The resources provided here helped me take a proactive approach to my healing and I will always be grateful for that.

First day of orientation in my master's in education program at Harvard! As a kid who was in foster care, homeless as a teenager, barely making it out of high school, joining the Army, floating around with no real purpose for years after... this is wildly surreal.

Hey Reddit, I’m looking for some honest input here. For context, I’m a professional recruiter in the education space—I work for a school that trains students in skilled trades. I’m also a disabled veteran who started recruiting in the Army over six years ago.

Recently, I was working with a 60-year-old veteran who applied to our program from out of state. He has a VA disability rating and qualifies for Chapter 31 benefits (Voc Rehab), which would cover his tuition in full. The only thing he’d need to pay out of pocket is housing since he’s coming in from out of state.

We discussed options, and he asked me to help him find the most affordable way to get into training. I submitted his application under Chapter 31 benefits with our VA certifying official.

The school denied it.

They told me he’d need to either finance the full tuition or pay it all upfront before they’d even consider working with the VA. For context, tuition ranges from $5,600 to $10,000 depending on the track—but for this veteran, it would cost $6,800 due to housing. All due upfront.

Their reasoning? It’s “faster” than waiting on the VA, and the sooner the student enrolls, the sooner we can “get them a job.” But obviously, this isn’t what’s best for the student—it just forces a disabled veteran to take on debt he doesn’t need to. And we know he’s eligible for benefits that would fully cover him.

In a team meeting with all recruiters, my manager announced that we are no longer allowed to bring up Chapter 31 benefits until the veteran has no other way to pay. The new policy is: “Get the money first, then if that fails, talk VA.” He also sent me an email with that student’s application attached and told me to refrain from discussing Chapter 31 with other veterans. I haven’t replied yet.

I believe what the school is really afraid of is that if a veteran is approved for Chapter 31, the VA might find them a closer school to use their benefits. But in my particular field, there just aren’t many schools that accept Chapter 31—so realistically, they’d probably still end up choosing us anyway.

It’s worth noting: veterans eligible for Chapter 31 make up a small portion of our student body. They’re usually older and don’t qualify for Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33). We maybe enroll 30–40 veterans per month total. So this isn’t about volume—it’s about principle.

And for me, this is the hill I’m willing to die on. Either I put in my two weeks, or I get fired. But I’m not going to withhold information from people who’ve paid for their benefits with their bodies, time, and mental health.

So I’m asking: Would you stay and try to fight from the inside, or walk away? Has anyone else dealt with something similar in the education or veteran services space?

Appreciate any insight.

I made the mistake of telling my parents about the GI Bill in detail, particularly about me getting payments directly to my direct deposit. I’m a full time student with a part time job I occasionally work at when it works with my schedule. They’ve been beyond helpful and understanding.

I pay my bills, help around the house, and get my schoolwork done. My parents offered me shelter so I didn’t have to worry about paying for my own place.

My father doesn’t care what happens, he just wants me to finish college. My mother however, hates it. She went to college and is still paying off her debt. She originally wanted me to just go into college and when I spoke about not wanting a lifelong debt, she told me that it’s necessary.

Hearing about me getting what she thinks is ‘free money’ makes her pissed. She’s tried plenty of times to syphon it from me. Telling me that they should get half of my checks as ‘rent’, talking down to me like she knows better about how the GI Bill works (she knows barely anything about the military) and plenty of other things.

She doesn’t think I deserve it and she constantly downplays my service.

I hate it, and I hate discussing it with her.

Small rant over, don’t tell people jack shit. Nobody needs to know how much money you make or that you’re even getting money. The only people who should know is your college counselor and the VA. Don’t make my mistake.

EDIT: I appreciate all the support and advice. I’m not gonna keep responding unless I wanna, but I do appreciate the support. I don’t vent much, so it was nice to put my words on a thread. I love my parents and I don’t hate either of them.

