Veterans benefits for law school

[joshuaD]

Our veterans deserve what they have now which are honor and respect, they gave their life for us so it's our responsibility to treat them well. Part of treating them well is giving them great medical benefits. But it seems that the government is too cold to give those. U.S. veteran medical care is a labyrinth of ineffectiveness. As reported by a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the meds aren't working as advertised. Especially, probably the most commonly prescribed post-traumatic stress disorder narcotics are evidently no better than placebos at treating the signs. The proof is here: Antipsychotics fail to alleviate PTSD symptoms in veterans.

[jessedvhs]

Our veterans deserve what they have now which are honor and respect, they gave their life for us so it's our responsibility to treat them well. Part of treating them well is giving them great medical benefits. But it seems that the government is too cold to give those. U.S. veteran medical care is a labyrinth of ineffectiveness. As reported by a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the meds aren't working as advertised. Especially, probably the most commonly prescribed post-traumatic stress disorder narcotics are evidently no better than placebos at treating the signs. The proof is here: Antipsychotics fail to alleviate PTSD symptoms in veterans.

This last post should probably be a different thread:
As a veteran of OIF with a service connected disability who did not retire at 20 years, I have five years of free med coverage through the VA, regardless if I am unemployed or not. That benefit applies to all veterans of OIF/OEF, regardless if they claim a disability. It's saved my butt in between jobs and I plan to utilize it through LS. So I can't really complain that it's ineffective as my VA medical benefits are taking care of me. With veterans currently discharging, the same should apply to them with the majority doing at least one deployment.

The issue of PTSD has been a dynamic and ever developing issue since it was called "shell shock" in WWII. Additionally, we are just starting to learn the severities of TBI. Until last year it took a lot to even claim PTSD as a qualified disability. The use and effectiveness of anti-psych medications like Risperdal, Seroquel, and Abilify have been in debate forever and are not just prescribed to veterans in VA clinics alone. I like TYT but they can be kind of one sided. It's not just a veteran issue.

[rckybbby]

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.

be a real stud and become a warrant

[EMZE]

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.

I don't know a definite answer to your first question, but I do think that it would count. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. But I think you owe at least 3 years after OCS. Could be wrong on that, as I commissioned a different route

As far as your P.S. comment, that is not neccessarily sound advice. It really depends what you want to do in the military. If you want to do a combat arms MOS, then that would probably work, but it really isn't necessary at all. The learning curve for skills that will benefit you as an officer is much steeper once you reach NCO (SGT) level, but a year in the military as a machine gunner isn't going to really help you that much as an officer. If you are joining a soft MOS, being a supply clerk or an wheeled vehicle mechanic isn't really gonna have much cross over at all because the officer type skills you wouldn't pick up til you were an even more senior NCO. Also, joining as an enlisted, your first year is mostly going to be basic and AIT, so by the time you get through year 1, you won't have much line time. And, at that point you wwill need to go through the rigmorole of submitting an OCS packet. Your unit is going to look at you like you are crazy requesting to leave for OCS with just a few months one the line under your belt.

My advice is join with an OCS contract, be a junior officer, and enjoy that. As an Infantry officer, I had an AMAZING time as a platoon leader, and did just fine without the enlisted experience. Just make sure to keep an open mind and learn from your NCO's.

[Shoot3ball]

Hey guys, I've been studying for the LSAT and have questions that hopefully some of you can answer.

I currently have just over 23 month of eligibility left of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits (at the 100% level) and understand that the VA will no longer cover gaps (such as between winter finals and the beginning of spring semesters), so how many months of eligibility is required to cover one academic year of law school?

Thanks guys.....

[jcsimon]

I used up my post 911 GI Bill attending (and graduating) from undergrad after 4 years active duty. I have been accepted and will be attending IU Indy law school in the Fall of 2012. My scenario is as follows: my wife makes just enough money to make federal loans unavailable, my GI Bill money is gone, and I do not want to take loans at 9% interest rate. What is a vet to do???
If anyone has any thoughts on where I can go to get some aid, I would really appreciate it. A scholarship is not likely from the law school btw. Thanks for any insights.

