical school count for the above reserve service? It sounds like it does, but I wasn't sure since that time doesn't accumulate as time in grade at the finance office, and I was wondering if the same stipulation applied here.

Time spent in medical school does not count for either pay purposes or time in grade. However, if you go into the Reserve or Guard after finishing your ADSC, the 4 years of medical school (while in HPSP) will count towards reserve retirement because you have enough points for a "good year" from your annual 45 day ADT. Technically, in order to get a "good year" to count towards retirement you need 50 points/year. You get 15 points for just being in the Guard/Reserve and then you get 45 points from the ADT (thus if you are a 4 year HPSP, you have 4 years reserve service that counts toward Reserve retirement). Also, if you drill one weekend a month during residency, you get 4 points for each weekwnd drill. So, if you go into the Guard/Reserve during residency, you would need to drill 9 months of the year for a "good year". In addition, these 4 medical school reserve years (assuming 4 year HPSP participant) count towards the eligibilty for transferring the post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to your dependents.

Originally Posted by sethco

Actually, it is 36 months of benefit. If you are using the GI bill benefits for residency (which is year around), you have 36 months or 3 years. If you are using it for college (which is 9 months per year), you have 36 months which comes out to 4 academic years.

I wrote to the GI Bill/VA Website. The 10 years required to pass the benefits to dependents does not have to solely be done on Active Duty. It is 10 years of Armed Forces service. It can be any combination of Guard/AD/Reserve. Therefore, for the HPSP grads,
4 years reserve service + 4 years Active Duty + 4 years Guard/Reserve = Ability to pass on benefits to dependents.

Which part did you not think was accurate?

Well, thats 12 years rather than 10. To me, the question is whether obligated years count towards eligibility (either from med school or from GME) or you have to stay in beyond your initial commitment. And I haven't gotten a straight answer on this.

This is the FAQ Q/A on officer eligibility:
Question

If I graduated from a Service Academy or had an ROTC scholarship can I still be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill?


Answer
The new GI bill will allow officers who graduated from service academies or received ROTC scholarships to qualify for the new GI Bill benefit. However, time spent satisfying the ROTC/Service Academy active duty obligation does not count toward the active duty service necessary to qualify for the benefits.



BTW, I really don't view reserve time as better than AD (frankly, it seems worse to me given the op-tempo and the fact that I would have to leave my civilian partners, nurses and patients hanging).

Originally Posted by Gastrapathy

Well, thats 12 years rather than 10. To me, the question is whether obligated years count towards eligibility (either from med school or from GME) or you have to stay in beyond your initial commitment. And I haven't gotten a straight answer on this.

This is the FAQ Q/A on officer eligibility:
Question

If I graduated from a Service Academy or had an ROTC scholarship can I still be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill?


Answer
The new GI bill will allow officers who graduated from service academies or received ROTC scholarships to qualify for the new GI Bill benefit. However, time spent satisfying the ROTC/Service Academy active duty obligation does not count toward the active duty service necessary to qualify for the benefits.



BTW, I really don't view reserve time as better than AD (frankly, it seems worse to me given the op-tempo and the fact that I would have to leave my civilian partners, nurses and patients hanging).

Check out posts #88-92. We have talked about this already. Basically, the time commitments of ROTC/Academy grads are not the same as HPSP grads. Hence, why HPSP grads could use the old Mont GI Bill, while the ROTC/Academy peeps could not. I am suspecting it will be the same way, but I could be wrong. However, I went through the regs and could not find anything to the contrary (See the link in post #100). Just as obligated years counted for the Mont GI Bill, they should count towards eligibility for the new GI Bill. But, I will let you know when I apply for transfer of entitlement in a couple of months.

As for for Reserve/Guard being no better than AD, this is very situation dependent. For the GMOs that will need to do 4 years of IRR/Reserve/Guard time after leaving Active Duty, they can serve in the Guard/Reserve and be non-deployable during residency. For the Attendings, other factors include type of practice (Solo vs. Group vs. Academics practice), ops tempo of the unit, and number of docs in the unit that are able to deploy.

