2011 Getting Uncle Sam To Pay For Your College Degree

MilitaryHandbooks2011 GettingUncleSamtoPayforYourCollegeDegree
2011GettingUncleSamtoPayforYourCollegeDegree
Publishedby MilitaryHandbooks,FREEMilitaryHandbooksandGuidesSince2001
________________________________________________________________________ Copyright20012011.MilitaryHandbooks,7200NW86thStreet, KansasCity,MO64153.MilitaryHandbooks Website:http://www.militaryhandbooks.com.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyform orbyanymeanswithoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthePublisher.PrintedintheU.S.A. Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritativeinformationinregardtothesubjectmattercovered. Itispublishedwiththeunderstandingthatthepublisherisnotengagedinrenderinglegal,accountingorother professionalservice.Iflegaladviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentprofessional personshouldbesought.FromaDeclarationofPrinciplesjointlyadoptedbyacommitteeoftheAmericanBar Associationandacommitteeofpublishersandassociations. Gotohttp://www.militaryhandbooks.com tosignupforyourFREEMilitaryHandbookstoday!
www.militaryhandbooks.com FREEMilitaryHandbooksandGuidesSince2001 1
Contents
1. 2. 3. Introduction...3 An OverviewofEducationalBenefits...4 ScholarshipMythBusting..5 AWinningGamePlan...7 KindsofScholarships...7 TheScholarshipEssay..8 U.S.GovernmentEducationBenefits.....11 MontgomeryGIBill ActiveDuty (MGIBAD).11 Montgomery GIBill SelectedReserve(MGIBSR)...14 ReserveEducationalAssistanceProgram(REAP)15 VeteransEducationalAssistanceProgram(VEAP)..17 EducationalAssistanceTestProgram(Section901).............18 SurvivorsandDependentsEducationalAssistanceProgram(DEA)..18 NationalCalltoServiceProgram..19 HowtoApplyforGIBillBenefits....20 TransitionAssistance.....20 ForeignTraining....21 EducationPrograms........26 InstitutesofHigherLearning(IHL)...26 NonCollegeDegree (NCD)Training...26 OntheJob&ApprenticeshipTraining.....27 FlightTraining...27 IndependentTraining,DistanceLearning,InternetTraining....27 CorrespondenceTraining ...27 NationalTestingProgram..27 LicensingandCertification 27 EntrepreneurshipTraining .28 WorkStudyProgram.29 CoopTraining...30 AcceleratedPaymentofMGIBAD..31 TuitionAssistanceTopUp....32 TutorialAssistanceProgram ..32 TypesofFederalStudentAid.........33 LookingforStudentAid .41 TheSelfAwardedScholarship.44 FreeStudentAidInformationandSources..46
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Introduction
Ifyouthinkcollegeisexpensive,tryignorance. Acollegeeducationcouldbeworthamilliondollarstoyouinincome alone.Onemilliondollarsisthedifferenceinaveragelifetimeearningsbetweenthosewhoobtainacollegedegree andthosewhodont.Throwawayyourchanceatacollegeeducation, andyouarevirtuallythrowingawayamillion dollars! Butwhatyoulearnincollegeisworthmorethanjustmoney.Incollege,younotonlylearnhowtoconduct independentresearch,youalsobegintoacquiretheunderstandingandculturalacquisitionswhicharethehallmarkof aneducatedperson.Youlearnhowtogetmoreoutoflife.Youalsoformlifetimefriendships,and valuable connectionsthatwillenhanceyourlifeandcareer. Ofcourse,collegeisnottheonlyplaceyoulearnaboutlife.Thereismuchtobesaidfortheexperiencegainedinthe schoolofhardknocks.Ultimately,experienceistheonlyteacher.Butincollege,youlearnhowtolearnfromthe