What is everyone's experience with the post 9/11 GI Bill?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:14:30 -0400

Response by CPT Mark Gonzalez made Jun 9 at 2017 7:56 AM

CPT Mark Gonzalez — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:56:13 -0400

Absolutely excellent. Has been paying for an $85k MBA program and BAH on top of it. The GI Bill is one of the few government programs that is run smartly, in that they only pay while you are in school. So any breaks your checks are prorated. So that part sucks, but it saves them money.
The GI Bill portion of the VA runs great, and you shouldn't have any issues from them, but maybe a little based on the school. Since you only have so many months of eligibility just be strategic on how you use it. An example is don't waste the gi bill on a cheaper program if you plan to also get an expensive graduate degree. Or since you only have so many months of eligibility just cram as much as possible in. Tuition is no joke at some schools.

Response by SGT Aaron Atwood made Jun 9 at 2017 7:59 AM

SGT Aaron Atwood — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:59:02 -0400

As long as the paperwork and process are taken care of asap I found I had no issues with it. Between a degree, a new instrument, and helping to fund a summer session in Switzerland I like to think I used it well.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Jun 9 at 2017 9:03 AM

SGT Dave Tracy — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 09:03:43 -0400

It took an inordinate amount of time for VA to verify I qualified, but after that it's been great. It's such a good deal, I'm surprised Congress hasn't killed it yet. ;-)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2017 2:01 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 14:01:57 -0400

Overall my experience was pretty good. I had a couple of hiccups, but that mostly fell on the certifying official at my school who happened to be a piece of crap (ended up getting fired not long after I left). When I came back on active duty I signed the rest of mine over to my wife. The only issue we've had with that so far was the GI Bill folks at the VA didn't realize I was back on AD (even though I notified folks at the VA many times of the change) and therefore we shouldn't collect the housing allowance. We ended up having to pay pack a small debt, but it wasn't too big of a deal.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2017 4:12 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 16:12:39 -0400

Mostly positive. I wrote a short blog about it shortly before graduating with tips.

https://jtspratley.com/blog/five-extremes-with-the-post-911-gi-bill

Five Extremes with the Post 9/11 GI Bill - Jt Spratley

Jt Spratley's blog posts on Black culture, music, cybersecurity, and free open-source software (FOSS).

Response by LTC Patrick Turner made Jun 11 at 2017 8:53 PM

LTC Patrick Turner — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 20:53:42 -0400

It was excellent for both myself and my daughter. I was able to transfer all of it and avoided over $75,000 worth of college costs.

Response by SFC Joseph Madison made Jun 13 at 2017 9:15 AM

SFC Joseph Madison — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 09:15:50 -0400

It has been excellent for me. It's paying for my phd and the BAH! Something I learned, it pays BAH for the zip code your school is in. I have a residency/online program, but because I have to physically attend the school 2 days a semester it is considered brick and mortar rather than on line. It's a great program and I recommend waiting until after you're out before using it or lose the sweet sweet BAH. Or as someone else did, give it to the kids

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2017 9:51 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 09:51:33 -0400

I had to use it ICW Tuition Assistance so I could finish my Master's. TA doesn't cover all of graduate classes and for the first few years I could afford to cover the other half. Then I got married...

You can use it with TA on active duty. You just get tuition and the book stipend. I have 30 months left. I could get another Master's I suppose. Not sure what though.