Using Your GI Bill Benefits in 75 Easy Steps!

No, it didn't really take me 75 steps to tap into my GI Bill benefits, although I'm not quite there yet and who knows? The number of steps may rise. But there are important factors to consider in which GI Bill to use, and some interesting tidbits that make all the difference in the world as far as which GI Bill works best. I don't claim to be an expert at all, but this is my experience.

Using Your GI Bill Benefits in 75 Easy Steps!

I knew I was going to use my GI Bill benefits for my pursuit of an FNP, so when I applied to school in the late summer, I submitted my application online here: Apply for Benefits - Education and Training. Clicking on "apply online" will take you to the Veterans On-Line Application (VONAPP) site.

Once you complete your VONAPP, make sure you save a copy of it - it allows you to save a PDF copy. You can go back in later and download another copy if you forget. I sent a copy to my advisor at school so they could see that I had applied for benefits. I applied to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33 benefits), thinking that it would be a better deal for me than the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) in the long run. But I was wrong! More on that later.

I applied in August, and after a couple of weeks, I received a letter from the VA that said, while they would simply love to approve my benefits, they were backlogged and it would be some time before they got to my application. Okay... no worries because it was still a couple of months until school started. Right?! Ha. Luckily my school has a program that allows me to pay for a course at the end of the semester due to my VA benefits status, so I don't need to pony up any dough until late December.

I was waiting to receive a certificate of benefits. And waiting. And waiting. I had thought it would be so simple! Look, I've served more than three years, here I am, what could be the hold up? Finally I called the VA two weeks ago and asked what the status was. As it turns out, the VA had contacted the Army to find out if I had ever declined the MGIB (Chapter 30 benefits) when I commissioned, and the Army hadn't responded. I didn't remember declining anything (and as it turns out, I didn't decline the MGIB), but I didn't have anything showing that I'd accepted it, either. So I asked if they could go ahead and contact the Army again, and apparently they heard back from the Army this time. The next thing I received in the mail last week was a letter stating that I wouldn't be eligible for Post 9/11 until I officially declined the MGIB, but this letter also contained an explanation of benefits under the MGIB vs. the Post 9/11 Bill. With more than three years of service, I am qualified for the three-year active duty MGIB or the Post 9/11 benefits.

One thing that I didn't realize was that distance programs aren't eligible for the full housing allowance (typically E-5 with dependents pay in the zip code of your school) after the student comes off of active duty. The benefit I would receive while still active duty under Post 9/11 is payment of tuition and fees, no housing allowance because I am already paid my Army Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). I thought that once I leave active duty in July, I would get the full housing allowance benefit under Post 9/11, but distance students get about half of the national average, which is currently $754/month. According to the VA, even though my FNP program has a practicum component for several of the FNP-specific courses, it is still whatever my school designates - distance, or not distance. In the case of my school, they designate it as a distance program, period. Whether or not a program is considered full-time is also designated by your school; the credit threshold is not set by the VA.

In looking at the MGIB, there were many positives: first, while on active duty, it will cover my tuition and fees. The way MGIB works for active duty is that it will pay the lesser of the two: the monthly benefit (currently $1717 if you are eligible for 100% or full-time) or the monthly pro-rated tuition and fees. So if my course costs $1800 and runs for 8 weeks, the MGIB will pay me $900/month to cover my course. When I leave active duty in July, I will receive $1717 per month while in school. It works out to where I can pay my tuition with the one month's payment, and then the next month is bankable.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill would cover my tuition and fees while on active duty, and would then pay me an extra $754 per month as a housing allowance once I leave active duty. It comes out to almost the same amount in benefits paid overall, but here's the big thing: if I use up all 36 months of my MGIB, I will still be eligible to use 12 months of the Post 9/11 GI Bill when I am done with the MGIB. So rather than 36 months of education benefits, I end up with 48 months. Not that I am excited at the prospect of four more years of school, but I anticipate that my FNP will require 22 months, leaving me 14 months of MGIB. And if I know myself (and I do), I'll probably head back to school for a DNP before all is said and done. I don't know how many months a DNP will take me, but probably more than 14 months. I'd rather have that extra 12 months of Post 9/11 available to me to tap into once I exhaust the MGIB.

When my husband goes to medical school next year, he will likely use his Post 9/11 GI Bill because his situation will be different: his tuition and fees will be much higher (but will be covered by Post 9/11), and he will be eligible for the full monthly housing allowance (probably about $1500/month). In his case, where the cost of his classes is much higher and he'll receive the full housing allowance, using the MGIB doesn't make sense.

So where am I now? I just sent in a signed form opting for the MGIB. If I decide for some reason that I need to switch to Post 9/11 down the road, I can do that - but I will only get as many months of Post 9/11 benefits as I have months of MGIB remaining, and I won't get that extra 12 months of Post 9/11 that I would receive if I used all 36 months of the MGIB. So if I use up only 10 months of MGIB and switch to Post 9/11, I will then only have 26 months of Post 9/11. But one thing to note is that once you decline MGIB and start receiving Post 9/11, you cannot go back and decide to use MGIB - you are then only eligible for Post 9/11.

The VA has some good information for people to peruse: Education and Training Home. There is a tool to help people evaluate how much they will receive under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, as well as informational handouts and forms here: Handouts and Forms - Education and Training. A FAQ site can be found here: Find Answers

Now get to class!

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Lunah

About Lunah, MSN, RN

(Editorial Team / Moderator)

Pixie.RN: a short green-eyed redhead, very tattooed, former paramedic, ED/trauma RN, educator, infection preventionist/epidemiologist, Army veteran (66T). Avid reader, new mommy, addicted to good shoes, allnurses, and her smartphone.