experienceofothersthisisthebeginningofthewisdomyouhaveearnedtherighttoacquire. Asamemberofthemilitarycommunity,youhaveaccesstoenormouseducationalbenefits.Hundredsofmillionsof dollarsareavailableinscholarshipmoney.Theindividualstudentcangetover$71,000forschool. Usetheeducationbenefitsyou'veearnedthroughyourservice! Anationwhoisgratefulforyourservicewantsyouto takefulladvantageoftheseopportunities.Thisuniqueguideshowsyouhow.Itgivesyoutheinformationyouneed tomoveforwardwithyoureducationalgoalsandwillbeyourtrustedreferenceguideasyoumakedecisionsthatwill benefityouandyourfamily,buildingabetterfutureforyouandournation.Hereyouwilllearnaboutthemany opportunitiestofinanceyoureducation,bothfromtheU.S.governmentandotherinstitutions.Wellexplainjusthow thescholarshipgameisplayed,sharesecretsofthosewhowinitbiginthisgame,guideyoutoinvaluablescholarship resources,warnyouofscamsandpitfallstowatchoutfor,explainhowtoputyoureducationonthefasttrack,and mostimportant showyouhowtocreateyourownwinninggameplanandputitintoaction. Wewishyouthebestofluck. TheMilitaryHandbooks Staff
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AnOverviewofEducationalBenefits
Manypeoplehavefarmorefinancialaidoptionsthantheyrealize,accordingto WinningScholarshipsforCollege:An Insider'sGuide.TheserangefromfortyWestinghousescholarshipsof$1,000to$40,000forgiftedmathandscience students(call2027852255formoreinformation),tothefarout,likethe18orso$300to$500scholarshipsawarded eachyearbytheHilgenfeldFoundationforMortuaryEducation(P.O.Box4311,Fullerton,Calif.92834)forstudents interestedinthefuneralindustry. TherearemanyresourcesavailabletoAmericanswhoyearnforhighereducationandthebetterlifeitbrings.Oneof themostimportantwasaproductofwar.On June22,1944,PresidentFranklinDelanoRooseveltsignedintolawone ofthemostsignificantpiecesoflegislationeverproducedbytheUnitedStatesgovernment:TheServicemembers' ReadjustmentActof1944,commonlyknownastheGIBillofRights.Bythe timetheoriginalGIBillendedinJuly 1956,7.8millionWorldWarIIveteranshadparticipatedinaneducationortrainingprogramand2.4millionveterans hadhomeloansbackedbyVA.Today,thelegacyoftheoriginalGIBilllivesonintheMontgomery GIBill. Foroversixdecades,thelawhasmadepossibletheinvestmentofbillionsofdollarsineducationandtrainingfor millionsofveterans,andthenationhasinreturnearnedmanytimestheinvestmentthroughgreaterearningsfrom taxesandadramaticallyenhancedsociety.Ifanyoneeverdoubtedthateducationisthebestinvestment,thisgreat socialexperimentestablishedtheprinciplebeyondquestion. Thelawalsomadepossibletheloanofbillionsofdollarstopurchasehomesformillionsofveterans,andhelpedto transformthemajorityofAmericansfromrenterstohomeowners,notonlyincreasingthewealthofindividualsbut providingasolidfoundationforasecureandstablesociety. TheVeteransAdministration(VA)wasresponsibleforcarryingoutthelawskeyprovisions:educationandtraining, loanguarantyforhomes,farmsorbusinesses,andunemploymentpay.Today,theVAcontinuestoadministermodern equivalentsoftheseservicesforournationsveterans.Thesesameveteransarealsoeligibleforahugepoolofother scholarships.Toknowhowtopursuetheseopportunitiesrequiresunderstandingwhatcouldbecalledthescholarship game. Thereisagreatdealofmisunderstandingabouthowthisgameisplayed.Inthenextchapter,wellbeginby examiningsomecommonmisconceptions.
