Veterans Thread

[Ex Cearulo]

What's up, everyone?! Nice to see some familiar faces still in the Veterans thread. Wondering if anyone ever deployed to or passed through Camp Lemonnier? I'm out here now on a 6-month no-fly. Awesome. But I will say it's very chill...which is probably why I found myself wandering back to TLS after some time away. Lots of time to kill which has got me back thinking about law school again.

Retake and shoot for uva, mich, and Berkeley. All within your reach. Stop using your gi bill immediately (call school today) and start paying back what you used. Your literally trading ten thousand in for fifty

If anyone can point me to any info on this, I'd appreciate it. After my Master's I have enough months left on my GI Bill to cover all but roughly one semester of law school, so paying a little back to get that last semester covered is a potential huge win.

[TheSpanishMain]

Haven't been, but I've heard it's hot as all fuck...which isn't hard to believe. Heard going into town is pretty cool though.

[tennactitans]

Retake and shoot for uva, mich, and Berkeley. All within your reach. Stop using your gi bill immediately (call school today) and start paying back what you used. Your literally trading ten thousand in for fifty

If anyone can point me to any info on this, I'd appreciate it. After my Master's I have enough months left on my GI Bill to cover all but roughly one semester of law school, so paying a little back to get that last semester covered is a potential huge win.[/quote]


Called the VA on the pay back scenario. She said no shot at getting back to 100% If you've used any benefits, but she's going to run it up to make sure. Stand by for final confirmation.

[Ex Cearulo]

Haven't been, but I've heard it's hot as all fuck...which isn't hard to believe. Heard going into town is pretty cool though.

Yup. End of October and we're still in black flag every day with heat indexes in the high 90s. Getting a little ridiculous. I heard the same about town; hoping to get a chance to check it out before I leave. Congrats on Georgetown, btw!! Hope everything's going well for you so far.

Called the VA on the pay back scenario. She said no shot at getting back to 100% If you've used any benefits, but she's going to run it up to make sure. Stand by for final confirmation.

Thanks! Sounded a little too good to be true, but worth investigating even if it's for partial coverage.

[SemperLegal]

Check up thread about payback, someone else said they did it about a year ago.

I've been to lemonier I live the cow hall, but nothing at all to do.

[tennactitans]

Haven't been, but I've heard it's hot as all fuck...which isn't hard to believe. Heard going into town is pretty cool though.

Yup. End of October and we're still in black flag every day with heat indexes in the high 90s. Getting a little ridiculous. I heard the same about town; hoping to get a chance to check it out before I leave. Congrats on Georgetown, btw!! Hope everything's going well for you so far.

Called the VA on the pay back scenario. She said no shot at getting back to 100% If you've used any benefits, but she's going to run it up to make sure. Stand by for final confirmation.

Thanks! Sounded a little too good to be true, but worth investigating even if it's for partial coverage.

Okay - found out today that you don't have to have all 36 months of GI benefits remaining to be eligible for the YRF, but rather must be 100% eligible for GI benefits in general (have completed 36 months of active service, service disability, etc.) I've been reading it as "must be eligible for 100% of GI Bill" when, in fact, if you meet the initial criteria you can pull YRF for as long as you possess GI time. Basically gives us an additional 12 months to blow before LS. Am I the only one here that missed this for over a year?

[SemperLegal]

Also, keep in mind you only need one month of eligibility to get a whole semester of tuition and (but bah is limited).

I.e. if you used 35 months, you can get a whole semester of tuition, one month of bah.

[FairchildFLT]

Suit question-
I've been in the military since I was 17 so I am a total noob when it comes to any type of clothing besides combat boots. I've heard Brooks Brothers are a good starting suit for law school (correct me if I'm wrong.) After you buy a suit from say Brooks Brothers, do you then have to go get it tailored? Or do they tailor it for you at the store?

Literally my only experience with suits comes from that episode of Suits when Mike tells the lady he wants a medium suit and she says it doesn't work that way.

[tennactitans]

Suit question-
I've been in the military since I was 17 so I am a total noob when it comes to any type of clothing besides combat boots. I've heard Brooks Brothers are a good starting suit for law school (correct me if I'm wrong.) After you buy a suit from say Brooks Brothers, do you then have to go get it tailored? Or do they tailor it for you at the store?

Literally my only experience with suits comes from that episode of Suits when Mike tells the lady he wants a medium suit and she says it doesn't work that way.