Originally Posted by sethco

Check out posts #88-92. We have talked about this already. Basically, the time commitments of ROTC/Academy grads are not the same as HPSP grads. Hence, why HPSP grads could use the old Mont GI Bill, while the ROTC/Academy peeps could not. I am suspecting it will be the same way, but I could be wrong. However, I went through the regs and could not find anything to the contrary (See the link in post #100). Just as obligated years counted for the Mont GI Bill, they should count towards eligibility for the new GI Bill. But, I will let you know when I apply for transfer of entitlement in a couple of months.

As for for Reserve/Guard being no better than AD, this is very situation dependent. For the GMOs that will need to do 4 years of IRR/Reserve/Guard time after leaving Active Duty, they can serve in the Guard/Reserve and be non-deployable during residency. For the Attendings, other factors include type of practice (Solo vs. Group vs. Academics practice), ops tempo of the unit, and number of docs in the unit that are able to deploy.

Does anyone know if USU grads were eligible for the old MGIB? I recall one saying they were not. That would be interesting if, by your logic, they fall in with the academy types rather than the HPSP types.

Its active reserve time that counts, not IRR, right?

I'll be very curious to hear your outcome.

Quick question for anyone with the knowledge on post 911 gi bill....

I was in the Army for 13 months before being discharged (I'm eligible for benefits). Now I know that I will receive 50% of benefits; however, I'm confused if I will receive 50% of benefits for 13 months, or if I will receive 50% of benefits for 36 months? I can't find this info anywhere and I even called the VA and was told they cannot talk about eligibility (seems like a general question if you ask me).

Last question: My dads been in the military for 30+ years and will soon retire. I am no longer in the DEERS system because I am 23. I know if he transfered his MGIB to me, I would need to use it by the time I'm 26; however, will being 23 and no longer in DEERS prevent him from transferring it? Can I get back in DEERS specifically for this?

Thanks all

So is there any current resident, who was in the Armed Forces through HPSP, who is now using the post 9/11 GI Bill for their residency?

I'm still not 100% sold that it's approved and doable until we get a confirmed report.

Sethco, THanks for being a source for everone on this.
Perhaps you or others can point me in the right direction or references: I want to transfer GI bill to my dependents - one is entering college in a few years. I used GI Bill in the Reserve years ago pre-9/11. But, since then I was mob'd for OIF and am now back on permanent active duty. Do you know the right references to research this? If I ask the first bureaucrat I meet, as with all things in the gov't, they will give me the simplest and most incorrect answer to avoid work.

Originally Posted by DogFaceMedic

Sethco, THanks for being a source for everone on this.
Perhaps you or others can point me in the right direction or references: I want to transfer GI bill to my dependents - one is entering college in a few years. I used GI Bill in the Reserve years ago pre-9/11. But, since then I was mob'd for OIF and am now back on permanent active duty. Do you know the right references to research this? If I ask the first bureaucrat I meet, as with all things in the gov't, they will give me the simplest and most incorrect answer to avoid work.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/transfer.htm

http://www.defenselink.mil/home/feat...9/0409_gibill/

Should be a good start.

Originally Posted by dru2002

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/transfer.htm

http://www.defenselink.mil/home/feat...9/0409_gibill/

Should be a good start.

I looked at those already and those sites are too general for my question.

I could read the entire US Code and eventually find my answer, but that might take me a day or two.

Originally Posted by DogFaceMedic

Sethco, THanks for being a source for everone on this.
Perhaps you or others can point me in the right direction or references: I want to transfer GI bill to my dependents - one is entering college in a few years. I used GI Bill in the Reserve years ago pre-9/11. But, since then I was mob'd for OIF and am now back on permanent active duty. Do you know the right references to research this? If I ask the first bureaucrat I meet, as with all things in the gov't, they will give me the simplest and most incorrect answer to avoid work.

If you have used benefits before, you will have limited benefits under this plan. The max is 36 total months of benefits (either plan). How much did you use for yourself?

