Post 9/11 GI Bill and Nursing school

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I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the post 9/11 BI Bill and nursing school. I know the BAH is determined by the zip code of the school and the number of credit hours you're taking. From looking at the program I'll be attending, some semesters have classes that are 8 credit hours, and that's the only class you take, for those semesters are you only getting 75% of the BAH for that area? Or do they adjust what they consider full time since a nursing program is full time.

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I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the post 9/11 BI Bill and nursing school. I know the BAH is determined by the zip code of the school and the number of credit hours you're taking. From looking at the program I'll be attending, some semesters have classes that are 8 credit hours, and that's the only class you take, for those semesters are you only getting 75% of the BAH for that area? Or do they adjust what they consider full time since a nursing program is full time.

I'm not in Nursing School yet, but I'm using my GI Bill to finish my pre-reqs, and applying to start this year. I've asked about this, and I think the key is getting the certifying official at the school to count clinical hours in addition to credit hours. There is a section in the GI Bill info written about this (they are called clock hours or something - teachers can use them for student teaching, etc) It should apply, and I hope it is not a battle!

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Awesome, thank you!

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Yeah, it's in Chapter 7 of the Certifying Officials handbook,

"f. Practical TrainingMeasured on Either a Credit Hour or Clock Hour Basis. Thereare several types of practical training that can be measured eitherway, whichever is to the student's advantage. If measurement is inclock hours, apply the 18-hour table in paragraph 7.05d. Thepractical training on the following list can be measured in eithercredit hours or clock hours:

(1) Nursing courses(registered nursing or practical nursing).

EXAMPLE: A nursing studenttaking 6 credit hours in an accredited nursing program might bein-training for 18 or more clock hours per week. The school mightcertify both the credit hours and the clock hours. In this case, theadjudicator should use clock-hour measurement since it would supporta higher training time; i.e., full-time. "

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Yeah, it's in Chapter 7 of the Certifying Officials handbook,

"f. Practical TrainingMeasured on Either a Credit Hour or Clock Hour Basis. Thereare several types of practical training that can be measured eitherway, whichever is to the student's advantage. If measurement is inclock hours, apply the 18-hour table in paragraph 7.05d. Thepractical training on the following list can be measured in eithercredit hours or clock hours:

(1) Nursing courses(registered nursing or practical nursing).

EXAMPLE: A nursing studenttaking 6 credit hours in an accredited nursing program might bein-training for 18 or more clock hours per week. The school mightcertify both the credit hours and the clock hours. In this case, theadjudicator should use clock-hour measurement since it would supporta higher training time; i.e., full-time. "

Thanks so much for this! I just got officially accepted into nursing school and I've emailed my VA office about using clock hours. I was wondering if you've had any success with this?

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Yes! I'm currently in an ADN program. My certifying official said "no one had ever requested to do that". But all that they needed was a letter from my professor stating that I would be under instruction for XX hours a week. That number needs to be above what they consider full time - and I can't remember off the top of my head what that is.

I think I'll have to do the same thing each semester, but it's worth it for the BAH! Right now our semester is only a 7 credit course, but for the first 6 weeks of school, we were in class/lab for 40 hrs a week.

Good luck! It can be done!

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I used the post-9/11 GI Bill for school and yes, clinical hours are used when figuring percentages for reimbursement.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

They should be able to certify you as full time. I have only used my GI Bill for grad school, which only needs 6 credits per semester to be considered full-time. Despite VA health care not always going smoothly, the education side of the house is great — once you get that benefit established, they are really easy to work with! One of the best things to come out of my time in the Army, besides meeting my husband (who is using his Post 9/11 for medical school, which is usually about 20 to 30 credit hours per semester, can you imagine?!). Good luck!! :)

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Yes! I'm currently in an ADN program. My certifying official said "no one had ever requested to do that". But all that they needed was a letter from my professor stating that I would be under instruction for XX hours a week. That number needs to be above what they consider full time - and I can't remember off the top of my head what that is.

I think I'll have to do the same thing each semester, but it's worth it for the BAH! Right now our semester is only a 7 credit course, but for the first 6 weeks of school, we were in class/lab for 40 hrs a week.

Good luck! It can be done!

My school isn't letting me use the clock hours. : /

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Sandpiper where are you going to school? Ours won't let us do it and we cant figure out why.. Do you have any more tips?

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Yes! I'm currently in an ADN program. My certifying official said "no one had ever requested to do that". But all that they needed was a letter from my professor stating that I would be under instruction for XX hours a week. That number needs to be above what they consider full time - and I can't remember off the top of my head what that is.

I think I'll have to do the same thing each semester, but it's worth it for the BAH! Right now our semester is only a 7 credit course, but for the first 6 weeks of school, we were in class/lab for 40 hrs a week.

Good luck! It can be done!

Hey, any chance you'd be willing to PM me your veterans service reps name and phone number? My school is just completely unwilling to do clock hours. Maybe there's something he would understand. I called the VA main office but I'd love to talk to an actual school level rep.

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This is a very helpful post! I've just been accepted into my school's nursing program and I'm trying to get this GI Bill business squared away. The unfortunate thing is my rep doesn't seem very familiar with the nursing program's unique set up vs a "normal" degree path. I've actually asked about these clinical/work hours because of the information I've read here. We'll see what they come back with. Thanks for the information, ya'll.

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