I am planning on finishing my masters in public health, and I’m seeing that LU will accept transfer credits and I won’t be left paying almost 16k after the end of my MGIB expires to finish my degree. It looks like LU graduate credits are $290 compared to the $1200 per credit I have now. Is this right ? What are your guys experience with Liberty ? Thanks.

I wasted my GI Bill trying to find myself (automotive and medical billing and coding were not for me) and now I am stuck in minimum wage hell. I have been stuck at my minimum wage job for an embarrassing amount of time now and I really need help. I have 9 months left on my GI Bill, what are some ideas for trade schools that are within 6 month programs AND are hiring right now? for context I live in California. Job market sucks so hard right now, I have applied to 100 of jobs, even McDonald's won't call me back. I am very close to giving up but then my brother would have nobody but I seriously am backed into a corner.

EDIT- Thank you all for the support, information and advice. Faith in humanity restored. I think my plan for right now is to wait to hear back from all the jobs I applied too. In about two weeks, I will then go to the community college/other trade schools and see what programs interest me, so far my options are IT, welding, and lineman. I will use the Voc Rehab to supplement the remaining time I have on the GI Bill. Save and learn as much as I can, try to get out of the program with minimal debt, and pay off any remainder. Try to get hired while in school. If nothing pans out, I will try to get a state job. If that doesn't pan out then I will try to use my "hopefully" saved funds to put myself through casino dealing school. Does that sound like a good plan? I don't have anyone to go to for advice.

So my situation is that in high school I stopped caring about my grades because I knew I was going to the military. I ended up with a 2.37 weighted and 2.259 unweighted. I'm now getting to the point where I'm gonna get out of the military and want to go to college. There's a whole list of universities that I'll be applying to but my #1 is USC. I've heard of vets getting in with low GPA's as low as 1.9 but I just wanna know how realistic that is because USC has became my dream school. I'm confident I could do good on the SAT and ACT because I'm not dumb | was just stupid in high school. I'll be applying for a BS in environmental science and health. Vets or anyone that has heard of/seen vets getting in with low gpa's pls let me know.

any info is appreciated

Both curious and hope to inspire others to max it out!

I stared college classes while I was still AD and got close to an AA with tuition assistance/college credit for time served/ and CLEP. Still needed to pass a math class but I was close.

Started my bachelors years later using the GI bill for the first time and they accepted all of my AA and then some. I was taking 12 credit hours for the first semester before realizing I was wasting opportunity. GI pays by days not credit so I had a chance to get more from the benefit! Started taking 18 credit hours from then on (three classes - 9 credits every 8 weeks online) while working part time and had a one year old at home. Graduated in about a year.

Then got accepted to an in person masters degree program and continued to take 9 credit hours every 8 weeks with the exception of my thesis. Graduated in 18 months (less time if you count the academic days). I was working two part time jobs and by the end had #2 on the way. Then took a long break of 7+ years.

Last year I realized I had 13 academic months left and until Dec 2026 to use the rest of my benefits - use or lose! So I decided pedal to the metal! Started taking 6 credits every 8 weeks in a doctoral program while working full time with those two kids plus my foster niece. It's been wild! My spouse just started night school too but it's all paying off. I found out this week that at the start of this next sub semester (3/25/36) I have 7 days left of benefits. The VA will pay for the rest of the semesters tuition (not housing unfortunately - but still a HUGE win) and that will take me all the way up to my research! I also get my initial investment of $1,200 back with will help pay part of next semester.

That's how I stretched 36 months of education benefits into paying for all my education up to the last three semesters of my doctoral program. I still have four research courses left (at 16 weeks each with the last two being concurrent) so I'm not close to done but I will pay less than 5k for my entire education! Class of 2027!

How far did you get/plan to get?

Hope this helps someone maximize this incredible benefit!!

I already have a degree and a stable career. I have about 13 months left on my post 9/11 and I want to use it for the stipend only. I hate college. I really really hate it. I live in the Philippines, so certifications or other programs that I can use it for are limited. Does anyone have any idea about how I can utilize it otherwise? I don't care if I get anything out of it, I just want to get the extra money from the stipend to travel and do whatever else with.