Originally Posted by NavyFP

If you have used benefits before, you will have limited benefits under this plan. The max is 36 total months of benefits (either plan). How much did you use for yourself?

I used the max of GI Bill Reserve when a grad student before 9/11 - which is not much. Since then I was mobilized for OEF and am now regular army. I may or may not be eligible, but if I don't ask I may be missing some benefits.

I would like to find the VA regulations myself and do the thinking for the VA. If I let them do the thinking they may seize and deny any benefits out of fear of having to think and make a decision. My plan is to do all of the paperwork for them, provide the necessary prophylactic benzos, then pay for my kid's college.

Originally Posted by NavyFP

If you have used benefits before, you will have limited benefits under this plan. The max is 36 total months of benefits (either plan). How much did you use for yourself?

If you have use all of your benefits (36 months) under the Montgomery GI Bill, you may receive an additional 12 months of the new GI Bill.


VA Frequently Asked Questions

Question
If I used all of my months of benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), am I still eligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill?

Answer
If you used all of your months of benefits under MGIB, you may still be eligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill if you have qualifying active duty service after September 10, 2001, and meet all of the eligibility requirements for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
For example, if you used 36 months of benefits under MGIB and you are eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you may receive up to 12 months of benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
You cannot receive more than a maximum of 48 months of benefits under any combination of VA education programs.

Originally Posted by dentalOH

If you have use all of your benefits (36 months) under the Montgomery GI Bill, you may receive an additional 12 months of the new GI Bill.

THanks for the link. However, I had Reserve MGIB, which is a different animal. It makes sense that there would be less benefit, but I may be eligible as essentially a newbee because I never used an equivelant active duty GI Bill. So, gimmee the 3yrs so I can send my kids to college and buy a big bass boat. (not really, but more money for them helps.)

Actually, I would like a link to the regulations, rather than dig through the US Code.

Check it out!
I finally got my first payment for the GI Bill, only 8 months after I applied. It's been said before, and I'll say it again.... don't count on these funds to live on when you start residency.

my residency is listed on the VA website, as well as about six POC's from Med Ed who have access to the secured enrollment verification form.

well, none of those people listed have the slightest what the VA even is, unless you say Veteran's Affairs, in which case I was referred to HR. anyone have any luck in getting people set up with the VA? they don't want to do it because it takes about 10 phone calls to get through once. there was a point where i seriously considered leaving the residency program bc Med Ed kept stalling on this issue.

how long after Med Ed sends out the form will the VA send payment?

it's been 8 months since I applied

Originally Posted by adismo

how long after Med Ed sends out the form will the VA send payment?

it's been 8 months since I applied

That was half of my problem. Fortunately, the GME folks where I am were easy enough to work with, but they didn't certify my enrollment until a week after I started. Then the VA refused it because the person who certified it was in the financial aid office, rather than GME (who manages the residents) When I had that straightened out, they refused my enrollment because I didn't indicate the amount of tuition on the form... they won't assume zero if you leave it blank. All that took about 6 weeks to go through, starting in July. So the VA thinks it only took 2 months to process my application, since the delays were clearly my fault!

To answer your question, you have to cut the red tape at your program before you can even start to get frustrated by the VA. Good luck.

Anyone have any updates as far as benefits for residency for the new GI bill vs. the old one. I am starting civilian residency next year and wondering which one would be better for me. I got duped during OIS and did not pay into the old GI bill and during internship was told to hold off paying into it until the new GI got passed. I'm hoping someone here has started receiving benefits from the new GI bill and can enlighten us. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Jet915

Anyone have any updates as far as benefits for residency for the new GI bill vs. the old one. I am starting civilian residency next year and wondering which one would be better for me. I got duped during OIS and did not pay into the old GI bill and during internship was told to hold off paying into it until the new GI got passed. I'm hoping someone here has started receiving benefits from the new GI bill and can enlighten us. Thanks!