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ScholarshipMythBusting
Moreoftenthannot,whateveryoneknowsaboutthescholarshipgameisfalse.Togiveyourselfthebestchanceof winningthescholarshipgame,itscrucialtohaveaclearpictureofhowitisplayed.Amisunderstandingofthe realitiesoffinancinghighereducationkeepsmanypeoplefromthesuccesstheydeserve.Inparticular,thefollowing fivemythsareproblematic: Myth#1Itshard togetfreemoneyforcollege. Thetruthisthatjustaboutanyonecangetfreemoneytogotocollege.All ittakesisthreethings.First,educate yourselfabouttheprocess.Learnhowthegameisplayed.Second,completetheapplicationsproperly.Third,follow up.Sothemainruleinthefreecollegemoneygameissimply:Apply!Itcostsyounothingbutsomepostageand somehoursofwork.So longasyoumeetthebasicrequirements,applyforasmanygrantsandscholarshipsasyou canpossiblyhandle. Tocashin,youneedtoknowhowthesystemworks.Youneedtoknowwhogivesthemoneyaway,whytheydoit, andwhattheywantinreturn.Thenstartdoingtheresearch,identifyandprioritizethebestscholarshipsforyou,doa goodjobonasmanyapplicationsasyoucanmanage,andsendthemout.Maybeit'snotquite aseasyasbuying lotterytickets,butyourchancesaremuchbetterandyoudon'thavetopayforaticket! Myth#2Onlybrainiacswith4.0gradeswinmeritscholarships. YoudonthavetobeEinsteintowinlucrativemeritscholarships.Theygotoallkindsofstudents.Someofthe biggestawardsgotostudentswhodedicatethemselvestosuchactivitiesasmusic,drama,communityservice,graphic andwebdesign,science,speech,leadership,andphotography.Ifyouhaveapassionforatopic,thechancesare excellentthatfinancialhelpisavailabletohelpyoumasterit. Thegoodnewsisthatmanyoftheseawardsaregradeneutral.Theydontevenconsideryourgradesinmakingthe grant.Plus, manyofthose thatconsiderGPAsusethemonlyasapreliminaryfilter.Soaslongasyouhavethe minimumGPA oftenaslowas2.5 youveclearedthemainhurdleandhaveasgoodachanceasthe4.0studentto winthescholarship. EvenprogramsthatuseGPAasacriterionconsiderotherfactorsaswell.Infact,someprogramsarefamousfor choosingstudentswholacktopgrades. Myth#3Onlythosewithalowincomestatusgetfinancialhelpforcollege. Thiserrorcomesfromconfusing need basedand meritbasedscholarships,nottomentionfailingtounderstand howthefinancialaidprocessworks.Meritscholarshipsignorefinancialneedentirely.Yourlastnamecouldbe Rockefellerandyoudstillqualifyforameritscholarship.Andyoudonthavetobebrillianttowinamerit scholarship.Theyareawardedonthebasisoftalents,interest,achievements,activities,skills,andpersonal characteristics. Beyondthis,needbasedscholarshipsarenotjustforpeoplelivinginlowincomeareas.Collegeissoexpensivetoday thatmillionsofmiddleincomefamiliesqualifyforfinancialhelp.Anotherplus:thebetter,moreexpensiveschoolsare moregenerouswithfinancialaid.So,dontbeshyaboutapplyingtothemostcostlyschools.Iftheywantyou,they wontletyourlackofmoneykeepyouout.
Myth#4Scholarshipsareonlyawarded tojocksandminorities. Whileitcanbe truethathaving blondhairandblueeyesdisqualifiesyouforcertain scholarships,therearemany awardsthat donottakeintoaccountyourheritage.Ifyouareatopnotchathlete,thereiscertainlyamuchlargerpool ofeducationaldollarsavailabletoyou.Butthereisalsoawidevarietyofscholarshipsavailabletononathletesand thosewhoarentconsideredtobeaminority.Scholarshipdonorstrytoencouragemanydifferentkindsofstudents fromburgerflipperstosurfers,lefthandedpeopletomoviemakers. Nomatterwhatyourbackgroundorskills,there isascholarshipforyou. Myth#5Itsall overwhenyouregraduatedfromhighschool. Justbecauseyoudidnotaccumulateastunningacademicrecordinhighschooldoesntmeanyourenotgoingtofind financialhelpforschool.Nomatterhowfaralongyouareinyoureducationaljourney,therearescholarships availabletoyou.Andonceyouactuallygetintocollege,theresaliteralbonanzaofopportunities.Andremember, itsnevertoolatetolearn.Fewscholarshipprogramshaveagerequirements.
