Next year I will be completing a 1 year ACGME fellowship in pain medicine and will most likely be staying at the same institution (pending what happens on match day next month). Would my best route be to apply for the Edith Rogers STEM Extension to receive 9 additional months of benefits? I assume I will need to exhaust that last month of my post-9/11 before being eligible.
You're correct in that you'd be
eligible to being considered for the Edith Rogers STEM Extension (up to $30,000 maximum) since you have 6 months or less remaining on your current Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) GI Bill benefits. I will echo what others have stated and that is (by definition), certain residencies and fellowships do qualify for this scholarship, however it is up to interpretation of the individual looking at your case PLUS scholarship preferences that are based on an additional factor:
1) A veteran that
requires the most credit hours compared to other applicants
Since this is for a fellowship, you'd be compared to other veterans that easily need the scholarship for more credit hours and training. There is an arbitrary amount that is approved every year (unknown to us since it cannot be looked up) and it really boils down to "more needy" applicants. They'll take a look at your history and experience and immediately think "doctor that wants to specialize" and kick you to the back of the line. However, depending on the time of year and budget, and the fact that fellowships and residencies are indeed covered/qualify, I say go ahead and apply and see what happens. I have yet to see anyone get approved for residencies/fellowships, but maybe as time goes on more and more approvals may push through (although in theory it may not be the case, but this is so new compared to other benefits that it's still worth applying).
I am also VA rated at 50%. Would VR&E provide more benefit (reimbursement of board exam, etc)?
So by technicality, you would once again qualify to apply for VR&E. I'll just go ahead and tell you that you have a better shot getting Edith Rogers STEM scholarship approval than VR&E. As mentioned, this is an employee program and is meant to help veterans get training/certificate/degrees based on "entry level employment." Seeing your credentials, it can easily be seen as a doctor who could (in their mind) go out into the work place but is instead choosing to become more specialized. Since VR&E is all about cost plus "entry level employment", your case would unfortunately be a hard sale. I had to try 3 separate times to get approval for pharmacy school, and even then it was a lot of paperwork and meetings justifications...
Don't be discouraged, but do come into this with an open mind that although you qualify to apply, you will most likely be placed at the back of the line (or not at all). If you have to use your energy, place it towards the Edith Rogers STEM scholarship and see what happens from there.