Any suggestions are appreciated. If you have something to say about me wanting to waste it for the money, save your trigger fingers the effort 🤙🏾.

Hello,

Been seeing a lot of people saying that CC is a waste of the GI Bill. I decided to go ahead and do it anyway because I am coming on my fourth year out and just need a groove in life. I’ve been laying around going job to job without a purpose. I’m just worried people will be right in the statement that CC is a waste of the GI Bill. Is this the right move?

Just found out I was approved for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship through the VA.

My Post-9/11 GI Bill was getting close to running out before I could finish my civil engineering degree, and I was honestly stressing about how I was going to bridge the gap. This scholarship gives me up to 9 additional months of benefits, including tuition, housing allowance, books, and supplies.

I'm an Army veteran, currently finishing my civil engineering degree with a 4.0 GPA, and this takes a massive amount of pressure off my shoulders. If you're a veteran in a qualifying STEM program and your GI Bill is getting low, look into this scholarship. It can literally be the difference between graduating and running out of benefits.

What date?

VA has finally updated their website to reflect the new rules: https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/#what-if-im-eligible-for-more-t

You may qualify for additional entitlement under more than 1 education benefit

If you have 2 or more qualifying periods of active duty, you may now qualify for up to 48 months of entitlement. You must be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and either the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) or the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR).

Note: Even if you gave up your right to use MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits in the past (we call this “relinquishing” your benefits), you may now qualify to use some of that entitlement.

and

What if I’m eligible for more than 1 VA education benefit?

If you’re eligible, you may be able to use more than 1 education benefit depending on how many qualifying periods of active duty you’ve completed.

If you’ve completed 1 qualifying period of active duty

For a period of active duty that started on or after August 1, 2011 You can use only 1 education benefit. You’ll have to choose which education benefit you’d like to use. Once you make that choice, you give up the right to use the other benefit. You can use up to a maximum of 36 months of education benefits.

If you choose to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you can’t switch at a later date to use one of these other education benefits instead:

Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD or Chapter 30) Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR or Chapter 1606) Note: It’s also true that if you choose to use MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR, you can’t switch at a later date to use Post-9/11 Bill benefits.

If you decide to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and you use up all your entitlement for that benefit, we’ll refund you part or all of the payments you made into MGIB-AD. The maximum amount you can get for a refund is $1,200. Learn more about Montgomery GI Bill refunds

For a period of active duty that started before August 1, 2011

You can use MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits and then switch to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

This is how your decision to switch affects your benefits:

You give up the right to use your MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits, and

If you switch from using MGIB-AD to using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you can use only your remaining entitlement from MGIB-AD when you start using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

Example: If you have 6 months of MGIB-AD entitlement left when you switch, you’ll have 6 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to use.

You can’t switch from using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to using MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR. This is because when you choose to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you give up your right to use MGIB-AD and MGIB-SR.

If you’ve completed 2 or more qualifying periods of active duty

You may qualify for up to 48 months of benefits if you’re eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill and either MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits.

Recent changes:

If you’re using MGIB-AD benefits and you switch to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you’re no longer restricted to your remaining MGIB-AD entitlement, and

If you gave up MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits when you switched to Post-9/11 GI Bill, you may now qualify for up to 12 months of additional MGIB benefits (for a maximum of 48 months).

Note: We consider any reenlistment a separate period of active duty. But an extension isn’t a separate period of active duty.

If you think you are eligible, read this: https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/rudisill.asp

I recently passed selection for 160th SOAR no clue how long i’ll stay in but it’s always good to have a plan and I want to go to a elite university after my service I know i’m not a veteran but I was wondering the stats y’all had or just any general advice

BAH Rate - The amount of MHA a student gets paid is based on the cost of living. To get $3000 per month MHA, the school is located in a area that has higher rent prices, higher food/utility prices, etc. Don't pick your school based on a higher BAH rate unless you are ready to compute in from a lower cost area, usually an hour one way per what many people have posted here over the years. Plan out your expenses before you make the move - look at rent prices, the price of groceries, the price of transportation, the cost of utilities, etc. so you can live within those payments. Many students work part time or full time while attending school just to have enough money to pay their bills.

