Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester Forum

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afa_brandon

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Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester

Post by afa_brandon » Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:59 pm

Hi all, I couldn't find an answer to this in my search, so here-goes:

If you're on the GI Bill for law school, how many months of benefits are exhausted by one fall and one winter semester? How many net? When do your semesters start/finish?

I ask because I'm planning on law school after service, but I want to get a masters in the mean time, so I'm trying to budget the benefits tightly.

Oh, and does anyone know what happens under the new rules when you hit an annual cap? Like, if Spring of 1L costs >17.5k, do you still get BAH fall semester and just not get any tuition help?


Thanks!

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fatduck

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Re: Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester

Post by fatduck » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:22 pm

A semester at full-time enrollment counts as 4.5 months. If you enroll part-time, you use up months on a prorated basis. Not sure what the exact calculation is, there.

The annual cap (i.e., $17.5k for private schools) is for tuition/fees payments. You still get your full BAH/books stipend on top of that.

afa_brandon

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Re: Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester

Post by afa_brandon » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:34 pm

fatduck wrote:A semester at full-time enrollment counts as 4.5 months. If you enroll part-time, you use up months on a prorated basis. Not sure what the exact calculation is, there.

The annual cap (i.e., $17.5k for private schools) is for tuition/fees payments. You still get your full BAH/books stipend on top of that.
Ok, thanks for the reply. So your semester runs early August to mid Dec, then mid Jan to late May?

And I figured re: the cap, but when you HIT that cap in a spring semester ,can you still draw BAH next semester ,even though you're no longer eligible for tuition payments?

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fatduck

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Re: Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester

Post by fatduck » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:39 pm

afa_brandon wrote:
fatduck wrote:A semester at full-time enrollment counts as 4.5 months. If you enroll part-time, you use up months on a prorated basis. Not sure what the exact calculation is, there.

The annual cap (i.e., $17.5k for private schools) is for tuition/fees payments. You still get your full BAH/books stipend on top of that.
Ok, thanks for the reply. So your semester runs early August to mid Dec, then mid Jan to late May?

And I figured re: the cap, but when you HIT that cap in a spring semester ,can you still draw BAH next semester ,even though you're no longer eligible for tuition payments?
I'm confused. Assuming your tuition/fees costs >$17500 a year, the VA will pay your school $8,750 a semester for tuition/fees, and will pay you BAH during the time you're in school (not sure if they have some global start/stop date or if it depends on your school's calendar, now that they're ending break pay). They'll also pay you a book stipend of...$42/credit up to $1000/yr, I think? Something like that.

Unless you're talking about when you run out of "months" of eligibility. In that case no, once you run out you can't get any more $ for tuition or BAH, as far as I know.

afa_brandon

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Re: Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester

Post by afa_brandon » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:45 pm

Sorry, my phrasing was a bit unclear, so hypothetical:

Spring semester of 1L year, tuition at school X is $17.5k (for an annual tuition of $35k). This hits the $17.5k cap, and provides BAH for the 4.5 months of the semester.

Fall semester rolls around. Since, presumably, the cap is on a CY and not an academic year basis, you now have $0 left of tuition benefit until January. So, can you still use the bill for BAH? Or am I fundamentally misunderstanding the new cap and how it applies?

Are you saying that they apply the cap at 8.75k a semester, and thus 17.5k a year? Or is it one cap of $17.5k?

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fatduck

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Re: Post 9/11 GI Bill "months of benefits" per semester

Post by fatduck » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:52 pm

afa_brandon wrote:Sorry, my phrasing was a bit unclear, so hypothetical:

Spring semester of 1L year, tuition at school X is $17.5k (for an annual tuition of $35k). This hits the $17.5k cap, and provides BAH for the 4.5 months of the semester.

Fall semester rolls around. Since, presumably, the cap is on a CY and not an academic year basis, you now have $0 left of tuition benefit until January. So, can you still use the bill for BAH? Or am I fundamentally misunderstanding the new cap and how it applies?

Are you saying that they apply the cap at 8.75k a semester, and thus 17.5k a year? Or is it one cap of $17.5k?
I may have got the numbers wrong, because I haven't read up much on the new changes, but you would never get into that sort of situation. The VA will calculate your benefits for an academic year, and pay the school (for tuition/fees) and you (for BAH/book stipend) appropriately. Whatever the annual cap is, it will be for an academic year, and it only applies to tuition/fees.

edit: use this to see what i mean http://www.newgibill.org/calculator

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