Posted on Feb 3, 2020
What happens when you use all of your GI Bill benefits?
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I have been using my Post 9/11 GI Bill to earn my AA degree and to work on my Bachelors. I have changed my major multiple times and have attended multiple institutions. I have tried different courses and classes trying to find my passion outside of the military. By the time my GI Bill benefits expire, I will still have 2 semesters of schooling before earning my Bachelors degree. I've considered paying for the rest out of pocket which would be fine but are there other options? Is there a trusted company who offers student loans specifically for veterans? I appreciate any and all help. Thank you.
Posted in these groups: 
GI Bill
Education
College
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Bachelors Degree
GI Bill Education College Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Bachelors Degree
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 12
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You'll get your $1200 you paid into your MGIB back once you exhaust your benefits. Hopefully that will help some.
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Suspended Profile
CWO3 (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see) - Thanks. With COVID crunch at VA & VAMC I might end up scheduled for a leg amputation in error.
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SSG Jason Penn
I paid into the Montgomery GI bill, started using my benefits under the MGIB, but later converted it to the Post 9/11 and finished all my benefits under the Post 9/11. Question is, it says that if you paid into it under the MGIB and then used all of your benefits under the 9/11. Will I still get the money back being that part of my benefits were used under the MGIB? The page isn't clear on whether I qualify.
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You could try for pell grants to pay for your last 2 semesters. Try filling out a free application for federal student aid form. Don’t go with private student loans if at all possible.
https://studentaid.gov/
What is your major now? What keeps prompting you to change fields? Too many times young people are looking for their “passion” and are disappointed when they don’t find it. Set your self an easier to achieve goal. Find a career that you don’t hate that you wouldn't mind doing for the next 30 years that pays the bills. If it is your passion, great. If it isn’t but you aren’t totally miserable that is great too. True happiness is exceedingly hard to find. Most people really have moments of happiness, moments of pain and then most of the time are meh. Just try and make your moments of happiness exceed your moments of pain and the meh will just fill in with a basically content state. My husband has a job that is not his passion. I was able to find one (engineering) that fits perfectly with who I am as a person so I have more job satisfaction than he does. Is it my passion? It’s hard to say. i am content with what I do, feel like I make a difference and am satisfied where I am in life. He struggles more than I do because of this. He is good at his job and successful but doesn’t have the contentment that I do. Where I am one of those people who live to work he is one of those that work to live. I cannot tell you which is the correct way of being. Both ways have god and bad points. You will have to decide that for yourself. Just find something and be a good, decent, productive member of society. Live your life to leave at least a small piece of the world a bit better. Then at the end of it all you can look back with satisfaction on a life well lived.
https://studentaid.gov/
What is your major now? What keeps prompting you to change fields? Too many times young people are looking for their “passion” and are disappointed when they don’t find it. Set your self an easier to achieve goal. Find a career that you don’t hate that you wouldn't mind doing for the next 30 years that pays the bills. If it is your passion, great. If it isn’t but you aren’t totally miserable that is great too. True happiness is exceedingly hard to find. Most people really have moments of happiness, moments of pain and then most of the time are meh. Just try and make your moments of happiness exceed your moments of pain and the meh will just fill in with a basically content state. My husband has a job that is not his passion. I was able to find one (engineering) that fits perfectly with who I am as a person so I have more job satisfaction than he does. Is it my passion? It’s hard to say. i am content with what I do, feel like I make a difference and am satisfied where I am in life. He struggles more than I do because of this. He is good at his job and successful but doesn’t have the contentment that I do. Where I am one of those people who live to work he is one of those that work to live. I cannot tell you which is the correct way of being. Both ways have god and bad points. You will have to decide that for yourself. Just find something and be a good, decent, productive member of society. Live your life to leave at least a small piece of the world a bit better. Then at the end of it all you can look back with satisfaction on a life well lived.
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You're out of cash. Seriously, I don't know because I paid in $1200 before retiring and never used it. Good on you for doing this while young. I'm 62 and still haven't figured out what I want to be if/when I grow up. Have to settle for PFC (Proud F'in Civilian) I guess. Life's a journey, not a destination. Good luck and keep at it.
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PFC Kyle Corcoran As a reply; how many aptitude tests have you taken in your search for a ‘passion’?
