Questions about the GI Bill to help pay for school

SmilingBluEyes · Jun 2, 2005

There IS a time limit. Mine was 8 years from the time I separated, if I remember correctly. Need to check w/the VA for details!!! there should be a VA education rep at your college/university to ask all of this. Good luck.

bobnurse · Jun 2, 2005

its 10 years..........Im not sure when he served his time, but its 10 years. You get around $35,000.00 dollars, and thats roughly around $900.00 per month for 36 months for full time students. Its 10 years from his discharge date. You should contact the VA benefits center at the school. There are times or circumstances that it can go beyond the 10 years, and some circumstances where its a little shorter. Im not sure about reserve benefits, this is in regards to active duty.

LilRedRN1973 · Jun 2, 2005

My husband got out in 1997 and his entitlement will expire in June 2007. We have used his GI Bill to pay for not only his schooling, but my nursing school as well. Without it, I don't know how we would have done it. For full time, he receives $1400 a month, which is a HUGE help and covers all our educational expenses. He has what's called the "kicker" (I have no idea what on earth that is; only that it gives him more money than normal).

I do know that it's not only a time limit, but months as well. My hubbie's entitlement will either expire in 2007 OR a certain amount of months (I can't remember how many). Not sure how that works...contact your local VA representative at a nearby school.

Melanie = )

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2005

its 10 years..........Im not sure when he served his time, but its 10 years. You get around $35,000.00 dollars, and thats roughly around $900.00 per month for 36 months for full time students. Its 10 years from his discharge date. You should contact the VA benefits center at the school. There are times or circumstances that it can go beyond the 10 years, and some circumstances where its a little shorter. Im not sure about reserve benefits, this is in regards to active duty.

Entitlement can vary based on your initial year of enlistment.

schoolgirl05 · Jun 2, 2005

i am using my gi bill right now.. When I started school in 2002, i was getting about 900 a month.. It has since gone up and I am now getting over 1000 a month.. it depends on how many days you go to school in the month. if you only go a couple days (like in may for example) it is prorated.

If you plan it right you can get it to last your entire education. I will finish my BSN in december and will have had the GI bill the entire time I was in school. I did not have any classes prior to this.. meaning no transfer credits.. As a result of the gi bill (and because I go to a public school) I have no student loans. I pay for everything out of my GI bill money including books, tuition, uniforms, steths, etc.. I will have about 3k left when I am done.

I did not use my benefits one summer because I had some money leftover from the semester. But the other summer I went to school I used my benefits.

I got out in 99 and I had till 09 to use my benefits. I don't think there is any way around it. People do lose their benefits for not using them.

My dh also has the GI bill but he is active duty and got his bachelors and masters through other air force programs so unless the air force decides to let dependents use it, it will not get used when he gets out (unless he is really bored and decided to go back to school but i doubt that haha.)

You do have to be enrolled to get the money but you can use that money for whatever you want.. so say you get a scholarship and your tuition is paid that semester, you can use that money for bills, vacations, etc..

Oh and if you are enrolled half time you will get only half time money but i think it still counts as your time (36 months) so it benefits you to go full time.

schoolgirl05 · Jun 2, 2005

i just re read your post and realized what you were asking. I thought you were thinking about joining.. im a dork.. oh well. in case anyone else interested there is my story. haha

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Jun 2, 2005

The rates go up every October, so while it may be $1000/month now, in October it will go up some more. We use it also during summer school because my fiancee is almost out of time. His expires in 2007. When you use it for summer school, it doesn't necessarily get prorated. For example: we get out of school May 15th, so 3 days later we get half of the payment- but summer school starts May 23rd, so from may 23-31 we get the other half of the payment. So you will still get the entire month's payment, even though you had a week or so off from school. My fiancee's GI bill is paying for his school (graphic arts) and my nursing, and then I get the nursing $$ back in tuition reimbursement from work--it's a beautiful thing...

onehusbandsevenkids · Jun 2, 2005

Well, now I'm really bummed out. Dh was discharged from active duty in '90.

Shoot. It would have helped our family immensly to have those benefits.

Its never been a good time for dh to enroll in school until now. Due to many issues. How I wish there was a way around the time frame. Now I'm mad at dh for not taking advantage of it when he could!!!!

Thanks for the responses anyhow.

Blessings,

Stephanie

mama to 7

in Nursing school and about to take a CNA course.

schoolgirl05 · Jun 2, 2005

The rates go up every October, so while it may be $1000/month now, in October it will go up some more. We use it also during summer school because my fiancee is almost out of time. His expires in 2007. When you use it for summer school, it doesn't necessarily get prorated. For example: we get out of school May 15th, so 3 days later we get half of the payment- but summer school starts May 23rd, so from may 23-31 we get the other half of the payment. So you will still get the entire month's payment, even though you had a week or so off from school. My fiancee's GI bill is paying for his school (graphic arts) and my nursing, and then I get the nursing $$ back in tuition reimbursement from work--it's a beautiful thing...

Yes it is wonderful isn't it? haha

I forgot to add that you can even get it to pay you while you are NOT in school ifyou are normally a full time student but you don't get as much. Like one month I was not in school (from the middle of december to the middle of jan) and I got 800 thatmonth.. They said that it was becuase i was normally a full time student and I was not going to stop going to school. I didn't like that so I told them I didn't want them to do that anymore. But I guess that is a way to use it up fast if you are in a time crunch...