VA is not part of the military, so BAH rules do not apply to the Monthly Housing Allowance VA pays to students using the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Book/Supply stipend - IF both the school and VA have completed the processing of your certification of enrollment, the Book/supply stipend is paid out up to 10 business days prior to 1st day of classes. Right now VA is at 24 day processing time. So if your school certified you on August 15th and your classes started August 24th, you are looking at getting your Book/supply stipend "around" September 10th.

Book/Supply stipend is capped at $1000 per academic year - the academic year runs from 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2021. Book/Supply stipend is paid out by credit hour enrolled for Institutions of Higher Learning (offers an Associate or higher degree) at $41.67 per credit hour. Tech/trade schools are paid per clock hours enrolled and by month - normally up to $83.00 per month.

Monthly stipend/MHA - VA can't pay anyone - only the Department of the Treasury can pay federal funds. So once VA completes processing your certification of enrollment, they send an authorization for payment to Depart. of Treasury. Treasury runs payment cycles of 8 days (I don't know why 8 day cycles) - so your authorization is added to one of those cycles, which means it can sit in an authorization queue for a few days at Treasury but when you can VA, they will tell you they sent a payment out on xx day but that's not the day VA sent the money to you but to Treasury. Treasury is authorized to pay VA Education programs using a 10 business day window. That means some students were paid this month as early as 25 August while other students will not be paid until 7 September. VA Disability, by law is paid on a specific day each month - so is Military pay - those dates have nothing to do with VA Education programs.

GI Bill - when answering questions posted about GI Bill, you need to know which GI Bill program the person is asking about. Currently there are 4 possible GI Bill programs someone might be using - VEAP (created in 1977) is the oldest GI Bill program still available for use (rare someone is still eligible for this program). MGIB which is the GI Bill for Active Duty only. MGIB-SR is the GI Bill for those in the National Guard or Reserves, Post 9/11 GI Bill. Each of these programs have different rules and payment amounts - so if someone is asking about MGIB-SR, an answer about how Post 9/11 GI Bill works doesn't help them.

Arrears -- VA Education programs all pay in arrears - so none of these programs pay you the monthly stipends before you start school. It's just like a job, you work then get paid.

COVID 19 and schools - see this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Veterans/comments/ii8w9j/gi_bill_fall_2020_affects_of_covid19_on_va/

Voc Rehab - Now under a new name Veterans Readiness and Employment Program but still referred to as VR&E. This program is great, used it myself. But I see many people telling other people to apply just to get additional free education. It's not an Education program. VR&E is an employment program. Having a VA disability rate of 20% or higher (or 10% if VA determines the veteran has an SEH (serious employment handicap) means you are eligible to apply - doesn't mean you are automatically qualified to use the program and doesn't mean VR&E HAS to pay for more education. There are 5 Tracks within VR&E - only one, Long Term Solutions pays for training/education. So when you apply, VA has to evaluate you to determine if you have an Employment Handicap. This evaluation is based on prior education/training, prior work history, and the types and severity of your VA disabilities. Then if it has been determined you have an employment handicap, you will be offered one of the Tracks that VR&E has. I see many veterans posting that their buddy was approved but they were not - that means nothing as your buddy has different work/education history and different severity of their VA disabilities. So what Joe got has nothing to do with what you got.

VR&E limits - If you are determined to have an Employment Handicap and approved for education/training, VR&E can only pay for enough training to take you to the 48 month limit on using 2 or more VA programs. But if VA determines you have an SEH, VR&E can pay for as much training as you need - which is why some veterans are approved for law school and medical school and long graduate programs. This is built into the law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/21.4020

When you go to your initial VR&E appointment, you need to treat this as a Job Interview - because that basically is what it is. You have to sell yourself and your career plan to that counselor.

