Military Wives and DEA-VA Benefits

Specialties Government

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Howdy Nurses!

I was wondering if anyone out there has applied for the dependents education assistance benefit from the VA?? If so how long did it take from the date you applied to approval? Also I saw online that there are private schools that honor the benefit does anyone have firsthand experience?

Lastly, is the stipend/money for books included with the DEA application or is it a separate process?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I think the VA would be the place to ask this. Or a military/veterans forum.

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The VA pays for school. Nurses go to school. There are nurses on this site.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

Joannawn, I would seek information from the specific school you are interested in

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
The VA pays for school. Nurses go to school. There are nurses on this site.

Ouch. Sorry for giving unwanted advice.

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I used my husband'a GI benefits after his last deployment when they changed so that dependents could use it. If I remember correctly, it didn't take long from the time we changed over the benefits to when I used them (maybe 2 months?)

Book stipend was included in the ed benefits, nothing separate to fill out.

If you are talking about the same benefits I used (GI bill-chapter 33) then the benefits you receive will be a percentage based on the amount of active duty served. My husband is National Guard, but he deployed to the Moddle East 3 times since 9/11 and the amount of time he had as active duty allowed me to have 90% of my tuition paid. I went to a community college so there was no way I was maxing out the tuition amount (there is a tuition cap, not like you can go to a 100k-a-year place and have them pay that!)

My word of advice is keep a little notebook with listings of people you speak to and to keep your paperwork in. It may come in handy if you run into a snag (I did a few times BUT this was relatively new when I used it. They made this change in like Aug 2010 and I went back to school using this in jan 2011)

Good luck!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Well, this is working out well. 5 year old advice. Why not ask the VA directly?

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I used my husband's post 9/11 GI bill last year to finish my AA. I have one semester left of the benefit.

Based on my husband's service, I was qualified at 100%. I had to certify my classes each semester with the VA office at my college. They handled all the paperwork. All I had to do was write down my classes, sign the paper, and hand it in.

The VA pays the school directly and direct deposited the stipend into my bank account on the 1st of every month. I got a seperate deposit for books each semester. You don't get a book stipend for summer semester except for the first summer semester you have.

It it took a few months for the GI bill to be transferred to me.

Also, some private schools do accept the GI Bill, but there is a cap on what they will pay, so anything above and beyond that cap, you have to pay out of pocket.

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Well, this is working out well. 5 year old advice. Why not ask the VA directly?

Just giving my .02 from my experience. The last semester I used it was Spring 2015. It's a ****** to try to get ahold of someone at the VA who actually is helpful navigating this.

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Very helpful information. Thank you!!

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Thank you for the feedback. I'm planning on attending private but I didn't know there was a cap out, the school isn't as expensive as other privates but at least now I have a better understanding so I can plan my finances accordingly. I have a meeting with my FA advisor Tuesday, but it's always helpful getting input from someone who's experienced it. Thanks again

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I used my husband'a GI benefits after his last deployment when they changed so that dependents could use it. If I remember correctly, it didn't take long from the time we changed over the benefits to when I used them (maybe 2 months?)

Book stipend was included in the ed benefits, nothing separate to fill out.

If you are talking about the same benefits I used (GI bill-chapter 33) then the benefits you receive will be a percentage based on the amount of active duty served. My husband is National Guard, but he deployed to the Moddle East 3 times since 9/11 and the amount of time he had as active duty allowed me to have 90% of my tuition paid. I went to a community college so there was no way I was maxing out the tuition amount (there is a tuition cap, not like you can go to a 100k-a-year place and have them pay that!)

My word of advice is keep a little notebook with listings of people you speak to and to keep your paperwork in. It may come in handy if you run into a snag (I did a few times BUT this was relatively new when I used it. They made this change in like Aug 2010 and I went back to school using this in jan 2011)

Good luck!

The notebook was an excellent idea! Thank you.

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