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AWinningGamePlan
Therearebillionsofdollarsinscholarshipsforallkindsofstudents.Nomatterwhatyourage,background,GPA, financialsituation,orrace,withasolidstepbystepgameplanyoucanwinbigmoney topayforthecollegeofyour dreams. Studentswhoareshoweredwiththousandsofdollarsinscholarshipsarentnecessarilysmarterorluckier theydidntjuststumbleoverapotofgold.Inthisareaespecially,youmakeyourownluck.Youneedto dowhatis necessarytogetlucky.Mainlyidentifyscholarshipopportunitiesandgoafterthemaggressively. KindsofScholarships Youneedtoknowthedifferencesbetweenthetypesofsourcesoffundingavailableformostcollegestudents.The threegeneraltypesofscholarshipsareindividual,stateandloans. Individual Whilesearchingfortherightcollege,askadmissionsofficersaboutscholarshipprospects.Everyschoolhasdifferent rules.Findoutwhatscholarshipsareavailable,whatyouhavetodotobeconsideredandwhentheapplication deadlineis.Schoolsareincreasinglyofferingscholarshipsforreasonsbeyondacademicsandathletics,someforvery specifickindsofstudents.SomeofthisinformationwillbeavailableontheschoolsWebpage. Makefriendsatthefinancialaidoffice.Usually,financialaidofficersknowalotmoreaboutwhatscholarshipsare availablethantheadmissionspeople.Theparticularacademicdepartmentyoureenteringisanothergoodsource. Facultymembersarelikelytoknowaboutscholarshipsintendedfortheirparticularmajorandoftenhavecontacts outsidethecollege.Somedepartmentsevenhavetheirownscholarships. StateScholarships Assistancebeyondtheusualtuitionhelpisoftenavailablefromstateeducationagencies.Manystudentsoverlook these.Contactyourstateshighereducationagencytofindopportunities.Togetstarted,doanonlinesearchof,e.g., ConnecticutDepartmentofEducation. Loans Notallloansneedtobepaidback.Insomefieldswheretheresashortageofqualifiedprofessionals,youllfind forgivableloans.Undersomeconditions,youdonthavetopaybacktheloan,plusthesecomewithaguaranteedjob aftergraduation.Offeredbybothgovernmentagenciesandprivateemployers,forgivableloanstypicallyneednotbe paidbackifthestudentagreestoworkfortheorganizationacertainamountoftime. Assumingyouhavethedeterminationandmotivationtocarryitout,thefirstthingyouneedisagameplan.Thefirst thingtounderstandisthatthisisanumbersgame.Hereisamathproblemforyou.Ifyousubmitfiftyscholarship applications,youarehowmanytimesmorelikelytowinascholarshipthanifyousubmitjustoneapplication?Ifthe ticketsarefree,wouldyouratherhavefiftylotteryticketsorone?Putthenumberstoworkforyou. Hereisthegoodnews.Itisnotfiftytimeshardertosubmitfiftyapplicationsthanitistosubmitone.Theyreall prettymuchalike.Onceyouvedonealltheworktogettheinformationtogetherforasingleapplication,itsnothard todoanother.Andthecenterpieceofyourapplication thethingthatmakesthebigdifferenceandishardesttodo: thescholarshipessay isapieceofcaketoadaptforadditionalapplications.Youonlyneedtowriteitonce,then changeitsfocusasneededfordifferentschoolsandinstitutions.