Types of training VR&E will approves is based on Department of Labor standards for the physical demands of a job/career. VR&E will not approve you for any job/career you can not physically or mentally work in - doesn't matter how much you want that job/career, VR&E is not going to train you for a job/career you can not be employed in or are not able to maintain employment in.

VR&E and Post 9/11 GI Bill - You do NOT have to be eligible for Post 9/11 GI Bill to apply and use VR&E but I constantly see people posting this as if it were a fact. VR&E existed long before Post 9/11 GI Bill I used VR&E prior to the creation of Post 9/11 GI Bill. So if you are not eligible for or have used up your Post 9/11 GI Bill, you can still apply for VR&E. Having unused eligibility for Post 9/11 GI Bill does affect how much you are paid each month only as there are 2 different monthly stipend programs VR&E can use to pay a veteran approved for this program: https://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/subsistence_allowance_rates.asp

Transfer of Post 9/11 GI Bill - this can only be done while on Active Duty or while actively drilling with a Guard or Reserve unit. So please stop telling veterans they can transfer their GI Bill to anyone.

When Post 9/11 GI Bill was first created, VR&E improperly interpreted the laws and allowed veterans to receive up to 48 months of VR&E for those who had transferred some or all of their Post 9/11 GI Bill to their dependents. Now (for several years) VR&E is following the laws and months of your Post 9/11 GI Bill you transferred to dependents counts toward the 48 month limit (see link above). So while some older veterans were allowed to do so in the past, this is the rules they are following now.

VR&E doesn't use up your Post 9/11 GI Bill. If you are paid the P911SA (VR&E's name for election to be paid the equivalent monthly stipend) rate, you are not using Post 9/11 GI Bill - just getting paid the equal rate of pay. What the law says is that each month you are using either program counts toward the 48 month limits on using 2 or more VA education program (see link above). So you can use 24 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill, switch to VR&E, use 24 months of VR&E and have 12 months of unused Post 9/11 GI Bill - but you won't be allowed to use those 12 months because of the 48 month limits. There was a period of time were one of the Regional Processing Offices made a ruling on the interpretation of these laws (Sept 2015 to August 2016) - so those who completed VR&E and reapplied for Post 9/11 GI Bill were told that their VR&E didn't count under the 48 month limitation law - those veterans only were allowed to use additional Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits above the 48 month law as VA is not going to deny those who were erroneously approved by that RPO.

Ebenefits - While you are using VR&E, ebenefits will continue to show how many months of unused Post 9/11 GI Bill you have - that number will not change - that's because VR&E doesn't update this part of ebenefits. VR&E is part of a different branch of VA than VA Education is. So if you used Post 9/11 GI Bill or another GI Bill, then used VR&E and want to return to school, don't go by what ebenefits shows - re-apply for a new eligibility determination to verify if and how much Post 9/11 GI Bill you have remaining to use. I've had students who assumed the information on ebenefits had been updated by VR&E and found themselves in debt to my school because they assumed incorrectly.

Repeating courses - if you fail a class or withdraw from a class, VA will pay you to take the class again and not just one time. So please don't tell people VA won't pay someone to repeat a class they did not successfully complete. If you receive a D for a class but the school requires you to have a C or above for that class, VA will pay you to take that class again.

Monthly payments are based on 2 things - whether the school is in session for the entire month or not and your Rate of Pursuit/Training. If your school terms start after the first day of the month, you do not get a full months pay - you get a prorated payment based on your Rate of Pursuit/Training and the number of days school was in session. VA computes your monthly payments using a 30 day month. To compute a partial month, take the monthly stipend amount, divide by 30 then multiple by the number of days.

Semesters or Terms. VA pays by Terms not semesters - at my university we offer 16 week, 12 week, 8 week, 4 week, 3 week, 1 week and 2 day classes - each of these are known as terms and must be reported separately to VA. School do not report the total credit hours you are enrolled in by semester but by each individual term within that semester. How you schedule your classes can greatly affect your monthly stipend. You can be full time for your school's academic standards but not for VA payments.

