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All the military members or former military members keeping up with the new GI bill. If you haven't heard of the updates I strongly encourage you to check it out. To me it is fantastic!!!
Does that mean that if I go to CSU to save money I get paid to go to Berkley or UCLA?
I might as well wait a couple years to start using the GI bill, then. Tuition at CSU is cheap, so if my wife continues working to pay for post-bac I can use the GI bill during medical school to get more out of it.
So how does this affect the Pell Grant, Cal Grant, and GI Bill kicker?
The living stipend is determined by equivalent BAH for a single E-5 in your school's zip code.
i am using the GI bill currently and have heard of the proposed bill... didn't think it was going to go through (well, not right away anyway--figured they would shift it around a bit). also, i didn't realize it would be retro-active. like, it will apply to those already using it now. if this is the case, you all on this thread have made me very happy. great news indeed!
i guess i should check their website more often!
...
That's why they increased the current monthly amount to $1321. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the sooner you hear the better I guess.
nah, that's cool. It actually makes more sense that way...besides, My GI bill is almost dried up and used. it was fun while it lasted
best deal in town really. and it looks like it will become a great deal for some.
... my GI Bill just got cut off because if you don't declare a major within 2 semesters then you are ineligible for the GI Bill ... Has anyone else run into this problem??
... I may rake in all of another 100 dollars a semester than what I do now and doesn't seem like it may be worth the hassle of stopping and starting the GI Bill AGAIN.
Does anyone know the new rate with the buy-up enabled? I can't find any info on how the kicker is affected by the new rates.
(5) TREATMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD
11 BASIC EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.
12 (A) REFUND OF CONTRIBUTIONS.Except
13 as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary
14 of Veterans Affairs shall pay to each individual
15 making an election under paragraph (1) who is
16 described by clause (i), (iii), or (v) of subpara
17 graph (A) of that paragraph an amount equal
18 to the total amount of contributions made by
19 such individual under subchapter II of chapter
20 30 of title 38, United States Code, for basic
21 educational assistance under that chapter, in
22 cluding any contributions made under sub
23 section (b) or (e) of section 3011 of such title
24 or any contributions made under subsection (c)
25 or (f) of section 3012 of such title.
... I'd like to either get something out of it for this upcoming year, or get my money back soon-ish.
I'm at a state univ taking the prereqs (not in a postbacc) and my GI Bill just got cut off because if you don't declare a major within 2 semesters then you are ineligible for the GI Bill. I only have one semester left and wrote VA a big letter last week explaining my story and all the prereqs I have to take and haven't heard back yet. Has anyone else run into this problem??
That's why they increased the current monthly amount to $1321. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the sooner you hear the better I guess.
Reading over the pdf they have at the VA's website, it says if you are eligible for Chapter 30 benefits (the current GI Bill), then you can elect to receive benefits under the new GI Bill, starting 8/1/09.
Doesn't that mean if you still have time left on your GI Bill, starting August '09, you can switch to the new deal?
They would match tuition at the grad/prof level for the highest in state rate of the state where I would be attending.
...It makes it sound like I still have to attend a college in the state from which I enlisted if I want to be eligible for in-state tuition. Is that true?
I have a BS, I'm about to start my pre-reqs in the Fall, and I'm not in a post-bacc program either. My community college offers an Associates in Biology (pre-med emphasis). I'm going to go ahead and work towards that AS, since I have two years to kill on my GI Bill anyway.
But couldn't you just declare that you were a Bio major and only take your med-school pre-reqs, since they happen to be required for that major anyway?
I hate to be the one to break this to you but...
I called the VA office and they said that if you already have a B.S. you have to be seeking the next step in higher education (ie. a Masters degree). I had the same idea as you, I was going to shut off my GI Bill for my last year of UG so I could then reactive it during my one year Post-Bacc. I was told unless those classes go towards a specific Masters that I would be seeking then the GI Bill would not cover it.
I have debated whether to finish all classes except one for my B.S. then transfer over to declare my UG as BIO and take the required Post-Bacc. In the end I would be gambling a years worth of my current G.I. Bill, not to mention I don't really want to be "the guy who works the system". And unfortunately I don't have any I.S. SMP programs. In the end it is a nice change and I wish I could have benefitted from it, but I'm not too disappointed with my current G.I. Bill since public UG schools in my state are relatively cheap.
The GI Bill can pay you for more than one degree, for example: it will pay you for a degree in Business and then for a second degree in Computer Science, or for an AA, BA, MA in the same field. Once you have a degree, you could pursue another one provided you have remaining entitlement on your GI Bill.
At this time we are only able to provide general information about the new GI Bill. The new Post-9/11 GI Bill will pay tuition to the school (for VA-approved programs) up to the amount of the most expensive in-state public institution. We do not yet have information specifying if this includes graduate programs. This information will be forthcoming.
