GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program Forum

[WassAnch]

What happens if we get off of a waitlist in mid-August? Are we locked into a school once the VA pays them? I would hate to get off of a WL but be unable to attend because the VA has already paid the first school.

[dapoetic1]

What happens if we get off of a waitlist in mid-August? Are we locked into a school once the VA pays them? I would hate to get off of a WL but be unable to attend because the VA has already paid the first school.

The VA is only going to pay the school where you are enrolled and attend. A seat deposit won't mean you're enrolled. At some point you're going to have to either attend school A and take yourself out of the running for attendance at School B (C, D and E) or you're not going to enroll in school A and you're just going to hold out for getting off the waitlist at school B.

But you can only be currently enrolled at 1 law school during any given semester. Whichever law school you send in your verification of enrollment to the VA to is the school that gets paid

[WassAnch]

What happens if we get off of a waitlist in mid-August? Are we locked into a school once the VA pays them? I would hate to get off of a WL but be unable to attend because the VA has already paid the first school.

The VA is only going to pay the school where you are enrolled and attend. A seat deposit won't mean you're enrolled. At some point you're going to have to either attend school A and take yourself out of the running for attendance at School B (C, D and E) or you're not going to enroll in school A and you're just going to hold out for getting off the waitlist at school B.

But you can only be currently enrolled at 1 law school during any given semester. Whichever law school you send in your verification of enrollment to the VA to is the school that gets paid

The VA is going to start paying out the new GI Bill on Aug 1st, right? If a school's first day of class is August 24th then won't the VA deposit the BAH into your account on the 1st of August? I'm curious because they asked what school you were planning to attend in the application form. Well, maybe they won't pay the school until Sept 1st if you don't officially enroll until Aug 24th.

I have noticed, however, that a lot of schools require the tuition payment before school begins. For example, WUSTL requires the payment to made by Aug 20th, even though classes don't start until Aug 26th. It seems like a student could be screwed either way. If the payment is made to the school on Aug 1st then it will complicate late WL offers. If the payment is made on Sep 1st then the payment will be late to the school. Hopefully this isn't an issue and schools will be understanding if the VA is a little slow. This wouldn't be an issue if the VA would pay the schools on the enrollment date, but I don't see that happening. I'd guess that they will make the payments on the 1st or on the 15th; then again, I don't really have much experience with the VA.

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

[dapoetic1]

What happens if we get off of a waitlist in mid-August? Are we locked into a school once the VA pays them? I would hate to get off of a WL but be unable to attend because the VA has already paid the first school.

The VA is only going to pay the school where you are enrolled and attend. A seat deposit won't mean you're enrolled. At some point you're going to have to either attend school A and take yourself out of the running for attendance at School B (C, D and E) or you're not going to enroll in school A and you're just going to hold out for getting off the waitlist at school B.

But you can only be currently enrolled at 1 law school during any given semester. Whichever law school you send in your verification of enrollment to the VA to is the school that gets paid

The VA is going to start paying out the new GI Bill on Aug 1st, right? If a school's first day of class is August 24th then won't the VA deposit the BAH into your account on the 1st of August? I'm curious because they asked what school you were planning to attend in the application form. Well, maybe they won't pay the school until Sept 1st if you don't officially enroll until Aug 24th.

I have noticed, however, that a lot of schools require the tuition payment before school begins. For example, WUSTL requires the payment to made by Aug 20th, even though classes don't start until Aug 26th. It seems like a student could be screwed either way. If the payment is made to the school on Aug 1st then it will complicate late WL offers. If the payment is made on Sep 1st then the payment will be late to the school. Hopefully this isn't an issue and schools will be understanding if the VA is a little slow. This wouldn't be an issue if the VA would pay the schools on the enrollment date, but I don't see that happening. I'd guess that they will make the payments on the 1st or on the 15th; then again, I don't really have much experience with the VA.