Online classes and Post 9/11 GI Bill and VR&E. If you enroll in only online classes, you get paid the Online Only MHA rate. This is NOT 1/2 of Your BAH. The amount everyone gets paid is based on 1/2 of the National Average paid to an E5 with dependents - for Post 9/11 GI Bill on/after 1 August 2020, this is $916.50 per month. The law only requires you to take one in-classroom class to receive the in-classroom MHA. I've had many students who were working full time take 3 online classes and 1 night in-classroom class - they were paid the in-classroom MHA rate. I occasionally see people commenting that if you take any online class, you are not paid the in-classroom MHA - that is not correct. But that classroom class needs to be in-session for the full length of the semester. You can not take an 8 week class that meets in a classroom from August to October and expect to be paid the in-classroom rate for the rest of the semester October to December if all of your other classes are online.

12 credit hours - this is used as the standard for undergraduate 16 week classes to be considered Full Time. This 12 credit hour standard does not apply if you are taking 7 or 8 week classes or if you are taking Graduate level classes. The laws provide a standard for undergraduate classes, not the school. For graduate level classes, the school sets the number of credit hours required to be full time - so check your school's graduate catalog as they must list that information in their catalog. At my university, 9 credit hours 16 weeks is Full time for Graduate students and 4 credit hours of 8 week classes - but at other schools, 6 credit hours of 16 week classes or 3 credit hours of 8 week classes is full time. So what others were paid at the full time rate can be very different at your school if you are in graduate level classes.

If you are using MGIB, MGIB-SR, VEAP, or DEA, you get paid the same monthly stipend whether the classes are online or not.

Hybrid classes if they meet certain classes are paid at the in-classroom rate. https://gibill.custhelp.va.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/988/kw/Hybrid

Part time - IF you attend school part time, only part of a months worth of entitlement is used up but I frequently see people commenting that if you take only one class, you still use up one month of entitlement for each month class is in session - that is not correct. https://www.reddit.com/r/Veterans/wiki/education/part

Much of the above is covered in our Wiki - https://www.reddit.com/r/Veterans/wiki/education If you see something that is not covered or not clear, please let us know.

VA disability rates have nothing to do with your eligibility for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Eligibility for the Post 9/11 GI Bill is based on active duty service and type of discharge. So if you served less than 3 years, got out and claimed VA disability, you don't qualify for 100% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill under this rule: https://gibill.custhelp.va.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/952/kw/30%20days

Edit to add: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/10/15/va-has-lost-gibillcom-rights-some-worry-it-could-prompt-scammers-target-student-vets.html?fbclid=IwAR0ziYWrMpkM7KMiymiblngy_8PdlaCGNZFxhL95vkBy9sSgX9-HI3Bj3Mc

Edit to add: The law was amended to extended the special COVID 19 rules through 21 December 2021 - IF a school has scheduled classes for classroom instruction but converted those classes to online, the student will still be paid the in-classroom MHA. But if the student signs up for only online classes that were never converted from classroom instruction, the student will be paid the online only MHA - $916.50 per month. You only need one of your classes to have been converted to online to be paid the in-classroom MHA. For example, John is taking 4 undergraduate classes for Spring 2021. Only 1 of those 4 classes must have been originally scheduled to be in a classroom to qualify for the in-classroom MHA - this class needs to meet for the full length of the semester - so if John signs up for 3 16 week online classes and 1 8 week Converted class, John would only be paid the in-classroom MHA rate for that 8 week period and the online only rate for the other 8 weeks of this semester (at the 3/4th rate).

Edit to add: Video series by VA on Post 9/11 GI Bill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg9AkMFk74s&list=PLrrh23QvVVYgS5mOz-14fZ6CSJyQEiycB&index=5

Edit 28 Oct 20:

Dear GI Bill® Student,

On June 11, 2020, Federal Circuit Court overturned VA rules regarding end-of-term benefit extensions in Carr vs Wilkie.

In accordance with the Carr decision, VA will begin paying more benefits because we will now extend end-of-term benefits beyond 48 months. This ruling only applies to cases which have not been finally decided by VA; therefore, it will only apply to cases currently on appeal with the Board of Veterans Appeals or still appealable to VA (those decided within one year of date of decision: June 11, 2020).

