Veterans Thread Forum

[navykev]

Walking into the pier dental clinic at lunch and asking if they are busy and geting a monthly cleaning FTW.

On the CHAMPVA side, MetLife Dental is better then the private rate, but only so much. Most private dental plans are little more then prepayments for a benefit in 13 months. Better to put it in a mutual and pay as you go --- unless you have kids

Makes sense for sure. And nope - no kids.

[Pacman]

Got a question for my retired military brothers and sisters. So I got my first retirement check (surreal as hell) and paid for a year of Tricare Prime Medical and Tricare Dental. My question is: Will employers (govt, biglaw, pi gigs) bump up your base salary if you opt out of company medical/dental plans?

No experience with firms of course, but I'm dual military so I will still be covered under my wife's Tricare after I get out. I have asked this question at pretty much every interview I've taken during ACAP (just for shits and giggles, I don't really want any of the jobs) and every single employer said they could not shift funds in this manner so it led me to believe it was pretty widespread, especially due to the common reasoning that they are not paying to subsidize your healthcare in the same way that they are paying your salary. I've also heard on TLS that the med/dental packages are often the weakest part of the benefits package at most firms so they don't seem to care whether you take it or not because that's not what is drawing people in.

[navykev]

Got a question for my retired military brothers and sisters. So I got my first retirement check (surreal as hell) and paid for a year of Tricare Prime Medical and Tricare Dental. My question is: Will employers (govt, biglaw, pi gigs) bump up your base salary if you opt out of company medical/dental plans?

No experience with firms of course, but I'm dual military so I will still be covered under my wife's Tricare after I get out. I have asked this question at pretty much every interview I've taken during ACAP (just for shits and giggles, I don't really want any of the jobs) and every single employer said they could not shift funds in this manner so it led me to believe it was pretty widespread, especially due to the common reasoning that they are not paying to subsidize your healthcare in the same way that they are paying your salary. I've also heard on TLS that the med/dental packages are often the weakest part of the benefits package at most firms so they don't seem to care whether you take it or not because that's not what is drawing people in.

Thanks for the info!

[Rotor]

Walking into the pier dental clinic at lunch and asking if they are busy and geting a monthly cleaning FTW.

On the CHAMPVA side, MetLife Dental is better then the private rate, but only so much. Most private dental plans are little more then prepayments for a benefit in 13 months. Better to put it in a mutual and pay as you go --- unless you have kids

My firm also has a pre-tax health care savings plan that I considered using in just this way (putting what I pay in dental premium into the HSP). But the problem is, you have to spend the $ in the year it's deposited or it's forfeited. (Crap rule IMO). My wife is getting close to needing some perio surgery, but we don't know if it'll be 2015, 2020 or somewhere in between. So we're stuck paying a bit more in premium than we get back in actual services purchased, but we will make up for it in the long run.

So, we put $20 bucks into the HSP each month to pay for co-pays. And if we have a balance at the end of the year, my wife just gets new glasses for Christmas! (And we're living large on the tax avoidance on $240 a year! )

[Wipfelder]

So I got my first retirement check

So, did you actually get to meet Rear Admiral Mahan, or had he retired by the time you joined up?

[storpappa]

So I got my first retirement check

The loss of your daily rum ration must make your transition hard

[navykev]

So I got my first retirement check

So, did you actually get to meet Rear Admiral Mahan, or had he retired by the time you joined up?

Knew him when he was an ensign!

[navykev]

So I got my first retirement check

The loss of your daily rum ration must make your transition hard

Yep - the grog will be missed.

[Jritc]

Good Afternoon,
I wanted to provide an update. Looks like I got waitlisted at Northwestern, which is quite honestly better than I thought. I figured I would get dinged for sure. Anyone have any advice on a way to improve my chances of getting off the waitlist. I am open to any suggestions.

[Cobretti]

Good Afternoon,
I wanted to provide an update. Looks like I got waitlisted at Northwestern, which is quite honestly better than I thought. I figured I would get dinged for sure. Anyone have any advice on a way to improve my chances of getting off the waitlist. I am open to any suggestions.

They must really like you with a 157 LSAT, that is very impressive. I would immediately start studying for the June LSAT and write them a letter of continued interest letting them know you will be retaking the LSAT in June and hope to attend in the Fall. If you can get in your PT range you'll have to be up towards the top of the waitlist.

[TheSpanishMain]

Chief, let me know when you get to DC. I've got a bunch of 1L supplements that will need a new home.