The $1,200.00 contribution and the $600 kickers were paid into chapter 30, the Montgomery GI Bill. The remaining months of entitlement you have remaining under chapter 30 on August 1, 2009 can be converted to the new chapter 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill on, or after, that date.
Any kickers and college funds a veteran has converted from chapter 30 to the new chapter 33 will be paid on the Basic Housing Allowance. Once the veterans education entitlement exhausts, and remaining funds in the $1,200 contribution, $600.00 buy-up, and/or college fund will be dispersed to the veteran on the last BAH payment.
...It doesn't explicitly say that you can't get two at the same academic level, but by leaving that out while comparing two different fields it seems to imply that it's not a problem.
That's good information, thanks Salient. I sure hope they wind up paying full tuition for med school ... but I'm not going to hold out for anything.
As far as going for 2nd bachelors, I used to certify vets all the time who were working on another degree at the same level. I think whoever you talked to may not have understood you correctly. Either that or we were doing it wrong all along at my university. You should be able to fill out the change of program form with the VA and declare that your goal is to get an MD/DO degree. You can talk with the certifying official and the VA if necessary but they absolutely should allow this as it's a "higher" degree. They may require you to show documentation that your classes are indeed prerequisites, which shouldn't be too hard to do.
It pisses me off that someone would have told you they won't pay for another degree in the first place. The goal of the GI Bill, your educational entitlement, is to help you get where you want to be professionally. Although you may have to talk to a certifying official and the VA, there is no reason I can possibly think of why they wouldn't allow a post-bacc as long as you declare your "goal" as MD/DO on the form (which you can amend at any time).
If they keep giving you the run around contact your congressman (or senator) and express the concerns I've outlined. You're a veteran, you want to become a doctor, and the VA is making you play "mommy please" with your entitlement. Legislators are amazingly responsive to veterans' issues; most even keep a veteran adviser/advocate on staff. Trust me, if a legislator starts breathing down their throat about why they are hindering your goals they'll buckle.
According to the VA website, as long you served for 36 months following 9/11, you qualify to elect to receive benefits under the new Bill.
So, you can use your Ch. 30 benefits right now and then, in August of 2009, elect to use the new Bill. You don't have to, but you have the choice.
If you end up serving less than 36 months post-9/11, you get a pro-rated benefit amount.
If you want to use your previous benefit, you can.
Does anyone know what the deal is if you had a ROTC scholarship? I wasn't eligible for the old GI Bill, but understand I am for the new one. However, I heard that I actually had to serve 4 + 3 years to get the full benefit, not just 3. I haven't been able to find that in writing, and I'm getting out right now at the 6 year mark.
Thanks!
For instance, I have say 90 college units before entering the military almost four years ago. I will ETS (get out) just as immediately as possible, after this deployment in OIF 07-09, in January '09.
I want to maximize the benefits available. Would I only get two years out of the NEW GI Bill considering I would be attending full-time and have two years [give or take] to completion of Bachelor's? Or, would I be able to potentially pay for at least a year of graduate school or more? What if I don't get accepted into graduate school automatically, or go to work right away, and there is a break between using benefits? Do they exhaust at some point? Perhaps up until your entitlement is covered?
You will get 36 months of full-time training out of the GI Bill regardless of how many credits you had before. They won't pay for you to re-take classes over and over unless you failed them the first time around or need a higher grade for some reason (med school pre-req, eg). The GI Bill absolutely works for graduate and professional degrees so you can keep using it right through. They will pay for virtually anything that is accredited.
As a quick aside, R. Lee Ermey, the senior drill instructor from full metal jacket and the guy on mail call, used the GI Bill to attend acting school in the Phillipines after he was medically discharged from the Corps. I met him at my Marine Corps Birthday Ball when I was at MCRD and he's very, very cool. He'd probably be the saltiest SOB alive if he had stayed in until retirement.
You will be able to save your remaining entitlement for graduate/professional school when you finish your undergrad. So, for example, if you take 2 academic years (18 months of GI Bill) to finish your undergrad then you have 2 academic years (18 months) left for future endeavors.
The GI Bill allows you to break up your training however you like. I'm taking several years off between undergrad and med school and my GI Bill is just sitting there waiting for me. It's like an account with 36 months in it. You withdraw whatever you like and it doesn't dry up until you hit the 36 month limit. They measure everything in months instead of dollars so that you get the added benefit whenever congress increases the amount.
The old one used to have a time limit of 10 years post-discharge to use it. I believe there is no expiration on the new one (pretty sure, but not 100%).
How much of a graduate degree is this new bill going to cover? Because if I could pay for medical school with the GI Bill I'd way rather get into debt paying for undergrad degree...or will it pay the same amount (cost of undergrad instate tuition) to graduate school and I would still have to cover the rest?
and again here:Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes graduate and undergraduate degrees...
What exactly will I receive?
You or your school will receive a percentage, as determined by length of active duty service, of the following:
* Amount of tuition and fees charged, not to exceed the most expensive in-State public institution of higher education...