Veterans benefits for law school Forum

[traffic.lawyer]

The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning (degree granting institutions) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can contribute up to 50% of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.

[03121202698008]

The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning (degree granting institutions) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can contribute up to 50% of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.

Uh, no really? Are you just cut/pasting randomly from their site?

[oldhippie]

tag

[03121202698008]

After another vet and I started asking around, Michigan officially ruled this morning that our scholarships fall outside the language of the statute and will be applied AFTER the GI Bill and refunded as a stipend. (They are coded for tuition and fees, but are also coded that they may be refunded after all tuition is paid.) Initially they didn't even know they were coded to refund as it doesn't happen often. So long as the VA doesn't screw things up...we should be good to go.

If you all haven't already, I'd start talking to your financial aid deans/vet coordinators...

[nOO law]

After another vet and I started asking around, Michigan officially ruled this morning that our scholarships fall outside the language of the statute and will be applied AFTER the GI Bill and refunded as a stipend. (They are coded for tuition and fees, but are also coded that they may be refunded after all tuition is paid.) Initially they didn't even know they were coded to refund as it doesn't happen often. So long as the VA doesn't screw things up...we should be good to go.

If you all haven't already, I'd start talking to your financial aid deans/vet coordinators...

Thanks for the information. I might not have to worry about living off of the limited housing stipend!!

[unc0mm0n1]

That makes sense.

I was figuring that full ride + 100% Post 9/11 = $$$ but it makes sense that it would depend on how your school characterizes the scholly. It would be nice if all schools could pay out scholarships in a way that benefits the student.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah it would be nice to just get a boatload of money to go to law school but many law schools have noticed this loophole and are starting to close it. For instance, Harvard won't allow me to get any other type of grant aid if I accept the GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Are you sure about this? Schools are specifically not allowed to consider veteran aid when determining merit aid. Their contribution to the Yellow Ribbon may change this...but for just straight up GI Bill/Housing Allowance they can't consider.

Harvard doesn't award Merit aid. This is from Harvard student financial services:

Veterans who choose to receive the Yellow Ribbon benefit at Harvard Law School will waive their eligibility for need-based HLS aid. Harvard Law School will award a direct grant to the student to cover the 50% of the maximum amount of unmet tuition as determined by the VA’s Yellow Ribbon guidelines. This direct grant will be matched dollar for dollar by a Yellow Ribbon contribution from the VA. The combination of HLS direct grant and total VA benefits is expected to cover the full cost of tuition and fees, and will exceed the level of HLS need-based grant assistance available to single students who receive assistance only from Harvard Law School.


It just sucks a little because at Berkeley for instance I would have taken home an extra 20k to pay for expenses. But I can't complain I'm going to a great school for virtually free.

[unc0mm0n1]

Does anyone know if Yellow Ribbon programs affect the reserve/ARNG GI bill at all?

I'm not sure. Do you actually qualify for the GI Bill?

[Jeffro]

Does anyone know if Yellow Ribbon programs affect the reserve/ARNG GI bill at all?

I'm not sure. Do you actually qualify for the GI Bill?

Yellow Ribbon is only for those who qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill at the 100% level. If you don't meet those requirements or choose to utilize another VA educational benefit, you cannot use the Yellow Ribbon program.

[fatduck]

I have heard that there are restrictions on officers who commission through ROTC scholarship programs or Service Academies. Does anyone know what these are?

The only restriction is that you cannot count your service commitment for academy/ROTC scholarship for GI Bill eligibility. So, if you have a 5 year pay-back, you would have to serve 8 years post commission to be 100% eligible. (or 5 years + 90 days to be 10% eligible)

Considering Ch30/MGIB prohibited participation by academy grads (and I think ROTC Scholly), I don't see it as a "restriction" but an expansion. Makes sense to me that we don't get to double dip those service commitment years.

This is correct - academy and ROTC grads were prohibited from enrollment in the old GI bill, unless they had eligibility from prior service. A welcome change, in my view.

[Jeffro]

Hey fatduck, decide where you're going by any chance?

[fatduck]

Hey fatduck, decide where you're going by any chance?

looking like GWU for the time being, but i'm considering retake/reapply

[Jeffro]

Well good luck to you wherever you go/do, I was wondering if you had decided on WUSTL and would have said see you in the fall.

/derail

[03121202698008]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/05/m ... ms-050311/

Looks like Congress is already trying to screw with the GI Bill again.

[CoriOlivia]

...

[jonjung710]

sorry for the bump but this seems like the best place to ask...

If I enlist in the army after undergrad (not as an officer, but as a linguist), am i eligible for the loan repayment program? I plan on serving 3 years active and 5 years inactive. If i get the loan repayment program, am I not eligible for the post-911 gi bill to pay for law school afterwards? Will I have to serve more years to receive this gi bill or would I be eligible to receive both? thanks!

[mikeditkaisgod]

When I enlisted (after my undergrad), I had to choose between whether or not I wanted a loan repayment program or the GI Bill for future use. Luckily, my parents paid for the majority of my undergrad, so I didn't really have much money to pay back (like $14k or something). I easily paid that back on my E-3 salary and am now very happy that I paid the loans off myself so that I could use the post 9/11 bill for law school.

So basically, when I enlisted at least, you could only do one or the other, not both.

[jessedvhs]

sorry for the bump but this seems like the best place to ask...

If I enlist in the army after undergrad (not as an officer, but as a linguist), am i eligible for the loan repayment program? I plan on serving 3 years active and 5 years inactive. If i get the loan repayment program, am I not eligible for the post-911 gi bill to pay for law school afterwards? Will I have to serve more years to receive this gi bill or would I be eligible to receive both? thanks!

