Questions on New GI Bill Keep Coming

By Terry Howell

The New Post 9/11 GI Bill is a year away and the questions keep coming. People seem most concerned about eligibility and transferability. Eligibility questions are the easiest to answer, but with little information available, the questions on transferability a bit more challenging.

The following is a quick snapshot of the latest questions (and answers) posted in this forum. The answers are given based on the best, most current, information and with the understanding that everything is subject change between now and Aug. 1, 2009 when the New GI Bill kicks in.

Remember: Only the Department of Veterans Affairs can answer your person specific GI Bill benefit questions (call 1-888-GIBILL-1). But, I would hold off on asking them about transferability; that is an issue to be determined by the Department of Defense and each branch of the Armed Forces.

Question: My husband was advised against getting the G.I. Bill when he enlisted in 1985. Is he eligible under this new program? If so can he transfer benefits to me and our children?

Answer Part One: If your husband has more than 90 days service since Sept. 11, 2001 he is eligible. This is covered here: http://education.military.com/money-for-school/gi-bill/20-top-faqs-for-new-gi-bill#3

Answer Part Two: The rules for transferring the new GI Bill benefit have not been clarified yet. However based on what we know he will have to re-enlist to qualify for transferability. This is covered here: http://education.military.com/money-for-school/gi-bill/20-top-faqs-for-new-gi-bill#16

Question: I used some of the old Montgomery bill when I was enlisted. I was separated from enlisted service to cross over to the Commissioned Officer side. Do I get the full benefits of the new post 9/11 GI bill or do they deduct what I used when I was enlisted? If I sign this over to my dependent do they get the housing allotment also?

Answer Part One: You are eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and you should receive the number of months of benefits you have remaining in your MGIB account. Formula: 36 months minus the number of months already used.

Answer Part Two: No. The person receiving the transferred benefits will get the Montgomery GI Bill payment rate.

Question: I joined in '84, and cashed out my VEAP. I did not buy into the Montgomery GI Bill. I recently retired with 60% disability. Can I get the MGIB still or are there other Ed benefits I can take advantage of?

Answer Part One: No to the MGIB, that ship has sailed. However, if you have 90 days or more of Post 9/11 service, you may qualify for the New Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Answer Part Two: Due to your 60% disability you may also qualify for Voc-Rehab (GI Bill Chapter 31). There are no guarantees, you will have to be interviewed and found in need or re-employment training and counseling, but if you are you will get a very robust education benefit. Contact the VA to get specific answers on your personal situation. 1-888-GIBILL-1 or 1-800-827-1000.

About the Author: A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.

DoD Community College?

By Terry Howell

In a recent conversation with a senior enlisted servicemember from the DoD, the subject of taking education programs to the next level came up. One suggestion that came from this discussion was the idea of creating a Department of Defense Community College system to help servicemembers earn an associates degree prior to leaving the military.

Before you scoff at the idea, you should consider the fact the U.S. Air Force has been operating the world’s largest community college for years. The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) enables Airmen to earn a degree in their technical specialty without having to dip into their GI Bill benefits.

In my opinion, the model works and would serve our servicemembers and future veterans by allowing them to step out of the military with a degree and into college at a higher level than they would otherwise.

The DoD spends billions a year on education through tuition assistance and other programs like those administered by DANTES. And they reap the rewards higher retention and a more educated force. (See recent Navy article).

What do you think?

Feel free to post your opinion here or use the Military.com Legislative Center to contact your elected officials and federal agencies about this or any other suggestions you have to improve the state of military and veteran education programs.

About the Author: A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.

Will the New GI Bill Face Delays?

By Terry Howell

Facing the challenge of implementing the new highly complex Post 9/11 GI Bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs sought the help of outside contractors. This raised the hackles of veterans groups, public employee unions, and Congress. They rallied forces to challenge the VA’s decision.

The VA backed away from the plan of using a contractor to help implement the program, citing a lack of qualified bids. The VA stated it will “rely upon its own workforce to set up the information technology programs needed to implement the educational benefits of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.”

A recent Stars and Stripes article being run on Military.com, tells that the VA will rely on the old system to process tuition payments.

Unfortunately the lack of outside help and the need to rely on an antiquated system may result in delays for the new GI Bill program. According to a recent UPI article, The VA has vowed to launch the measure on time, but has publicly admitted it will be a difficult mission.

According to a recent article by Tom Philpott, the VA stated that concerns about making the deadline are "unfounded." (Read the full article)

I believe the VA is doing its best to please everyone and make the deadline, but the mixed signals are not giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Stay tuned.

I suggest reading the following articles to get a full view of the situation:

- VA to Use Old System to Deliver New Tuition Checks
- Chance of Delay for New GI Bill
- New GI Bill to Start On Time

About the Author: A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.

5 Reasons to Use Federal Student Aid

By Terry Howell

Servicemembers and veterans have a tendency to discount the value of applying for Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs because they have the GI Bill. In most cases veterans and active-duty are eligible to apply FSA though they are maybe using their GI Bill or other programs.

Here are five reasons you shouldn’t blow-off FSA:
1. There is only one application, called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), for all the federally sponsored education aid programs including subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and Pell Grants.

2. FSA can help cover the initial cost of starting school (enrollment and lab fees, up-front tuition, books , etc.)until your GI Bill kicks in. It can take up to 45 days for your benefits to start.

3. You may qualify for free money! That’s right Pell Grants are just that - grants – they are a gift.

4. Applying for FSA is not binding; you can turn down any loans you do not want.

5. FSA is less expensive than borrowing from private sources or running up your credit cards.

As a person who has used every possible source of education money, I can tell you that FSA is worth the effort. In fact, I received Pell Grants as an E-7 when I was on active-duty.