Since you are going to residency in Pittsburgh next year, it is a better idea to use the old GI Bill (assuming you have paid the $1800 into it). When you go throuh TAP you will also be briefed that if you use the old GI Bill first, you get an extra 12 months of the new GI Bill once you have exhausted the 36 months of benefits. It does not work that way if you use the new GI Bill first. PM if you need any help or need suggestions.

dentalOH and sethco,

Thanks for the info about 12 months of new GI Bill after utilizing 36 months of old GI Bill. I'll be sure to talk with the certifying official at my program.

-ex BD

Does anyone know the answer to this?
To transfer, the site says you need 6 years of service and from reading this forum that includes the medical school years for hpsp students. If so, I now have 8 years (4 years med school/4 years of active duty residency). However, it says that you have to agree to 4 more years in the miltary. I have a 4 year commitment and will be starting by payback this summer. So would this add on an additional 4 years? Or would this be consecutive?

Originally Posted by grayce79

Does anyone know the answer to this?
To transfer, the site says you need 6 years of service and from reading this forum that includes the medical school years for hpsp students. If so, I now have 8 years (4 years med school/4 years of active duty residency). However, it says that you have to agree to 4 more years in the miltary. I have a 4 year commitment and will be starting by payback this summer. So would this add on an additional 4 years? Or would this be consecutive?

That is the $1,000,000 question nobody seems to know the answer to.

We discussed it in this thread recently without reaching any conclusions.

Originally Posted by grayce79

Does anyone know the answer to this?
To transfer, the site says you need 6 years of service and from reading this forum that includes the medical school years for hpsp students. If so, I now have 8 years (4 years med school/4 years of active duty residency). However, it says that you have to agree to 4 more years in the miltary. I have a 4 year commitment and will be starting by payback this summer. So would this add on an additional 4 years? Or would this be consecutive?

Only time spent on active duty counts towards the 10 years (I have already tried to use this loophole and been shot down). So, since you did a 45 day ADT each year of med school, by the time you finish med school you will have 6 months towards the 6 year requirement. Then, you would need to do 5.5 more years and then agree to commit to another 4 years.


However, the following example would be a great way to take advantage: Let's say you want to an Anesthesia residency in the military, but first you are deferred for a civilian internship and then you do a 2 year GMO tour (2.5 years thus far towards the 10 year requirement). After this, you go into an military Anesthesia residency and complete this (5.5 years thus far). Start your utilization tour and after 6 months, commit to serve another 4 years (This should be concurrent with the commitment that you accrued from residency). This should make you aeligible to pass the benefits unto the dependents. Obviously, if you are able to do a military internship, this would bump up the timeline by 1 year.

So there is a lot of information and it's very hard to take it all in and make sense of it. I am starting med school this fall and I'm thinking of doing HSPS via Navy. It is my understanding from reading this thread and others, and talking with a recruiter, that the following situation is realistic and possible:

4 years in school HSPS + 3 years family practice military GME + 4 years active duty service as family practice doc = obligation complete, transition to civilian world and do what I want. I could then use GI Bill benefits to fund me during a fellowship in the civilian world if I wanted to, without incurring further service obligations.

OR

4 yrs HSPS + 4 yrs GMO = obligation complete, then use GI Bill benefits to get extra $$$ during a civilian family practice residency.

If anyone could tell me if this is right or how it is wrong, please help me out here. I don't want any unpleasant surprises down the road. Thanks!!!

Originally Posted by Xitomatl

So there is a lot of information and it's very hard to take it all in and make sense of it. I am starting med school this fall and I'm thinking of doing HSPS via Navy. It is my understanding from reading this thread and others, and talking with a recruiter, that the following situation is realistic and possible:

4 years in school HSPS + 3 years family practice military GME + 4 years active duty service as family practice doc = obligation complete, transition to civilian world and do what I want. I could then use GI Bill benefits to fund me during a fellowship in the civilian world if I wanted to, without incurring further service obligations.

OR

4 yrs HSPS + 4 yrs GMO = obligation complete, then use GI Bill benefits to get extra $$$ during a civilian family practice residency.