TheScholarshipEssay Oneofthemostimportanttoolsinsearchingforfundsisthescholarshipessay.Youcan'tchangewhoyouare,butyou canmakeyourapplicationsomethingthatshowsyouaremorethanjustoneofmany. Takingtimetoreflectonwhatyou'llsayintheapplicationessaycanshowthatyou'renotjustfollowingthepack. Examinethepurposelyvagueessayquestionsanduse themasavehicletocovervariousfacetsofyourlifeincluding hobbies,personalexperiences,leadershiproles,andfavoriteactivities. Comingacrossasgenuineinessaysisvital.Andofficialsagreethatthemainreasonapplicantsgetrejectedisbecause theapplicationisbasedonwhattheyperceiveadmissionspeoplewanttohearinsteadofbeingtrulyauthentic.Many peoplethinkschoolsaremostconcernedabouttheprettinessoftheessays,butnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth. Itsnotanessaywritingcontestitsapersonalityrevelationprocess. MixingUptheEssay Thoseinsideadmissionsofficesattopschoolsacknowledgethatwhilepotentialstudentsareallheldtothehighest standards,applicationsarelookedatonanindividualbasis.Thisgiveseachschoolanopportunitytoassemblea diverseenteringclass.Thismeansmorewiggleroomforthosewithoutperfectacademicrecords. Todemonstrateindividuality,writetheessayoutofchronologicalorderbyskippingthetraditionalintroductionand getrightintoauniquestorywhichveersawayfromanalltoofamiliarbackground. Youmightfocusonyour experienceinthemilitaryandhowyouwouldbringarmedforcesleadershipskillstotheschool. Whilehighscoresspeakforthemselves,therestofanapplicationshouldconveywhoyouareandwhatyou'llbelike asastudent.Itsnotallaboutgradesandscoresitsimportanttoshowwhatyou'llbringtothecommunity. TheScholarshipApplication Herearesomesuggestionsthatcanmakeabigdifferenceintheresultsyourapplicationgets: 1. PayAttentiontoDetails.Mostapplicationsaskforyourname,address,dateofbirth,andexpectedgraduation date.Becareful omittinginformationcancostyou.Forexample,some applicationsask studentsunder18to haveaparentorguardiansigntheform.Applicantswhoignorethatwillhave amarkagainstthemfromthe start. 2. BeConcise,butCreative.Judgeswillbeimpressedbywhatyouwrite nothow muchyouwrite.Tryto emphasizewhatmakesyoudifferentfromeverybodyelse,andletyourpersonalityshowthroughsojudgescan feelconnectedtoyou. 3. HaveSomeSelfrespect.Whenexplaininghowyouovercameahardship,don'tmilkyourdifficulties.The judgeshouldadmireyouandyourachievementsnotsquirminherseatasifshe'spassingacarwreck! 4. BeHumble.Whenreportingaccomplishments,don'tbecocky.Trytoconveyyourdedicationandskill,but alsomaintainmodesty.Watchforabraggingtone. 5. DotheMath. Ifanapplicationasksforyourfamily'sincomeorcollegeexpenses,makesurethosefinancial numbersarecorrectandaddup. 6. ChooseYourRecommendationsWisely.Often,it'shardtopickscholarshipwinnersfromapoolofsomany excellententries.Outstandinglettersofrecommendationsmaymakethedifference.Helpthosewritingthese
lettersdothebestjobpossible.Givethem asummaryofyourachievements,goals,andallthescholarship information. 7. Don'tMisstheDeadline.Afteryouworkhardputtingtogetherthebestapplicationpossible,makesureitgets read. 8. KeepitSimple. Doyouchoosebigwordswhenlittleoneswilldo?Doyouprefermanywordswhenafew willsuffice?Itsamistake.Somewritersthinkbigwordssoundsophisticated.Othersthinkblankspaceona pageimpliesinsufficientthought.Still,othersstriveforthudfactor,thinkingthatwritingmoremakestheir answerbetterinsteadofjustlonger.Writeleanandmean. Thekeytofindingthemoneytoreachyoureducationalgoalsisto study.Seekandyoushallfind.Ifyouarereally motivatedandwillingtoputsomeenergyintoresearch,youlluncovermanysourcesofaid.Everythingyouneedto knowtofindthemoneyyouneedforschooliseasilyavailableonlineorinbooksthatwill costyoulittleornothingto use.Ifsomecompanytellsyoutopaythemtoresearchthesamedatabasesyoucanexploreonyourown,hang onto yourwalletorpurse andrun.Forgettheirglitteringpromises.Thesecompaniescannotgiveyouanyinformationyou couldnotfindonyourown.Allyouneedisdetermination,agoodgameplan,andthemotivationtoputthatplaninto action. SearchingforScholarships