[navykev]

Chief, let me know when you get to DC. I've got a bunch of 1L supplements that will need a new home.

Man I wish I would have known - I already bought a crap-ton for all the 1L subjects on Ebay.

[storpappa]

Good Afternoon,
I wanted to provide an update. Looks like I got waitlisted at Northwestern, which is quite honestly better than I thought. I figured I would get dinged for sure. Anyone have any advice on a way to improve my chances of getting off the waitlist. I am open to any suggestions.

You must have a perfect or near GPA and done an excellent job on your PS - grats

http://northwestern.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/1415

[TheSpanishMain]

Chief, let me know when you get to DC. I've got a bunch of 1L supplements that will need a new home.

Man I wish I would have known - I already bought a crap-ton for all the 1L subjects on Ebay.

Damn. My wife is going to be thrilled when I get all this stuff off the kitchen table.

Anyway, hit me with a PM when you know your professors and I'll try to hook you up with some good outlines.

[navykev]

Chief, let me know when you get to DC. I've got a bunch of 1L supplements that will need a new home.

Man I wish I would have known - I already bought a crap-ton for all the 1L subjects on Ebay.

Damn. My wife is going to be thrilled when I get all this stuff off the kitchen table.

Anyway, hit me with a PM when you know your professors and I'll try to hook you up with some good outlines.

Awesome -- appreciate it!!!!

[mike0331]

Had a conversation a few weeks back with a school that said their merit award was unrestricted.
I emailed them to get a written confirmation, and got a call to "clarify"

They wanted to know my VA award type and amount, and if I was getting any other benefits.

I was informed that with 100% tuition and BAH, I would exceed their COA, and they would be most likely unable to award me any merit award. If upon final calculations of the exact amount paid by the VA there was a difference between COA and VA payments, they would issue the remaining amount.

That is restricted, which they admitted that yes it is. Their previous statement of unrestricted was in error. Even when we have the right terminology it is still good to double check especially if a merit award was thought to be "unrestricted" and it influences your decision where to attend to meet your financial obligations.

I had this exact same thing happen almost verbatim. I couldn't even squeeze a meal plan out of them.

Mike

[storpappa]

It sucks to think that some vets Mike get caught up in this, or worse not even know they had options. I understand if the merit award is funny money for out of state candidates equal to the diff between in and out of state rates. But, when it is $10,000/year, it is a merit award. It has to come from somewhere. An endowment, fund raising, or I guess at the lowest case, just made up to lure in good candidates. Again, benefit of the money being real, it should make no difference to the school. The will get full tuition, and just disperse the merit award to the student to cover expenses.

Did it influence your school decision?

[mike0331]

It didn't influence my decision. It just would have been a nice surprise to have some extra money coming in. Location is/was the primary driving factor. I basically got into top regional schools, I opted for the one where I grew up/want to practice. We ended up buying a house in the area (we are actually closing on friday) as it cost us less than renting ironically enough.

Mike

[storpappa]

Best of luck in your new home.

[mike0331]

Thanks, its gonna be a busy summer.

Mike

[JD Walters]

I was wondering if anyone sent an email to the admissions/finance office re: converting scholarships to stipends rather than calling. Looking through earlier posts, it seems most people called but I would prefer to have something in writing.

I'm trying to figure out which approach would be best. Voc Rehab is covering tuition but I don't qualify for the GI Bill so my BAH will be less than the school's calculated COA.

Any advice?

Thanks!

[FairchildFLT]

I was wondering if anyone sent an email to the admissions/finance office re: converting scholarships to stipends rather than calling. Looking through earlier posts, it seems most people called but I would prefer to have something in writing.

I'm trying to figure out which approach would be best. Voc Rehab is covering tuition but I don't qualify for the GI Bill so my BAH will be less than the school's calculated COA.

Any advice?

Thanks!

I've got emails from a few schools if you want them. PM me your email and I will forward them for your reading pleasure.

[storpappa]

What you are looking for is restricted or unrestricted ... then if they say unrestricted verify if it really is, or tied to a ceiling like COA after VA and after BAH. Getting it to a stipend would be for a school that have you a restricted award, but at that point, ymmv

[Grunt2Grad]

Dinged at the semi final stage of the Tillman Scholarship last night. Good luck to everyone still in the race!

[Wipfelder]

Dinged at the semi final stage of the Tillman Scholarship last night. Good luck to everyone still in the race!

Bummer man! I was rooting for ya.