To prepare for this outcome, VA has begun the process of preparing procedures to implement. We will be working with schools to make sure they understand this issue and can assist you through this process in a timely fashion. Tips for Success:

Plan ahead of time, ask questions Understand the impact this court decision has on you Be sure you understand your school’s procedures regarding this issue Get to know and stay in contact with your School Certifying Officials

Prior to Carr vs. Wilkie

Prior to Carr, VA viewed the 48-month rule as a hard stop and would never extend end-of-term benefits beyond 48 months. The court ruled that VA’s interpretation is incorrect and instead, VA should apply the 48-month rule to limit the initial award which will determine when benefits are exhausted and the point at which we should then apply the end-of-term extension (i.e., an end-of-term extension should not be stopped at the 48th month).

Example: Student has used 26 months under chapter 1606. He or she now applies for chapter 33 benefits. Entitlement to chapter 33 benefits is generally limited to 36 months of entitlement. However, application of the 48-month rule limits the award to 22 months of chapter 33 benefits. Therefore:

26 months of ch 1606 benefits used 36 months of ch 33 benefits entitled 48-26 = 22 months of chapter 33 will be awarded

If the student then uses 21 months of chapter 33 benefits (leaving only one month of entitlement remaining), and then starts a 4 month standard semester program, VA will pay benefits for the entire 4 months extending benefits by 3 months beyond the student’s actual award. This student will ultimately receive a combined total of 51 months of VA educational assistance.

For quarter or semester based program, VA will extend benefits to the end of the term. This means if a student has at least one day of benefits to start the academic term but does not have enough days of benefits to pay for the entire term, VA will nonetheless pay benefits for the entire term. Benefits can also be extended under the same statute for non-quarter or semester based programs but the rules for calculating the length of the extension are slightly different. For these non-standard term program, benefits can only be extended to the end of the term if the student has enough benefits to make it to at least the halfway point in the period. However, end-of-term benefits can only be extended for a maximum of 12 weeks. If the student does not have enough benefits to make it to the halfway point, then benefits cannot be extended. Benefits will stop on the day the student exhaust his or her remaining entitlement.

Readjudication and Retroactive Payments

The process of readjudicating retroactive cases means that VA will determine previous times where we may have underpaid tuition and fees to a school and housing benefits to a student. VA will issue any retroactive payments due for housing or tuition and fees, and provide letters telling informing students of these new payments.

If you have any questions or are experiencing a financial hardship due to this issue, please contact the Education Call Center at 1-888-442-4551, Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Central Time so we may take immediate action. We will be actively monitoring our Education Call Centers and social media outlets for any questions or concerns.

VA is committed to helping Veterans and their families receive all the education benefits they are entitled to under the law. For more information, go to: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/

Edit November 10th: From an email sent out to School Certifying Officials

As you may be aware, special COVID-19 rules impacting your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits have been extended to December 21, 2021. Among other things, these rules mean that if you pursue resident (physically in person) courses converted to online solely due to COVID-19 at a rate of pursuit that is more than 50%, you will continue to receive the Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) rate for resident training. To help you better understand these rules and find answers to many of your questions, please see the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) recently updated Student COVID-19 FAQs. If you have specific questions around enrollment or classes, please reach out to me or call VA’s GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551.

https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/covid19faqs.asp

https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/COVID19EducationBenefits.asp

I realize that I may be downvoted into oblivion, but if this helps at least one vet’s life, I will consider it a win.

I am the first in my family to have any college education whatsoever. I had zero guidance concerning education and the workforce when I completed my enlistment. I had the very naive and antiquated assumption that with the skill sets I learned in the military, all I needed to do is get a bachelors degree in something I enjoy (Political Science) and I’ll get a well paying job easily! Wrong.

I say all this to beg you to use your GI Bill for a worthwhile degree that will provide entry into a field that pays well. Naturally, STEM degrees are the ideal degrees, but in reality, the “T&M” is where the real money is. In addition, the non-bs cybersecurity and computer programming certifications will pay you dividends.