You can learn more about Federal Student Aid.

About the Author: A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.

Beyond the Hype of the New GI Bill

By Terry Howell

Most of us have heard politicians tell us how great this new GI Bill is. The truth is that the Post 9/11 GI Bill is a great benefit for many servicemembers who were not previously eligible for veteran's education benefits – especially members of the Guard and Reserve who have been serving in OIF/OEF since Sept. 11, 2001. However, the benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill are limited and the press coverage has oversold the program as the greatest thing to hit the economy since 1944.

Over the last few months I have written several articles and blog entries on the pros and cons of the new Post 9/11 GI Bill. My goal over the last few months has been to try to manage expectations, not to tell you that this is a bad benefit, but to ensure you understand the many limitations of this new program. Some of our members have been posting complaints about these limitations, especially the limits on tuition payment rates and stipends for distance learning courses, post-graduate courses and transferability.

The good news - there is still time for lawmakers to tweak this new benefit and remove the limitations that make this benefit less than desirable for many veterans. However, it is up to us veterans and members of the military to voice our complaints to Congress. We need to put pressure on them to make this new program live up to the hype.

It is time for all you who have voiced your anger about the Post 9/11 GI Bill to take a moment to let your elected officials know exactly how you feel about the limitations of this benefit. Just remember when you write or call your elected officials, be clear, concise, and respectful.

Go to the Military.com Legislative Center to find the contact information for your local elected official.

Suggestions for further reading:

- The Tale of Two GI Bills

- Head to Head Comparison of the Old and New GI Bills

- New Post 9/11 GI Bill Overview

- Top 20 Post 9/11 GI Bill FAQs

- 10 Quick P9/11 GI Bill Facts

- The Good, Bad, and the Ugly of the New GI Bill

About the Author: A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.

1st Cav Scholarship Program

By Terry Howell

Another new scholarship has become available, this time for 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers and their families.

As the costs of tuition at most universities and colleges continue to rise, 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers and their families have an option available to them which helps defray some of the costs incurred when seeking higher education.

The 1st Cavalry Division Association, a non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian Soldiers and veterans fraternity, provides this opportunity to First Team families in the form of a scholarship grant from the association's scholarship foundation.

Read more...

A Tale of Two GI Bills

By Terry Howell

The Inside Higher Ed website has posted very good article that helps explain the differences between the two GI Bills. The author, Elizabeth Redden, does a very good job of explaining the points we have been reporting here.

The article "A Tale of Two GI Bills" offers some insight into the decision facing new recruits next fall.

One concern that has been raised here is the effect on new recruits who will have to decide whether to participate in the Montgoemry GI Bill or not. In her article Reddin asked VA Chief of Education Benefits, Keith Wilson, "...how should an 18-year-old enlistee decide between signing up for (and paying into) Montgomery or opting (and paying nothing) for Webb?"

“Anybody going into active duty right now, we recommend that they continue to sign up for the Montgomery GI Bill,” says Wilson. That’s because veterans can opt later, when it comes time to actually use their benefits, to switch to Post-9/11 but not vice versa — though once the switch from Montgomery to Post-9/11 is made, that’s irrevocable, too.

Although many see this as a way for the VA to collect money from young recruits, I agree with the advice. Choosing to opt out of the Montgomery GI Bill now could severly limit their education options later.

I highly recommend you read the full article found at: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/03/gi.

About the Author:
A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.

VA Under Fire - Right or Wrong?

By Terry Howell

If you have paid any attention to the implementation of the New Post 9/11 GI Bill, you know that the new program is incredibly complicated and light on important details.

The program has seven tiers of benefits, 50 different tuition rates, and hundreds of geographically determined cost of living stipend rates. And that is the simple part.

In a case of “garbage in, garbage out,” the new bill lacks details and has a narrow view of the current world of education.

The following issues are an example of important details that are not addressed in the current language of the law as passed:
• What are the tuition rates and housing stipends for overseas students?
• What happens when a student drops? Does the VA go after the school or the student for repayment?
• What process will schools use to bill the VA for a student’s tuition?
• If a student is taking a mix of online and traditional classes (Hybrid), how many online classes can they take before they lose there housing stipend?

Now, in a typically political move, Congress is accusing the Department of Veterans Affairs of delaying the implementation. A recent Stars and Stripes article reports that in a recent hearing “lawmakers angrily criticized Veterans Affairs officials for possible delays in implementing the new GI Bill benefits by the August 2009 deadline.”

Congress hastily passed this law and knew it would take time for the VA to clean it up. They gave them a year, which seems like plenty of time. But when the light of day exposed the depth of issues related to this bill the VA pushed back, asking for contractors to help. Lawmakers saw this as an opportunity to point the finger at the VA for the inevitable delays.

To be fair, the VA, like most government agencies, is not perfect and to expect swift implementation of this complicated and incomplete law is unrealistic and unprecedented. For example when the Montgomery GI Bill was passed the VA had more then twice the time to implement it before the first eligible veterans were able to start using it.

Maybe I am too soft on the VA, but in my opinion, congress is to blame for taking the politically expedient road and rushing this legislation through. The last minute changes to this bill even surprised its original authors.

I suggest you read the Stars and Stripes article VA Under Fire for GI Bill Delays on Military.com and judge for yourself whether or not congress is expecting too much from the VA.

About the Author:
A Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, Terry completed his BS in Management and Communications using a combination of CLEP exams, credit for military service, and distance learning while on active-duty. Terry now serves as Managing Editor for the Education Channel at Military.com.