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

VA won't pay before Aug 1 which is not the same as the VA will begin paying on Aug 1. Typically Veterans benefits don't get submitted to the school right away. The good news is that since the new GI Bill is sent directly to the school (unlike the old GI Bill which was sent to the student) the school will credit that amount to your tuition. With the old GI Bill you had to pay your tuition in full. But since they already know how much the VA is sending them they can credit your account with a 3rd party payment which means you won't have to worry about that portion of your tuition. It should actually show up as a credit on your bill so as long as your school has sent in your verification of enrollment to the VA and VA has sent back their intent to pay you should receive credit for your GI Bill tuition and fees payments. If you have all of your paperwork in order I wouldn't worry about the payment being late to the school-they shouldn't charge you. The veterans affairs dept. at your school should be familiar with the payment processing. Good news is that once you've been processed the subsequent semesters should be paid out very timely.

BAH is competely different. That will get to you when the VA processes your benefits also but it comes directly to you and not the school. Also your book stipend will not arrive right away either. I wouldn't expect to see BAH or book money until at least 1 Sep at the very earliest.

[Cole S. Law]

UT Austin, one of the largest schools in the nation will be participating in the YRP...for 10 students! For $2000 each! What a token level of participation. Why even bother? Something's better than nothing, but this is a really weak contribution by a state that benefits immensely from the military.

[WassAnch]

What happens if we get off of a waitlist in mid-August? Are we locked into a school once the VA pays them? I would hate to get off of a WL but be unable to attend because the VA has already paid the first school.

The VA is only going to pay the school where you are enrolled and attend. A seat deposit won't mean you're enrolled. At some point you're going to have to either attend school A and take yourself out of the running for attendance at School B (C, D and E) or you're not going to enroll in school A and you're just going to hold out for getting off the waitlist at school B.

But you can only be currently enrolled at 1 law school during any given semester. Whichever law school you send in your verification of enrollment to the VA to is the school that gets paid

The VA is going to start paying out the new GI Bill on Aug 1st, right? If a school's first day of class is August 24th then won't the VA deposit the BAH into your account on the 1st of August? I'm curious because they asked what school you were planning to attend in the application form. Well, maybe they won't pay the school until Sept 1st if you don't officially enroll until Aug 24th.

I have noticed, however, that a lot of schools require the tuition payment before school begins. For example, WUSTL requires the payment to made by Aug 20th, even though classes don't start until Aug 26th. It seems like a student could be screwed either way. If the payment is made to the school on Aug 1st then it will complicate late WL offers. If the payment is made on Sep 1st then the payment will be late to the school. Hopefully this isn't an issue and schools will be understanding if the VA is a little slow. This wouldn't be an issue if the VA would pay the schools on the enrollment date, but I don't see that happening. I'd guess that they will make the payments on the 1st or on the 15th; then again, I don't really have much experience with the VA.

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

VA won't pay before Aug 1 which is not the same as the VA will begin paying on Aug 1. Typically Veterans benefits don't get submitted to the school right away. The good news is that since the new GI Bill is sent directly to the school (unlike the old GI Bill which was sent to the student) the school will credit that amount to your tuition. With the old GI Bill you had to pay your tuition in full. But since they already know how much the VA is sending them they can credit your account with a 3rd party payment which means you won't have to worry about that portion of your tuition. It should actually show up as a credit on your bill so as long as your school has sent in your verification of enrollment to the VA and VA has sent back their intent to pay you should receive credit for your GI Bill tuition and fees payments. If you have all of your paperwork in order I wouldn't worry about the payment being late to the school-they shouldn't charge you. The veterans affairs dept. at your school should be familiar with the payment processing. Good news is that once you've been processed the subsequent semesters should be paid out very timely.

BAH is competely different. That will get to you when the VA processes your benefits also but it comes directly to you and not the school. Also your book stipend will not arrive right away either. I wouldn't expect to see BAH or book money until at least 1 Sep at the very earliest.

Good to know about the 3rd party payment thing. Most of my undergrad credits were from military language schools so I never really had to worry about the financial aid aspect...puts me a bit behind the 8 ball compared to most of the people on here who probably got loans for undergrad.

I hope that I get the BAH payment relatively early, otherwise I will have to be a little more frugal in the months ahead than I was planning on.