Hold out for the "buy 1, get 3 free" from Jos A Bank (they have them 1-3 times a year). Have them tailored for ~$35/per. Brooks Bros is great quality, but Jos A Bank is by far the best deal for a good looking suit.

[bjsesq]

Suit question-
I've been in the military since I was 17 so I am a total noob when it comes to any type of clothing besides combat boots. I've heard Brooks Brothers are a good starting suit for law school (correct me if I'm wrong.) After you buy a suit from say Brooks Brothers, do you then have to go get it tailored? Or do they tailor it for you at the store?

Literally my only experience with suits comes from that episode of Suits when Mike tells the lady he wants a medium suit and she says it doesn't work that way.

Hold out for the "buy 1, get 3 free" from Jos A Bank (they have them 1-3 times a year). Have them tailored for ~$35/per. Brooks Bros is great quality, but Jos A Bank is by far the best deal for a good looking suit.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that depends. They have some shit suits in there, and the insane deals they offer are mostly bringing their obscene markups on trash suits back where they should be. I do think their gold signature line is legit.

[navykev]

Literally my only experience with suits comes from that episode of Suits when Mike tells the lady he wants a medium suit and she says it doesn't work that way.

Go to youtube and check out RealMenRealStyle -- he is a prior Marine and covers a lot of professional attire topics. Think he even has a video on how to dress like a lawyer on a budget.

[tennactitans]

Suit question-
I've been in the military since I was 17 so I am a total noob when it comes to any type of clothing besides combat boots. I've heard Brooks Brothers are a good starting suit for law school (correct me if I'm wrong.) After you buy a suit from say Brooks Brothers, do you then have to go get it tailored? Or do they tailor it for you at the store?

Literally my only experience with suits comes from that episode of Suits when Mike tells the lady he wants a medium suit and she says it doesn't work that way.

Hold out for the "buy 1, get 3 free" from Jos A Bank (they have them 1-3 times a year). Have them tailored for ~$35/per. Brooks Bros is great quality, but Jos A Bank is by far the best deal for a good looking suit.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that depends. They have some shit suits in there, and the insane deals they offer are mostly bringing their obscene markups on trash suits back where they should be. I do think their gold signature line is legit.

Agreed - but spend a grand on a nice suit and walk out with 3 more, as opposed to a grand for just one at BB, no? I dont touch those $250-650 joints.

[bjsesq]

I think a suit is an investment like anything else. The JAB ones aren't great, but if you are comfortable in em, go ham. I just think you should have once nice suit for occasions that may require it.

[SemperLegal]

Don't go to jab if you dont know suits. The people there are inexperienced and the brand has no standards. Bb salespeople know their shit, have militaru savings, and the brand doesn't make bad suits. It's possible to make an unwise choice, but Bb will keep you from being a joke. At jab they don't care if you buy something truly horrid

[FairchildFLT]

Thanks for all the advice! I plan on waiting until around Christmas and going to the BB store. I've heard they have good sales around that time frame.

[DiniMae]

Also, keep in mind you only need one month of eligibility to get a whole semester of tuition and (but bah is limited).

I.e. if you used 35 months, you can get a whole semester of tuition, one month of bah.

Really?? Is this only for certain GI Bills? Does it cover YRP?

[tennactitans]

Don't go to jab if you dont know suits. The people there are inexperienced and the brand has no standards. Bb salespeople know their shit, have militaru savings, and the brand doesn't make bad suits. It's possible to make an unwise choice, but Bb will keep you from being a joke. At jab they don't care if you buy something truly horrid

Credited. Certainly had a few misfires early on.

[Wipfelder]

Comrades,

Any current or former Vandy/U AL students lurking?

-back to topic-

I have a few nice suits, but they are Euro-style, bit of a different cut. Should I budget for a few American suits when I start law school or can I hold what I got? Is a french cuff weird in the state these days?

[encore1101]

I know Post-911/YRP gets the most press, but remember veterans can get their LSAT fees reimbursed as well, as well as the bar exam fees. However, if you choose to get your bar exam fees reimbursed, it will "cost" you a month of Post 9/11.

edit: I bought a few suits from JAB at the recommendation of a co-worker and I'm not that impressed. While certainly cheap (I bought them when they were doing a BOGO sale), they seem lower quality than what I'm used to. I think they're fine if you're a student or fresh employee, but I want to replace them asap.

Has anyone gotten their bar review or BAH during bar review covered? Someone told me they did, but I think they're full of shit, tbh.

[encore1101]

Comrades,

Any current or former Vandy/U AL students lurking?

