I'm doing an externship (for credit) during the summer to keep the BAH flowing. My net cost for a summer's worth of BAH is going to be @ $875 in tuition, plus I will have a 5 credit lead on my gradation totals. I plan to extern with a judge or the USAO next Spring and take a reduced class load to free up the time.

lol, nice shirt/avatar

Since you will be getting credit in the summmer and paying tuition, will this count as three/four months used towards your total? I'm going to be cutting it pretty close because I used my GI Bill for the last two quarters of undergrad, but what you're doing sounds like a really good way to keep aid flowing (plus get some good experience in).

"The interval pay is the same rate as you were receiving prior to the break... with the new GI Bill that is easy because there is no prorated living allowance for part time students. If you are break will be longer then 8 weeks you will need to take some classes to still qualify. And your school decided what is considered part-time/full-time.

So if your school says that full time is 7 credits over the summer, 4 credits will get you the full GI Bill living allowance."

hey vets,
I am getting no where asking about this at UCLA. I've tried the VA rep and the school's health and wellness center and the insurance company that runs the school's health care plan. I think I am the first one at the school to ask this question so I may have to look elsewhere for an answer. Is there anyone here (or that you know about) that is able to get the VA to pay for a family plan?

The health insurance at UCLA is mandatory for me. If it is just one bill item then I am pretty certain the VA will pay it. Like if i just have to pick plan A, B or C, then I gather that the VA will let me pick whatever one I want. But I don't know if there are separate bills for self and family.

Thanks

I'm still on active duty but start terminal leave on July 23rd, starting at Columbia August 16th. I received my separation orders about a week ago and have PSD working on an interim DD-214 which isn't complete yet and could be a while. I've spent 4 years active all post 9/11 so I should be 100% eligible.

Should I apply for Ch 33 benifits via VONAPP now or wait for the DD-214?

When is your separation date? As long as you are considered active duty (which you are on terminal leave), you don't qualify for the BAH part of Ch 33. Talk to the Columbia VA rep, but I bet that the best deal for you would be to wait until after your separation date, apply for benefits, and then try to get it for the current term.

Definitely something to discuss with your VA rep and the VA itself.

Seperation date is October 20th. Considering I will still be getting BAH + base base until that date I'm not worried about getting only the tuition payments from Ch 33.

Will they even accept my VONAPP without at DD-214?

They will, since Active Duty are allowed to use Chapter 33 with some restrictions. You may just have to refill out the form once you want to switch to using it after separation.

Nope. I was a 30 Sep 09 separation and didn't need to do anything but fax in the DD-214 once I got it. GI Bill BAH kicked in on time as advertised (and color me amazed). [note: past performance does not guarantee furture results-- especially in a different region]

Just fill in the VONAPP now. That will give the VA as much time as they can get to send your LOE (which you'll need to get to CLS before they certify you). The sooner all that gets done the better.

+1. There is an option to say if you are on terminal leave. After submitting a question to the VA reps, I filled it out as if I was off active duty and put the correct date of separation in it, then noted it in the remarks. They give you a generic LOE anyhow that can be used for any program. (I am using mine for a Dale Carnegie class this summer....which the reps said wasn't a problem.)

Yeah. I was trying to remember how it worked from 4 years ago when I did it. Glad you guys are on here to correct my bad info .

No sweat....Post 9/11 may be different than MGIB too. Last year we were dealing with the unknown of the new program and major systemic delays.

I appreciate all the input. It's in the VA's hands now. Hopefully all the lessons learned from you all last year will make this fairly painless.

Apply now. I did I when I still had 4 months left in. All that matters is you have 36 months or more of qualifying time by the time you apply for the eligibility letter.

Senator Akaka of HI proposed some changes to improve the GI Bill. The one that may be of interest here is greater access to benefits for disabled vets, National Guard, reservists and Coast Guard.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin ... 010_record

Also, the new $$$ numbers have come out for 2010 - 2011 yellow ribbon scholarships. Some schools have increased the amount significantly. Cornell, for example, will fully cover tuition for all eligible GIs. GULC increase its share of funding to $5,000 per student. UCLA will fully fund 10 students. Penn is giving the same $10K to 7 students.
http://www.gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/c ... t_2010.htm

edit. I called Northwestern and let them know they weren't on the list. They said the correction should be there by Monday. I guess the VA posted the list prematurely.

The EXACT reason I will be at Cornell. (That and my wife finding a job there).

WHAt?! I'm completely set on Vandy, but this may be a kink...

edit: I just noticed Michigan has a $99,000 limit as well.

Michigan's old limit was still over what tuition would be. Yellow Ribbon scholarships are automatic there, after turning in my COE I was told they would apply the scholarship as soon as my tuition charged. Michelle, their veteran coordinator, is really great.

I don't think it's the final numbers for all schools. Boalt submitted their package to add YRP back before the deadline and it hasn't processed yet. (Though I have to admit, the longer the $ doesn't show up on that table, the more nervous I get...)

Link dump with valuable information. ENJOY!

http://iava.communityofveterans.org/vid ... deo:133447

http://iava.communityofveterans.org/vid ... deo:131923

http://www.oif2law.blogspot.com/

The money below refers to the Yellow Ribbon program, not the GI Bill which is separate. T14+1 updated for this new cycle. Feel free to add comments. If there is good feedback I'll post a whole new tread to follow this.

Yale $5000 Per student, not sure how many students including undergrads etc.
Harvard Law $20,000 x 20 students. Based on what I’ve read they only have a handful of ex-mil students.
Stanford $3,000 unlimited number of students
Columbia $3,000 for 30 students
NYU $3,500 for an unlimited # of students
UC Berkeley $5,000 for 10 students
Penn $10,000 for 7 students.
Chicago $5,500 for 4 students
Northwestern $10,000 for 10 students
Virginia $6,000 for an unlimited # of students
Michigan $99999 x all.
Cornell $99999 x all.
Duke $10,000 x 2 for law. Grad study in law is $10,000 x 1 (I’m not sure what the difference is but I assume they mean 2 JD’s and 1 Law studies degree in association with another discipline.)
G-Town $2,500 for all students.
UCLA $99999 x all

The 10 students at Boalt should be enough to cover every Ch33/100% eligible (unless 2013 is a huge departure from previous classes). Financial Aid dean's intent is to not deal with the first come first served issue by making it available to all eligible. This year that happens to be <=10.

Now all we have to do is leverage some of those 99999 schools to get Berk to follow suit next year!

You might want to clarify also for any new comers that you are referring to the Yellow Ribbon Program