[illmal]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Cole S. Law]

Harvard will give a free ride to 12 vets...

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2009/06/03_yellow.html


Cole -

Regarding Texas, if you take their tuition rate per credit (1,333.00) and add 4,000 (TX 2K + VA 2K), assuming 15 credits, you get $43,990 per year, which is actually more than their stated annual out of state tuition of $43,858. Bottom line, free ride to Texas law is a really good deal.
BTW, where did you hear about their participation?

The $2000 is a /year amount, not /credit. They're limiting the number of vets eligible for the YRP to 10 students which is a complete joke given the size of the University. Basically they've offered $20,000 towards this program. To put this in perspective, the smaller, less prestigious, less well endowed Texas Tech is allowing 500 veterans/year at a rate of $5000.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_BILL_Info/C ... P_List.htm

[Rotor]

Did you see the academic powerhouses that are participating in California? Outside of Pomona College/Claremont, I think the remainder are "Tier 5" schools.

[Cole S. Law]

Very few of the schools on the "preliminary" list have law schools. The ones that do aren't that great. Didn't see Northwestern or Chicago on the list despite the press releases. Hopefully they'll be on the next list...with room for me once I transfer to one of them . Nearly all of Case Western's schools are participating (even the Medical school ) but not the law school. Wierd.

[illmal]

Cole - was that 10 for the entire school, or just the law school. If the former, that's rather disappointing. However, given Texas' per credit rate of payment, it doesn't make a huge difference financially...

[Cole S. Law]

Cole - was that 10 for the entire school, or just the law school. If the former, that's rather disappointing. However, given Texas' per credit rate of payment, it doesn't make a huge difference financially...

Entire university. Perhaps they're saving their benefits for Texas National Army veterans after they secede from the Union.

[dapoetic1]

Harvard will give a free ride to 12 vets...

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2009/06/03_yellow.html


Cole -

Regarding Texas, if you take their tuition rate per credit (1,333.00) and add 4,000 (TX 2K + VA 2K), assuming 15 credits, you get $43,990 per year, which is actually more than their stated annual out of state tuition of $43,858. Bottom line, free ride to Texas law is a really good deal.
BTW, where did you hear about their participation?

The $2000 is a /year amount, not /credit. They're limiting the number of vets eligible for the YRP to 10 students which is a complete joke given the size of the University. Basically they've offered $20,000 towards this program. To put this in perspective, the smaller, less prestigious, less well endowed Texas Tech is allowing 500 veterans/year at a rate of $5000.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_BILL_Info/C ... P_List.htm

I think what illmal is getting at is that if you attend UT-Austin you won't need the money from YRP. The amount that the VA is going to pay based on the per credit hour maximum is more than enough to cover the amount of law school tuition. So even if the school did not participate in YRP if you are getting the new GI Bill your tuition and fees are 100% covered. I'm guessing the only reason they're participating in the YRP is in the instance that someone is not receiving 100% of the new benefits or their benefits run out before they graduate, then at least they'll have something covering those students.
Additionally, 10 may not seem like much but consider the entering class size is probably only about 200 or so students. So that's 5% of the student body. What's the likelihood that there are that many more veterans attending that school?
Now if UVA, William and Mary or any other school in the DC/VA area was only participating with a 10 student max I would be shocked because the number of vets in that area attending law school is enormous. But I think at a school like Texas that's probably right in the ball park of the number of vets in any given class year. And if you're a veteran originally from the state of Texas and you attend a school in Texas aside from having the GI Bill you are also eligible for the Hazelwood Act which pays the tuition for the first 120 or so credits at a state school. So there's a lot of other benefits in the state of Texas.

[LSATfromNC]

Harvard will give a free ride to 12 vets...

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2009/06/03_yellow.html


Cole -

Regarding Texas, if you take their tuition rate per credit (1,333.00) and add 4,000 (TX 2K + VA 2K), assuming 15 credits, you get $43,990 per year, which is actually more than their stated annual out of state tuition of $43,858. Bottom line, free ride to Texas law is a really good deal.
BTW, where did you hear about their participation?