-back to topic-

I have a few nice suits, but they are Euro-style, bit of a different cut. Should I budget for a few American suits when I start law school or can I hold what I got? Is a french cuff weird in the state these days?

Nah, nobody will care

[paul554]

I know Post-911/YRP gets the most press, but remember veterans can get their LSAT fees reimbursed as well, as well as the bar exam fees. However, if you choose to get your bar exam fees reimbursed, it will "cost" you a month of Post 9/11.

edit: I bought a few suits from JAB at the recommendation of a co-worker and I'm not that impressed. While certainly cheap (I bought them when they were doing a BOGO sale), they seem lower quality than what I'm used to. I think they're fine if you're a student or fresh employee, but I want to replace them asap.

Has anyone gotten their bar review or BAH during bar review covered? Someone told me they did, but I think they're full of shit, tbh.

You can get the bar exam and prep covered, with BAH, but not with the YRP or GI Bill. Vocrehab will cover it. If anyone has at least 10% disability from the VA they need to look into vocrehab. Though it's limited to 36 months combined with GI bill benefits, the VA can extend it to 48 months or longer. So if you used all your GI bill for undergrad this could be a way to get law school covered still. Also, if your law school is private was doesn't do yellow ribbon, vocrehab pays 100% tuition and fees regardless.

[Ex Cearulo]

I know Post-911/YRP gets the most press, but remember veterans can get their LSAT fees reimbursed as well, as well as the bar exam fees. However, if you choose to get your bar exam fees reimbursed, it will "cost" you a month of Post 9/11.

edit: I bought a few suits from JAB at the recommendation of a co-worker and I'm not that impressed. While certainly cheap (I bought them when they were doing a BOGO sale), they seem lower quality than what I'm used to. I think they're fine if you're a student or fresh employee, but I want to replace them asap.

Has anyone gotten their bar review or BAH during bar review covered? Someone told me they did, but I think they're full of shit, tbh.

You can get the bar exam and prep covered, with BAH, but not with the YRP or GI Bill. Vocrehab will cover it. If anyone has at least 10% disability from the VA they need to look into vocrehab. Though it's limited to 36 months combined with GI bill benefits, the VA can extend it to 48 months or longer. So if you used all your GI bill for undergrad this could be a way to get law school covered still. Also, if your law school is private was doesn't do yellow ribbon, vocrehab pays 100% tuition and fees regardless.

Whaaaaaaa?! For real? I guess there's an upside to breathing all this burning trash smoke, not to mention the destruction the T-38 is causing to my lower back... I hadn't ever heard of this, so I looked it up:

http://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/eligibility_and_entitlement.asp
Eligibility:
"Veterans are eligible if they:
-Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable
-Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
-Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) service"

Basic period of Eligibility:
Date of separation from active military service, or
Date the veteran was first notified by VA of a service-connected disability rating.

Once you're deemed eligible, you have to demonstrate your
Employment handicap:
Defined as an impairment of a Veteran’s ability to prepare for, obtain, or retain employment consistent with his or her abilities, aptitudes, and interests if the impairment results in substantial part from a service-connected disability. For Veterans within the 12-year basic period of eligibility and rated at 20 percent or more, a finding of employment handicap results in entitlement to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment services.

http://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/program_definitions.asp

"Success Stories" (i.e. examples of various situations that qualified as an employment handicap):
http://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/success_stories.asp

[paul554]

Yeah, the employment handicap is usually the easiest thing to prove. It's all based on your lay testimony and such. It's approved at the regional office and if they deny it you can appeal. Most of the time though, if you have at least 30% they just assume you have an employment handicap.

This is a great deal MOST of the time. In some cases it is not. In my situation for example, I had the army college fund kicker. This means I get an additional $500 a month tacked on to my GI bill bah. With Vocrehab I don't get this. Now though, vocrehab also pays for school supplies. So if I needed a lot of computer programs or costly supplies, then that might make vocrehab win out.

[SemperLegal]

Also, keep in mind you only need one month of eligibility to get a whole semester of tuition and (but bah is limited).

I.e. if you used 35 months, you can get a whole semester of tuition, one month of bah.

Really?? Is this only for certain GI Bills? Does it cover YRP?

I know it's for chapter 33, but va takes great pains to point out its a courtesy subject to change.

[ArcticDeckie]

Just wanted to thank you guys again for the 'retake/reapply' encouragement. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but it paid off already: I landed a good job for the next year and got accepted at GW, which was an indefinite WL for me last cycle. It's a huge relief, and it's only October. Most useful thread on TLS.