It was either/or for myself as well. I had minimal debt when I initially enlisted and decided to go MGIB.
You really can't beat the Post 9/11, regardless of how much Congress wants to chisel it or what schools have signed on the YRP. If you serve 36 months of active service you will be entitled to 100% benefits of it.

[fatduck]

sorry for the bump but this seems like the best place to ask...

If I enlist in the army after undergrad (not as an officer, but as a linguist), am i eligible for the loan repayment program? I plan on serving 3 years active and 5 years inactive. If i get the loan repayment program, am I not eligible for the post-911 gi bill to pay for law school afterwards? Will I have to serve more years to receive this gi bill or would I be eligible to receive both? thanks!

can you really get a 3 active contract as a linguist? when i was in AIT all the golfs had to do 6 years active (because of DLI, i thought).

edit: quoted wrong person

[jonjung710]

sorry for the bump but this seems like the best place to ask...

If I enlist in the army after undergrad (not as an officer, but as a linguist), am i eligible for the loan repayment program? I plan on serving 3 years active and 5 years inactive. If i get the loan repayment program, am I not eligible for the post-911 gi bill to pay for law school afterwards? Will I have to serve more years to receive this gi bill or would I be eligible to receive both? thanks!

can you really get a 3 active contract as a linguist? when i was in AIT all the golfs had to do 6 years active (because of DLI, i thought).

edit: quoted wrong person

i was told i could by the recruiter because i didn't need to take classes (i'm already fluent)...

[hewhoshallnotbenamed]

just a question for a newbie... if i serve 1 year enlisted before i apply for ocs, does that one year count towards the gi bill? i.e., will i only need to serve 2 more years as an officer to receive full benefits? or will i need to serve 3 years because the years have to be from the same contract?
p.s., I want to do one year of enlisted because my uncle advised me to see the difference between enlisted and officer.

[fatduck]

just a question for a newbie... if i serve 1 year enlisted before i apply for ocs, does that one year count towards the gi bill? i.e., will i only need to serve 2 more years as an officer to receive full benefits? or will i need to serve 3 years because the years have to be from the same contract?
p.s., I want to do one year of enlisted because my uncle advised me to see the difference between enlisted and officer.

no, service doesn't have to be from the same contract, and if you have >6 months served, the time doesn't have to be continuous, either.

just fyi, if you plan to enlist first and later go to OCS, you have to apply, attend a board, etc. it won't be guaranteed if you don't do the straight-through option and get it in your contract. it's not hard to get accepted to OCS if you have a college degree, but i wouldn't count on spending just a year enlisted.

[Jeffro]

just a question for a newbie... if i serve 1 year enlisted before i apply for ocs, does that one year count towards the gi bill? i.e., will i only need to serve 2 more years as an officer to receive full benefits? or will i need to serve 3 years because the years have to be from the same contract?
p.s., I want to do one year of enlisted because my uncle advised me to see the difference between enlisted and officer.

no, service doesn't have to be from the same contract, and if you have >6 months served, the time doesn't have to be continuous, either.

just fyi, if you plan to enlist first and later go to OCS, you have to apply, attend a board, etc. it won't be guaranteed if you don't do the straight-through option and get it in your contract. it's not hard to get accepted to OCS if you have a college degree, but i wouldn't count on spending just a year enlisted.

+1
Do yourself a favor and get it upfront and in writing in your enlistment contract if at all possible. Otherwise, BOHICA might be in your future.

[Jeffro]

sorry for the bump but this seems like the best place to ask...

If I enlist in the army after undergrad (not as an officer, but as a linguist), am i eligible for the loan repayment program? I plan on serving 3 years active and 5 years inactive. If i get the loan repayment program, am I not eligible for the post-911 gi bill to pay for law school afterwards? Will I have to serve more years to receive this gi bill or would I be eligible to receive both? thanks!

can you really get a 3 active contract as a linguist? when i was in AIT all the golfs had to do 6 years active (because of DLI, i thought).

edit: quoted wrong person

i was told i could by the recruiter because i didn't need to take classes (i'm already fluent)...

Recruiters need to meet quotas and they get to distance themselves because they don't actually draft the contracts, passing you off to the MEPS staff for that. Same advice as above, get it in writing in your enlistment contract whenever possible.

Can anyone tell I'm experienced in the Army screwing people over?

[Rotor]

Recruiters need to meet quotas and they get to distance themselves because they don't actually draft the contracts, passing you off to the MEPS staff for that. Same advice as above, get it in writing in your enlistment contract whenever possible.

Can anyone tell I'm experienced in the Army screwing people over?

Agree, with the exception noted in the quote.

[fatduck]

sorry for the bump but this seems like the best place to ask...

If I enlist in the army after undergrad (not as an officer, but as a linguist), am i eligible for the loan repayment program? I plan on serving 3 years active and 5 years inactive. If i get the loan repayment program, am I not eligible for the post-911 gi bill to pay for law school afterwards? Will I have to serve more years to receive this gi bill or would I be eligible to receive both? thanks!

can you really get a 3 active contract as a linguist? when i was in AIT all the golfs had to do 6 years active (because of DLI, i thought).

edit: quoted wrong person

i was told i could by the recruiter because i didn't need to take classes (i'm already fluent)...

okay, i guess that makes sense, but obviously double-check before you sign anything at MEPS. don't be afraid to walk away from MEPS if you don't get what you like. you can always come back.