If anyone could tell me if this is right or how it is wrong, please help me out here. I don't want any unpleasant surprises down the road. Thanks!!!

That sounds about right, just realize that 4 years GMO is after 1 year of internship (doesn't count) so it would be:

4 years HPSP + 1 year internship + 4 years GMO = obligation complete (although you'd still be inactive reserves for a few more years)

Originally Posted by grayce79

Does anyone know the answer to this?
To transfer, the site says you need 6 years of service and from reading this forum that includes the medical school years for hpsp students. If so, I now have 8 years (4 years med school/4 years of active duty residency). However, it says that you have to agree to 4 more years in the miltary. I have a 4 year commitment and will be starting by payback this summer. So would this add on an additional 4 years? Or would this be consecutive?

You need at least 6 years of active duty (HPSP doesn't count, but I think USUHS would). Once you get to 6 years, apply to transfer your benefits, and after you do this you have to do another four years. These years would be concurrent with any other obligation - it doesn't add to any prior commitments. The only obligation is that you serve four years after transferring your benefits.

Below is a post I put in another thread, but it's probably worth having in the sticky thread for the GI Bill.


In order to transfer benefits, whether or not you are in payback for HPSP, USUHS, residency, fellowship, ASP/ISP/MSP, etc. - it does not matter as long as you have at least 6 years of active duty service, and then agree to serve an additional 4 years from the date you apply to transfer benefits. So, as of today, if you have at least 6 years active duty and are obligated or intend to do another 4 years, get over to CSD/PSD, and get them to do a Page 13 entry for you. (Below is all related to Navy officers, not sure about the other services, but the basic rules should be the same).

Bring a copy of NAVADMIN 203/09 since most people will not know what you are talking about. http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres...0/NAV09203.txt.
This document has everything you need to know, particularly below:

7. ALL OFFICERS, OTHER THAN THOSE IN CATEGORIES LISTED IN PART I PARAS
3C, AND SELRES ENLISTED MEMBERS: THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER WILL
COMPLETE A PAGE 13 IN THE NAVY STANDARD INTEGRATED PERSONNEL SYSTEM
(NSIPS) ESR AGREEING TO SERVE THE REQUIRED ADDITIONAL YEARS OF SERVICE.
PAGE 13 WILL READ: "I UNDERSTAND BY SIGNING THIS PAGE 13, I AGREE TO
COMPLETE FOUR MORE YEARS IN THE ARMED FORCES (ACTIVE OR SELECTED
RESERVE) FROM THE DATE I REQUEST TRANSFERABILITY OF POST 9-11, REAP OR
MGIB-SR EDUCATION BENEFITS TO MY DEPENDENTS/FAMILY MEMBERS. I
UNDERSTAND THAT FAILURE TO COMPLETE THIS FOUR YEAR OBLIGATION MAY LEAD
TO AN OVERPAYMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN'S AFFAIRS THAT MAY BE
RECOUPED FOR ANY PAYMENTS MADE TO DEPENDENTS/ FAMILY MEMBERS." THE
PAGE 13 WILL BE SIGNED BY MEMBER, WITNESSED AND DATED.

I just recently did this and had no problems once I figured out the process. It was updated in my ESR the next day. Previously, I had tried to apply for transferability, but was denied until I had the page 13 entry done at PSD and entered into my electronic service record. You can see your ESR at https://nsips.nmci.navy.mil. It has to be done at a DoD computer. If you haven't seen your ESR it's definitely worth signing in and checking out.

Then, go to http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2009/0409_gibill/. Go to the 'transferability application' on the right side and log in with either your CAC card or myPay data. Your dependents in DEERS should show up. It's easy from here. Click the buttons as appropriate and submit. As long as your page 13 update is in your ESR, you should be golden. You might want to give all of your dependents at least one month, because after you are out of the service, you can no longer add any additional dependents. As long as you are on active duty you can add or delete dependents, from what I understand. You get 36 months to divvy up, but which dependent gets how many months isn't final until well down the road.

Serve four more years, and then navigate the VA system for when you actually want to have your dependents use your benefits (I haven't looked into this yet).