[03121202698008]

I used up my post 911 GI Bill attending (and graduating) from undergrad after 4 years active duty. I have been accepted and will be attending IU Indy law school in the Fall of 2012. My scenario is as follows: my wife makes just enough money to make federal loans unavailable, my GI Bill money is gone, and I do not want to take loans at 9% interest rate. What is a vet to do???
If anyone has any thoughts on where I can go to get some aid, I would really appreciate it. A scholarship is not likely from the law school btw. Thanks for any insights.

There are virtually no scholarships available for grad programs let alone law school. If you Post 9/11 is gone, you're looking at student loans like virtually every other non-vet student.

[Jeffro]

I used up my post 911 GI Bill attending (and graduating) from undergrad after 4 years active duty. I have been accepted and will be attending IU Indy law school in the Fall of 2012. My scenario is as follows: my wife makes just enough money to make federal loans unavailable, my GI Bill money is gone, and I do not want to take loans at 9% interest rate. What is a vet to do???
If anyone has any thoughts on where I can go to get some aid, I would really appreciate it. A scholarship is not likely from the law school btw. Thanks for any insights.

There are virtually no scholarships available for grad programs let alone law school. If you Post 9/11 is gone, you're looking at student loans like virtually every other non-vet student.

There is the possibility, if you qualify, of using VR&E (Chapter 31) even though you have exhausted your Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) benefits. I've been behind on staying up on the way each program works together, but I'm currently using VR&E towards law school and have been told that it will not impact my remaining eligibility on my Post 9/11. Hopefully the inverse is also true and you could tap into enough VR&E eligibility to cover all of law school. It pays everything - tuition, cost of living (ordinarily payable at the Post 9/11 rate if you're 100% qualified, but you may be out of luck there if you have already exhausted your Post 9/11 eligibility), any book you can reasonably make a case for needing, laptop, printer, etc. - and you can stack merit scholarships on top of it and pocket the refund, so I recommend it strongly.

Ultimately all of this is also dependent upon establishing eligibility for VR&E benefits - service-connected disability and an employment handicap - so take it with a grain of salt. I would look into it though, check out the VA's website and look at my OP for some other info.

[ahnhub]

Are you not supposed to declare income from GI Bill benefits on the Need Access form? I can't find anyplace to put it--one place explicitly tells you not to put GI Bill educational benefits in that slot.

[mattviphky]

I just wanted to address the MGIB for people who are guard/reserves that: A) have not deployed B) do not qualify for 100% post 9/11, and decided to stick with MGIB.

If you qualify for the Post 9/11 you get a whole bunch of money from the BAH and what not, and unfortunately, you get far less with the MGIB. The stipend you receive is about $700 per month, and you can use this after you get out of the Guard. Other than that, many benefits vary from state-to-state, and institution-to-institution.

You can look up what you will get state-to-state, but in Illinois, guardsmen receive a pretty good deal. While you are in the Guard, you receive a tuition waiver for any state school. I did this for undergrad, but I know someone who joined just so he could have his law school paid for. While going to UIUC, he was able to go for free due to the waiver, he received his $700 a month from MGIB (36 months enrolled), and he got his $200 drill paycheck. Also there was a 15k signing bonus at the time. I think it really paid off for him, but I know some states are quite less giving. There is also the Illinois veterans grant, which a vet (regardless of active/guard/reserves) who served at least 30 days in combat zone, can receive free tuition for up to 4 years. Unlike the tuition wiaver, you do not have to be actively serving in the guard to take advantage of it. I used my MGIB and waiver on undergrad, and I get out of the guard this summer. I've been considering extending for a year and try to go overseas so that I can qualify for the IVG (if I get into UIUC) so that law school can be paid for. I think if someone is considering taking a year off, and their state offers this level of support, they should join the guard and take advantage of this opportunity. Plus they offer 20k in student loan repayment. HOWEVER, check with your state at goang.com, as these benefits vary. For example, Alabama only offers $500 per semester. If you live in a state that makes it rain, consider it a viable option.

[tyler.durden]

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[honolulu_hopeful]

Are you not supposed to declare income from GI Bill benefits on the Need Access form? I can't find anyplace to put it--one place explicitly tells you not to put GI Bill educational benefits in that slot.

GI Bill benefits are not income. Like while in the military only "pay" is taxable and reportable as income. GIB benefits are "allowances"