About the GI Bill

If you're contemplating joining the military, and one of your main reasons for doing so is that you need money for college, I'd like to let you know a few things the military does not tell you about restrictions on the GI Bill money you may earn, how you may have to earn it, and, in addition, a little about tuition assistance for active duty military members and how this impacts the financing of your education if/when you're once again a civilian. The greatest impact is felt by those pursuing their first undergraduate degree.

The GI Bill

While attending college on the GI Bill:

-: You may not take any course which does not apply to your graduation requirements. This means you can't take that martial arts class you have your eye on. This is not true with traditional financial aid sources.
-: If you receive a grade other than A,B,C, or D for a course, you'll have to repay the VA for any overpayment. This includes grades of NC and W. You may not need to repay the VA if you have documentation of some unanticipated event that was entirely beyond your control. The VA takes this very literally. Traditional financial aid does not restrict students in this way.
-: You may not take a course over again. Once more, this is not true with traditional financial aid.
-: You may not take a course with the pass/fail option, unlike traditional financial aid.
-: You do not get your GI Bill money for the semester in advance. You mail in a form after each month you completed, receiving your check about two weeks later.
-: You will need to fill out additional paperwork each semester at your college veterans services office (if they have one) which verifies the courses you're taking and the number of credits you need for graduation. You may also be required to get faculty signatures verifying attendance during the semester.
-: Your GI Bill benefits will disqualify you from receiving certain types of state grants, in spite of the fact that the GI Bill is a benefit you earned independently. This means that your civilian student counterparts may be getting as much grant money as you get from the GI Bill.
-: You may not have a double major.
-: You need approval from the VA to change majors, and there is a hard limit on changes of major.
-: There is a deadline! You'll only have a certain amount of time to use your benefits. If you wait too long, you lose everything, including your contribution.

When those slick recruiting ads tell you how much you can earn for college, be advised that you must contribute money to earn it. This varies by military branch. If you have a family when you enlist, you're in for some financial hardship. The most galling thing about the GI Bill is that it is a benefit one supposedly earns for serving one's country, then they (lawmakers, VA) slap just about every restriction imaginable on it. This, by the way, should be a good indication of just what they think of you, potential enlistee.

I signed up for the Air Force Montgomery GI Bill, Chapter 30, paid in $1200 and got about $11,000 for college. I had ten years to use it before losing it and my $1200 contribution (I did use it). It sounded like a good deal at the time...

Verify everything your recruiter tells you. If it isn't in writing it isn't true!

Tuition Assistance

When you're on active duty, tuition assistance may be available. The military will pay perhaps 75% of your tuition for courses you take. Many bases have odd schedules and run exercises frequently. You may find that you never have time to take any courses. Additionally, you need approval of a supervisor to take any course with tuition assistance, even if the course is not during your duty hours. Your supervisor may give you a hard time about it. Your supervisor might even say, "no." Luck obviously plays a major role in your ability to use tuition assistance. Your career field, location, and supervisor are all factors which will determine how much civilian education you get while in the military.

If you get lucky and end up with a bunch of college credits when you separate from the military, there's another stumbling block waiting for you. You may find that your GI Bill benefits don't nearly cover all of your education expenses, and that you need additional financial aid. You may also want to change majors or add a major. There is a limit to the number of college credits you may have acquired and still be eligible for federal financial aid (student loans and the Pell Grant). All credits you have ever earned are used in computing where you stand relative to this limit, whether or not they were obtained with financial aid. You may find yourself short of funds in your senior year because you were so prolific.

That's all I have to say about that.

Feedback

I've received some responses to this page:

On a side note to your GI Bill stuff.
I am active duty and attending college
through a great deal in the [military branch withheld]
called [program name withheld].
I am using the GI bill and am finding out
some things you may want to ad to your little
"Slam" on the GI bill. I attend [name of school
withheld]. This is a non-traditional instituition
which lets students do one course at a time, during
a one months period, at night...acellerated (sic?). So, I fill
out my monthly benfit paper to get my benefit...right? Well, my tuition
is almost $800 per month...provided my class is taught off
base.....so I should definitely get my maximum monthly benefit
of $439...right? Wrong. Even though this is considered by all accounts
full time college attendance and my tuition is what is it.....
the V/A, in it's infinite wisdom cuts my $439 into 30 little
parts...as in 30 days in the month...and if my school only
goes from say 3 September to 27 September....they give me....
NO SHIT.......24 FxxKing days of benefit!

Nice HUH?

:)

I just got out of the Marine Corps. I'm glad you put this web site on the net. It's hard to explain to people that all the hype about the military paying for school is untrue. I feel better knowing that there is one place people can look for a more realistic picture of what's really going to happen.

Hey...was reading your page on the GI Bill and TA and wanted to make a comment. Sure, recruiters play up the benefits of the GI Bill, none-the-less, the return on $100 a month for a year is significant. I just got out of the Air Force after 9 years and walked away with a Bachelor of Science degree with the University of Maryland and will get my MBA with my GI Bill. All in all, both degrees will cost me less than $5000! That's hard to beat. Also, during my last year in the AF, supervisors no longer had to sign the TA form. One last thing, if you chose the right career field in the Armed Forces, your OJT education alone may be worth a fortune on the outside. A friend of mine was a system administrator and got out with offers in the high 40K range. Enjoyed reading your page. I agree, it's important for people to be informed beyond the VA pamphlet and the recruiter's pitch... (by-the-way, most civilian financial aid programs require students to maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 and require a declared major or degree plan).

I was wondering if I could get you to put a note on your web page letting people know that in 1999 the new house /senate is going to be voteing on a bill allowing veterans a couple different ways to collect there gi bill payments allowing schools that are based on a pass fail to be approved and be benificial like microsoft certification schools. this bill will allow people to take the course at a training facility wich might cost 8000 dollars and actually cover a lump sum if not all of it. unlike currently where some schools might be approved but on avarage a person would only be able to make 800 dollars on the 6 month course. if anyone has any questions they can contactme at [email protected] please feel free to post my email address. thanks chris richards

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