Best of luck.

As it turns out, I just accepted a one year fellowship position in a very expensive big city. According to the VA FAQ (thanks again dentalOH) I should be able to receive 12 months of Post 9/11 GIBill benefits even after exhausting 36 months of Montgomery GIBill. Since BAH in the big city is a lot more than my current location, I'll do the last year of residency without GIBill and try to get it lined up for fellowship.

If anybody has done the extra 12 months of Post 9/11 GIBill after MGIB, I would be interested in hearing your story. I'll post mine here as it unfolds.

Has anyone used their post-9/11 GI Bill to pay (or help pay) for medical school yet? If so, any issues, lessons learned, etc?

TIA

Not sure where you guys are getting your payment numbers - I talked to the VA benefits people about 2 weeks ago, and they said the MGGIB with the $600 buy in nets $1592 per month.

Also, depending on where you do your residency, the post 911 GIB may be a better deal. It pays tuition plus E-5 w/ dependents BAH. I know we don't pay tuition for residency, but if you plan on doing residency in an area where the BAH is >$1600 (E-5 w/ D in LA is $2052), it may be worth opting for that.

Other concerns for the MGGIB vs post 911 GIB -
1) If you exhaust the 3 years of the MGGIB, a 4th year of benefits under the post 911 GIB can be applied for - i.e. if you do a 3 year residency then a fellowship, or a >3 year residency

2) The post 911 GIB will give you something like $43 for every "credit hour" up to full time of ~ 18 hrs for books/supplies up to $1000. Since residency is full time, you will get $1000 extra per year.

3) If you opt for the post 911 GIB, and you paid the $600 kicker, you get that money returned to you.

4) You can switch to the post 911 GIB at any time from the MGGIB, but you cant switch from the post 911 GIB to the MGGIB

I've got about 7 months left, then I'm off to start a civilian residency, and have been looking at this a lot. There seems to be a lot of incorrect conventional wisdom floating around about the GIB. The folks at the VA benefits phone service are great - just give them a call to find out the real scoop, and be hesitant about listening to what other people tell you unless they are already out and getting their benefits (for you new MOs, this goes for everything - if there is one things I've learned in my 3 years as a flight surgeon, it's that the conventional wisdom among flight surgeons is often based on how people before you did things, not on how the orders say they are supposed to be done).

Hope this helps.

I just submitted my application for the MGIB online today. Any idea how long I should wait before I need to call them on the status of my app. Something about the VA makes me scared that they will lose my application or something.

"Changes to the Post 9/11 GI Bill will affect how educational money is used.

On Jan. 4, 2011, the President signed into law changes to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The new bill includes many changes, which take effect on Aug. 1, 2011. Under the new law, vocational training, including apprenticeships and on-the-job training will be covered. Living stipends will be paid for any programs where tuition costs will be covered. Also, the $1,000-per-year book allowance becomes available to active-duty service members and to their spouses using transferred benefits. The old system that utilized a complicated process to determine tuition caps for individual states has been revamped and the national tuition average of $17,500 per year will be used nation-wide. Another benefit of the new version of the bill is that distance-learning students are now eligible for a portion of the living stipend. "

Not sure if residency training was considered apprenticeship/OJT before, but if it was, as of August 1st they will be paid the same as regular educational benefits. I'm starting at UPenn this summer, and am starting to apply for GI bill. Has anyone been recieving Post 9/11 GI bill money (ie BAH at the E5 w/ dependents level) during civilian residency? Or has it only been MGIB? If so, how much wrangling was involved with the VA system?

Thanks!

I am considering HPSP right now and would like to know if the new modifications to the Post 9/11 GI bill will give me funding for a civilian fellowship after I fulfill my service obligation.

Originally Posted by dillydally

I am considering HPSP right now and would like to know if the new modifications to the Post 9/11 GI bill will give me funding for a civilian fellowship after I fulfill my service obligation.

Well....it will pay for one of my Chiefs to go to the Golf Academy to learn to be a golf pro, so I would hope fellowship would rate that high.