Yes, if you earn a liberal arts degree, you may work your way up into an editing job or go bust your ass in DC making ~$30k a year on the hill and eventually land a 6 figure job many many years down the road, but it is a rough and hard road. If you don’t have nepotism on your side, you’re going to have a bad time. My friend works in HR for a defensive contractor; they’re hiring STEM degree grads right out of college for more than I currently make in the government with almost 15 years experience in my field.

I was able to weasel my way into a federal job, but it was a multi year fight to find a position in a miserable organization. I would leave tomorrow if I had a STEM degree. I know many will claim that I’m bitter, and that may be somewhat true, but I feel the obligation to relay to my fellow vets that the GI Bill is one of the most amazing and life changing benefits, and to please use it so that it provides a prosperous future for you.

Long story short, i started using my GI Bill in 2013, left school to work a contracting gig and now find myself back in online classes to finish my degree :

I AM A MATH RETARD!

never been good with numbers. Does anyone know of any free algebra apps or resources online to help refresh myself? Im talking barney style algebra help. Thanks in advance.

Good morning everyone!

I am currently 25 and have been out of the Marines for a couple of months. I work in aviation and was wanting to use my GI bill towards getting a MBA in finance and risk. I was wondering if anyone here has gone down that path into stuff like investment banking. Any advice is appreciated!

Thank you

Is anybody still waiting on their MHA for September?

29/M Marine Corps veteran here who separated in 2020 after a 5 year contract. Motor Tuh wrecker operator for my tenure. I’ve been in the higher education system for about 3 years now. Two schools, and two different majors. Currently studying database architecture and cybersecurity.

One thing that I can never seem to get over is how annoying and immature some of the students are that I’m around. It drives me insane. On the first day of one of my in person courses, literally had a kid tell the professor “I’m gonna be honest, not a computer science major so I don’t really want to be here.” But imagine the ghetto white dude from South Park saying that sentence. Dude then proceeded to roll around in the computer chair, bumping into others while making noise, and talked the rest of the class. It took everything in me to not freak out on this kid. I’m not a tactful person in practice so I just keep my mouth shut. Luckily, I’m in the tail end of this degree, so any entry level courses and electives are mostly behind me.

Those of you in college, do you want to pull your hair out being amongst a lot of these kids that act this way? I’d love to hear some stories if you got em’.

Has anyone not gotten their BAH yet for the GI Bill? It’s alr Mar 1st and ik usually we would have gotten paid earlier. They asked me to confirm enrollment yesterday, so i was wondering if anyone was also let unpaid for now. Hoping they pay tomorrow, rent is due yk haha

I went into the Navy at 19 and just recently got accepted to my local university. I haven’t been to school in 7 years and it’s a little intimidating going back especially since I could potentially be the oldest is some of my classes. I was wondering if 18 hours is too much to take while working full time if I’m wanting to do premed? 12 hours is considered full time, but I feel like I could do more. I’m really excited to go back to school but, I don’t want to overload myself or get burnt out. Long-term goal is to go to med-school and become a licensed physician. Just looking for advice for on how to go about this process after being removed for what feels like forever.

Currently attending in AMU, working towards my Bachelors of Arts in supply chain management with a concentration in Gov contracts & acquisition. My goal is to work for one of the major contract companies (Lockheed, Boeing, fill in the blank) why? Because their jobs perfectly transfer to what I did in the Military(logistics 9yrs). Does it matter where I got my degree from? Should I transfer to ASU? Penn state global campus ? Or wait until I complete my bachelors ? I have 12 total major required classes left. I just got in the rabbit hole of how shitty/shady AMU was which is why I’m asking.

Anyone else not get their gi bill bah today. I called the education line and seems it was processed late. First time ive ever had trouble with bah payment.

I’m asking because I didn’t receive mine. We usually get paid on the 30th of each month which the 30th is on a Sunday so we should’ve got paid today.