The $2000 is a /year amount, not /credit. They're limiting the number of vets eligible for the YRP to 10 students which is a complete joke given the size of the University. Basically they've offered $20,000 towards this program. To put this in perspective, the smaller, less prestigious, less well endowed Texas Tech is allowing 500 veterans/year at a rate of $5000.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_BILL_Info/C ... P_List.htm

I think what illmal is getting at is that if you attend UT-Austin you won't need the money from YRP. The amount that the VA is going to pay based on the per credit hour maximum is more than enough to cover the amount of law school tuition. So even if the school did not participate in YRP if you are getting the new GI Bill your tuition and fees are 100% covered. I'm guessing the only reason they're participating in the YRP is in the instance that someone is not receiving 100% of the new benefits or their benefits run out before they graduate, then at least they'll have something covering those students.
Additionally, 10 may not seem like much but consider the entering class size is probably only about 200 or so students. So that's 5% of the student body. What's the likelihood that there are that many more veterans attending that school?
Now if UVA, William and Mary or any other school in the DC/VA area was only participating with a 10 student max I would be shocked because the number of vets in that area attending law school is enormous. But I think at a school like Texas that's probably right in the ball park of the number of vets in any given class year. And if you're a veteran originally from the state of Texas and you attend a school in Texas aside from having the GI Bill you are also eligible for the Hazelwood Act which pays the tuition for the first 120 or so credits at a state school. So there's a lot of other benefits in the state of Texas.

The 10 students are combined from every program at the school, not just law, right?

[nukelaloosh]

Cole-

I think you might be confusing UT- Austin with UT- Arlington. Big Difference.

I would think that UT-Austin will fall somewhere between ATM (25 @ 10K) and Tech.

[Rotor]

Not GI Bill related, but I just wanted to rave about an experience at the local DVA office today. I went by to just drop off the copy of my medical record to get the compensation claim/disability process going. They said wait a sec, and a counsellor came out and brought me to his cubicle reviewed my entire package for competeness/accuracy and said "we advertise 3 weeks before you get your paperwork for your assessment physical, but if you don't get something within 2 weeks, here's my private line, give me a call..."

SOoooooo not what I expect from the VA. (Good shock)

Now, if I'd just get something more than the "we'll get back with you about the GI Bill claim".

[Cole S. Law]

Not GI Bill related, but I just wanted to rave about an experience at the local DVA office today. I went by to just drop off the copy of my medical record to get the compensation claim/disability process going. They said wait a sec, and a counsellor came out and brought me to his cubicle reviewed my entire package for competeness/accuracy and said "we advertise 3 weeks before you get your paperwork for your assessment physical, but if you don't get something within 2 weeks, here's my private line, give me a call..."

SOoooooo not what I expect from the VA. (Good shock)

Now, if I'd just get something more than the "we'll get back with you about the GI Bill claim".

Don't know how the Navy does it, but the Army (Ft. Hood) had counselors from the VFW colocated with the VA liason's office. As part of out-processing, you meet with them and they review your medical records for any compensable injuries/conditions. They then start VA claim processing even before your discharge. You may have been exempted from this (E-6 and above are in the Army). Setting the P911GIB backlog aside, I've had nothing but great experiences with the VA.

[Rotor]

Similar here, but DAV instead of VFW. Did the prescreen last week, but I had to leave today's workshop for actually filing before we were done, so had to drop it off myself. Glad I did bc I have much more confidence in VA than I did when I woke up this AM

[bumblebeetoona]

Setting the P911GIB backlog aside, I've had nothing but great experiences with the VA.

I too have had a good experience with the VA. I think they've made the best of a bad situation; they aren't given many resources to work with, and they're horribly backlogged, but they've always been polite and helpful. The disability check I get every month is pretty sweet too.

[Rotor]

I'm just getting my first taste of dealing with them. Up to now, I've been living off reputation-- guess good news never gets published. And it always seems that Administrators-designate always testify at confirmation hearings that they'll fix the chronic problems....which is why I was happy to see Gen Shinseki get the job.