Even if it doesn't, you can transfer the benefit to one of your future kids. (with caveats of course) As the father of a current high school student, this is way cool.

Originally Posted by NavyFP

Even if it doesn't, you can transfer the benefit to one of your future kids. (with caveats of course) As the father of a current high school student, this is way cool.

Yes ... yes it is. I hope the federal government is solvent in 4 years when my eldest heads off to college.


An important point for HPSP'ers to know however is that the transfer is something you need to do ASAP if you're not staying in until retirement. The transfer to dependents imposes a 4 year service obligation that begins the day you make the request to transfer future benefits. It's not the sort of thing you can handle as part of your separation paperwork. Yellowstone's post upthread is gold.


The Navy won't let me do the fellowship I want (no need, apparently) so I'll get out and do it as a civilian. They tell me I will be able to apply some of my Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits toward that, but I probably won't, because there's no tuition for fellowship. It makes more sense to save that benefit for one of my kids who's going someplace expensive.

Just as with the MSP bonus pay, you can't actually start "buying into" the GI bill until after your initial HPSP commitment. Ergo, you need to "re up" to achieve this.

Originally Posted by HooahDOc

Just as with the MSP bonus pay, you can't actually start "buying into" the GI bill until after your initial HPSP commitment. Ergo, you need to "re up" to achieve this.

I'm not sure that's correct. I'm still paying back my USUHS commitment, but I signed my Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer paperwork a year ago. The 4 years from the GI Bill transfer commitment will be up a couple months before my med school payback is up.

Usually HPSP time isn't treated differently than USUHS time.

Originally Posted by pgg

I'm not sure that's correct. I'm still paying back my USUHS commitment, but I signed my Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer paperwork a year ago. The 4 years from the GI Bill transfer commitment will be up a couple months before my med school payback is up.

Usually HPSP time isn't treated differently than USUHS time.

I will have to ask around again then, as I was told differently.

Originally Posted by HooahDOc

Just as with the MSP bonus pay, you can't actually start "buying into" the GI bill until after your initial HPSP commitment. Ergo, you need to "re up" to achieve this.

Originally Posted by pgg

I'm not sure that's correct. I'm still paying back my USUHS commitment, but I signed my Post 9/11 GI Bill transfer paperwork a year ago. The 4 years from the GI Bill transfer commitment will be up a couple months before my med school payback is up.

Usually HPSP time isn't treated differently than USUHS time.

Agree with PGG. You do not have to complete your comittment to sign up, but I do believe you must have 10 years of active service by the time you are done in order to transfer it. So for our HPSP who either go straight through residency or do the GMO and jump ship, they may not be eligible.

The 4 years applies to anyone who is not due to retire prior to 2013. They did not want a bunch of senior guys hanging around just to get the benefit, so they waived that requirement for them.

Originally Posted by NavyFP

Agree with PGG. You do not have to complete your comittment to sign up, but I do believe you must have 10 years of active service by the time you are done in order to transfer it. So for our HPSP who either go straight through residency or do the GMO and jump ship, they may not be eligible.

The 4 years applies to anyone who is not due to retire prior to 2013. They did not want a bunch of senior guys hanging around just to get the benefit, so they waived that requirement for them.

Or you could just send whatever VA technician is putting your paperwork through a six-pack of quality beer. Amazing how far that goes.

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I am currently in my residency and was hoping to do an evening MBA program during my ADSO. I was wondering how soon after residency I could use he post 9/11 GI Bill, while on active duty and whether or not I would get the E-5 BAH, if I was getting active duty BAH as well.

Originally Posted by Joob

I am currently in my residency and was hoping to do an evening MBA program during my ADSO. I was wondering how soon after residency I could use he post 9/11 GI Bill, while on active duty and whether or not I would get the E-5 BAH, if I was getting active duty BAH as well.

If you use the post-9/11 GI Bill while on AD, you do not get the E5 BAH benefit.

If you have a spouse or kids the best answer is probably to transfer benefits to them.