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The chances aren't too good, but they exist. If you have, or can establish, a service connected disability rated at 20% disabling or higher, BEFORE you exhaust your Post 9/11 GI Bill explore switching to Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation benefits. A Voc Rehab Specialist with VA can explore those possibilities with you. Voc Rehab is far more flexible than other education programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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SGT Robert Pryor
SGT Richard Souza - Actually, Vocational Rehabilitation has far more flexibility what you will read. even on the VA web site. If you can show employment impairment due to any service connected disability, even as low as zero percent, Voc Rehab benefits MAY be granted. Likewise, you might read that there is an eligibility window. Again, that's not etched in stone. That is mostly to encourage eligible veterans to get on with it as soon as possible. Obviously a disability may prevent a veteran from beginning their program for any number of years. When that condition reaches a point to where the veteran can finally use Voc Rehab, the benefit will be granted, regardless of time limits. I once obtained a new Voc Rehab eligibility for a service disabled vet that had been out for 35 years, had previously used up all of their Chapter 31 Voc Rehab benefits 30 years earlier. I did so by showing that their previous college degree was antiquated and their service related condition was still presenting employment problems that needed to be addressed. The VA granted an additional two years eligibility so the veteran wound up receiving over 70 months of VA education assistance lifetime (between Chapter 34 -- Viet Nam Era GI Bill benefits -- and Chapter 31 Voc Rehab benefits because that's what the VA said it took to accommodate their disabilities. Never take anything for granted when it comes to Voc Rehab, in spite of what you might read. The VA's primary objective is to help the veteran find suitable employment in spite of their service connected disabilities. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist handling the Voc Rehab claim has the authority to override any program limitations if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the disabled veteran -- as it should be. So I encourage anyone with service connected disabilities to at least explore the possibility of obtaining benefits through Chapter 31 -- Vocational Rehabilitation.
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If you were on the Montgomery GI bill than you can file for an additional 12-18 months under the post 9/11. Otherwise you can apply for the pell grant if you are over the age of 24 (just fill out a fasfa) and you'll get around $6k per year till you earn your first bachelor's degree
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If you use all of you GI Bill benefits, then you're done as far as I know. I squeezed two Masters Degrees our of my GI Bill.
You need to visit two offices at the school you're attending: guidance and financial aid.
The counseling office should be have some testing available for no or low cost that will help guide your future. I took the "Strong Interest Survey" as part of my guidance counseling degree. It showed the job categories that most closely matched my interests. I was already an Air Force pilot at the time. The Survey said my interests most closely matched chef/cook, Naval Officer, teacher. Pilot was quite a ways down the list. I do enjoy cooking.
Financial Aid should help you with applying for scholarships, grants, and loans to finance your education.
Please, keep skilled trades in mind as you go through the "what do I do next" process. There is high demand for people with training and skills such as mechanics, machinists, welders, electricians, plumbers, IT technicians, and many others. Many of these trades have paid apprenticeships leading to journeyman salaries in excess of $70K/yr.
You need to visit two offices at the school you're attending: guidance and financial aid.
The counseling office should be have some testing available for no or low cost that will help guide your future. I took the "Strong Interest Survey" as part of my guidance counseling degree. It showed the job categories that most closely matched my interests. I was already an Air Force pilot at the time. The Survey said my interests most closely matched chef/cook, Naval Officer, teacher. Pilot was quite a ways down the list. I do enjoy cooking.
Financial Aid should help you with applying for scholarships, grants, and loans to finance your education.
Please, keep skilled trades in mind as you go through the "what do I do next" process. There is high demand for people with training and skills such as mechanics, machinists, welders, electricians, plumbers, IT technicians, and many others. Many of these trades have paid apprenticeships leading to journeyman salaries in excess of $70K/yr.
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Check with your State. For example: Texas offers the Hazelwood act; which covers over 120 in state credit hours.
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SSG Jason Penn
The Hazelwood act requires that you were a resident of Texas when you went to MEPS. I wasn't, I was an Iowa resident, but became a Texas resident while still serving, once I retired, I looked into it, and found out that I didn't qualify due to my residency status when I joined the Army. However, very sound advice, look into what ever is available, and don't just settle with one source.
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Wasn't this addressed by the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship with the new changes of the Forever GI Bill? Unless you're not a STEM major, then forget everything I said. You can always apply for other types of scholarships, and most schools have a merit based one that involves keeping a certain GPA. Some banks also have a community service scholarship. There is free money out there, you just need to look and it's better than paying for 1 year (or 2 semesters) of school if you can avoid it.
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Maybe "finding my passion" wasn't the right terminology. I think I have taken so much time to earn my degree because of the luxury and flexibility of the GI Bill. To have your education paid for and to be paid to be a student is a blessing. I'm very thankful for it. I'm just going to pay for the last 2 semesters out of pocket. Only seems right. I just wanted to reach out to the Rally Point community and see what others had to say. Thank you!
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