[LSATfromNC]

What is it with VA disability payments? If you are truly injured from your service then go for it, but every 20 something year old vet I know talks about getting VA payments. One of my co-workers is about to get payments for PTSD, when the only combat he ever saw was trying to be first in line when the new shipment came in at the shopette.

[Cole S. Law]

What is it with VA disability payments? If you are truly injured from your service then go for it, but every 20 something year old vet I know talks about getting VA payments. One of my co-workers is about to get payments for PTSD, when the only combat he ever saw was trying to be first in line when the new shipment came in at the shopette.

Everyone I know who is getting PTSD comp saw less combat than your co-worker. A female soldier in our unit was discharged due to PTSD, because "the realistic combat simulations during predeployment training put her in imminent fear for her life". The scripted scenarios at NTC were too much for her. The civilian doctors are too timid to question anyone who claims PTSD. Meanwhile, the hardasses I know who are genuinely messed up are too proud to ever seek treatment. My guess is that the PTSD numbers commonly reported on the news are accurate, but only because so many malingers have taken the place of the proud in line at mental health.

[bumblebeetoona]

What is it with VA disability payments? If you are truly injured from your service then go for it, but every 20 something year old vet I know talks about getting VA payments.

Maybe things have changed in the last few years, but I don't know how anyone could get away with lying...I know I sure couldn't have. I had to prove my medical issues were documented over my period of service just to keep my claim moving, and it took me almost a year to get a decision. Then I had to see several specialists chosen by the VA. Perhaps they are more lax with PTSD because it is harder to prove, but genuine physical problems require solid evidence. Even if you do manage to fake it, you won't get away with it for long - you are required to undergo a physical every year by a VA doctor if you want to maintain use of their services. Part of the physical is a PTSD screening.

The system isn't perfect, of course. There are probably a lot of people abusing it, and I know there are a lot of catastrophically disabled veterans who aren't getting their payments. The VA just wasn't equipped to handle so many claims from this war.

[LSATfromNC]

What is it with VA disability payments? If you are truly injured from your service then go for it, but every 20 something year old vet I know talks about getting VA payments.

Maybe things have changed in the last few years, but I don't know how anyone could get away with lying...I know I sure couldn't have. I had to prove my medical issues were documented over my period of service just to keep my claim moving, and it took me almost a year to get a decision. Then I had to see several specialists chosen by the VA. Perhaps they are more lax with PTSD because it is harder to prove, but genuine physical problems require solid evidence. Even if you do manage to fake it, you won't get away with it for long - you are required to undergo a physical every year by a VA doctor if you want to maintain use of their services. Part of the physical is a PTSD screening.

The system isn't perfect, of course. There are probably a lot of people abusing it, and I know there are a lot of catastrophically disabled veterans who aren't getting their payments. The VA just wasn't equipped to handle so many claims from this war.

I am not exaggerating, a majority of vets I know get disability. Two others I know get partial for their knee's. All they say is their knees hurt sometimes (which may be true, but who does not have an occasional pain), yet one of them actively plays basketball more aggressively than I ever could.

My other gripe is older people who get disability payments for simply getting old. Let's see, I'm 60 years old (example, I'm not 60 ), my hearing is going, oh I know, let me claim the cause was going to the range every so often that way I get a higher disability percentage. Because we all know its not natural for hearing to get worse as you get older..... This was a real life example I know of.

[bumblebeetoona]

I am not exaggerating, a majority of vets I know get disability. Two others I know get partial for their knee's. All they say is their knees hurt sometimes (which may be true, but who does not have an occasional pain), yet one of them actively plays basketball more aggressively than I ever could.

To the bolded - why does this bother you? You must realize that everyone with a service-related condition can file, not just people in wheelchairs with missing limbs.

My other gripe is older people who get disability payments for simply getting old. Let's see, I'm 60 years old (example, I'm not 60 ), my hearing is going, oh I know, let me claim the cause was going to the range every so often that way I get a higher disability percentage. Because we all know its not natural for hearing to get worse as you get older..... This was a real life example I know of.

Nobody gets a check just for getting old.