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I had no issues at all using my Post 9/11. Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe your schools Veterans assistance person is very out of touch with the system. Thank you for your 3 years service.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I had no issues at all using my Post 9/11. Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe your schools Veterans assistance person is very out of touch with the system. Thank you for your 3 years service.

I think it had more to do with the Army not doing anything about Montgomery GI Bill acceptance or declination when I commissioned. But thanks! It's been a little more than 3 years, lol.

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I am fighting the VA currently! I have been attending a yellow ribbon school for six months - all the time waiting for reimbursement- only to hear that the program is ineligible!!! Per the VA the schools rep has avoided calls and does not respond and the program was never submitted for approval. So I keep shelling out money while waiting for this process to be completed. No a fun process!!!

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

Yammar, that is horrible! I am so sorry. Is there somewhere (like an external website) to verify Yellow Ribbon status? I have some dim memory of something like that for programs approved for Army tuition assistance, maybe there is one for Yellow Ribbon. What does your school say?

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

Aha, there is a list... Yellow Ribbon Program Information 2014 - 2015 School Year - Education and Training

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

I have to give credit to the education specialists who answer the phone when I call the toll-free line - rarely is there a wait, and most of them are friendly and helpful. I am currently using my MGIB and just received my first payment via direct deposit on 3 December. :D So from application in August to payment in December, less than four months. Hahaha. Granted I had a few "issues," such as changing my selection from Post 911 to MGIB, and then waiting for the Army to verify that I hadn't declined the MGIB. But once they determined I was eligible, I got paid fairly quickly. Now as I understand it, I have to go online through the GI Bill Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) site (or call via the toll-free number) to verify each month that I am still attending school. Through the WAVE site I signed up for alerts to let me know when I need to verify attendance. Doesn't seem too complicated! The WAVE site is pretty helpful too - it shows status, monthly payment amounts, and also shows how many months of benefits you have remaining.

By the way, your "file number" is your social security number, in case you're wondering when you get to the WAVE site. :)

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

Less than 20 days until terminal leave! Wow. When I have my DD214 I will submit it to the VA so they can change my rate of pay for school. :D Hopefully that won't take too long!

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Specializes in ICU, Military.

pixieRN

I wanted to thank you for this breakdown! I am currently an Active Duty RN in the Navy's Nurse Corps and am looking to get out in 2 years when my orders are up, which will give me a total of 6 years Active Duty. I do remember declining the MGIB in Officer School when I commissioned, as we were told the Post-9/11 GIB was better... I have yet to look into the differences but very glad to see this writeup.

One question though: I remember the MGIB required you to pay around $1200 into the program in order to receive the benefits (the post 9/11 does not). They would take the amount out of our paychecks $100/month for 12 months. I'm almost certain this is still the case. Did you end up having to pay the full $1200? Just wondering.

Also it sucks that distance Ed programs only pay half the BAH.... Makes me want to go to a brick and mortar.

Anyways, I know i'm a little late in responding to your article but Bravo on the writeup! I am curious about how the MGIB has worked out for you in the end and where the $1200 came into play.

Thanks!

**Edit - I logged onto my electronic service record and was able to pull up a scanned .pdf of the form declining my MGIB. I wonder if I can un-decline if the bene's are better? LOL. Either way I feel fortunate to have this golden egg of a GI bill :)

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

The difference is pretty minimal for me, in the long run. Really the Post-911 just means that the money goes directly to the school with BAH to you, and with the MGIB you get all the cash and use it to pay tuition yourself. I think that the Post-911 is probably much better if you go to a brick and mortar program! But no, I never had to pay the $1200 to use the MGIB, and I think once you decline it, you can't un-decline. The forms I got from the VA when I was choosing were like "CHOOSE WISELY! THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE." lol

The only issue I am having now is that I am approaching 60 days post-ETS date and they are still paying me the active duty rate despite submitting my DD214 back at the beginning of June when I went on terminal leave. I am going to call on Monday and speak with someone, vs. submitting it through the GI Bill help desk as I have been. Sometimes I think it's because my school is based in the Midwest and I am in Georgia, so all my stuff has to make a couple of hops before getting to the correct office.

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Specializes in ICU, Military.
The difference is pretty minimal for me, in the long run. Really the Post-911 just means that the money goes directly to the school with BAH to you, and with the MGIB you get all the cash and use it to pay tuition yourself. I think that the Post-911 is probably much better if you go to a brick and mortar program! But no, I never had to pay the $1200 to use the MGIB, and I think once you decline it, you can't un-decline. The forms I got from the VA when I was choosing were like "CHOOSE WISELY! THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE." lol

The only issue I am having now is that I am approaching 60 days post-ETS date and they are still paying me the active duty rate despite submitting my DD214 back at the beginning of June when I went on terminal leave. I am going to call on Monday and speak with someone, vs. submitting it through the GI Bill help desk as I have been. Sometimes I think it's because my school is based in the Midwest and I am in Georgia, so all my stuff has to make a couple of hops before getting to the correct office.

Thanks for the prompt reply! Since I still have 2 years left on active duty, I'm hoping to have this all squared away before I get out. Just curious, since I will be eligible for the full active duty benefit (having 6 years active duty) how much would that potentially pay out? I've heard of the Yellow Ribbon program for insanely expensive programs but honestly i'm unsure how much that would pay and if I should even look at expensive programs such as Georgetown or Vandy? Do you know what a full benefit would pay? This would be helpful in looking at school options.

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

Check out the VA website: Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) Payment Rates for 2015 Academic Year (August 1, 2015 - July 31, 2016) - Education and Training

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