Justrememberthatitsanumbersgame.Themoneyisnotgoingtofalloutoftheskyyouhavetogoafterit. You wanttomakesuretoapplyforahugenumberofscholarshipsinsteadofjustafewconstructoneessayandadaptit slightlyforseveralscholarshipessays. DoNOTpayforanonlinescholarshipservice. Gotoagoodonlinescholarshipsearchengine,suchasFastWebor Mach25,whichare100percentfree.FastWebisespeciallygood,becauseitfeaturesarticlesthatcontainagooddeal ofexcellentadvice. Don'tforgettofilloutthe FreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA)everyyear. TheFAFSAisthegateway tothelargestpoolofeducationalbenefits.Toapply,goto http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.Theyhaverecentlysimplified theprocessoffilingthisapplication. AWinningApplicationStrategy Startearly! Thebestsinglepieceofadvicewecangiveyouistobeginyoursearchearly.Manyprogramshave deadlinesnearlyayearbeforethebeginningoftheschoolyear.So,togiveyourselfthebestshotatmaximizingyour results,starttwoyearsoranabsoluteminimumofatleastayearandahalfbeforetheschoolyearyouwanttoenter. Itsimpossibletostarttooearlyandeasytostarttoolate. Hereisagoodtimetableforsuccess: ScholarshipTimetable 1824monthsbeforeyouneedthemoneyStartsearchingforsources.Beginwriting the firstdraftofyour scholarshipessay. 1218monthsbeforeyouneedthemoney Write andsubmityourapplications,finishyourbasicscholarship essay,adapttheessaytoparticularinstitutions,andfollowupasneeded. 69monthsbefore Followupwithorganizationsthat havenotgivenyouadecision(ifdeadlineispast). Summerbeforeschoolstarts Inform the financialaidofficeaboutanyscholarshipsyouhavebeengranted. Askwhatimpactthiswillhaveonearlierscholarships.
30daysbeforeschoolstarts Writethankyounotes. Fall Startoveragainto findnewandrenewexistinggrants.
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U.S.GovernmentEducationBenefits
MontgomeryGIBill ActiveDuty Happily,theprocessforapplyingforeducationalbenefitsfromUncleSamrequiresconsiderablylessdedicatedeffort thansearchingforascholarshiporgrant.ThebasiceducationalbenefitisprovidedbytheMontgomeryGIBill.The MontgomeryGIBill ActiveDuty,calledthe"MGIB"forshort,providesupto36monthsofeducationbenefitsto eligibleveteransfor: College TechnicalorVocationalCourses CorrespondenceCourses Apprenticeship/JobTraining FlightTraining HightechTraining Licensing&CertificationTests EntrepreneurshipTraining CertainEntranceExaminations YoucannowsearchforapprovedprogramsofeducationontheVAWebsite.Youcansearchforapprovedprograms atcolleges,noncollegedegreegrantinginstitutions,licensing&certificationgrantingproviders,andnationaltesting providers.Tobeginyoursearch,visithttp://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/Search_Programs.htm Eligibility YoumaybeaneligibleveteranifyouhaveanHonorableDischarge,ANDyouhaveaHighSchoolDiplomaorGED orinsomecases12hoursofcollegecredit,ANDyoumeettherequirementsofoneofthefourcategoriesdescribed below. CATEGORYI EnteredactivedutyforthefirsttimeafterJune30,1985 Hadmilitarypayreducedby$100amonthforfirst12months Continuouslyservedfor3years, OR2yearsifthatiswhatyoufirstenlistedfor,OR2yearsifyouentered the SelectedReservewithinayearofleavingactivedutyandserved4years("2by4"Program)
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CATEGORYII Enteredactivedutybefore January1,1977 Servedatleast1daybetween 10/19/84and 6/30/85,andstayedonactivedutythrough 6/30/88,(or6/30/87if youenteredtheSelectedReservewithin1yearofleavingactivedutyandserved4years) On 12/31/89, youhadentitlementleftfromVietnamEraGIBill CATEGORYIII NoteligibleforMGIBunderCategoryIorII Onactivedutyon 9/30/90AND separatedinvoluntarilyafter2/2/91, ORinvoluntarilyseparated onorafter11/30/93, ORvoluntarilyseparatedundereithertheVoluntarySeparationIncentive(VSI)orSpecialSeparationBenefit (SSB)program Beforeseparation,youhadmilitarypayreducedby$1200 CATEGORYIV Onactivedutyon 10/9/96AND youhadmoneyremaininginaVEAPaccountonthatdate ANDyouelected MGIBby 10/9/97 ORenteredfulltimeNationalGuarddutyundertitle32,USC,between 7/1/85,and 11/28/89AND youelected MGIBduringtheperiod 10/9/96,through 7/8/97 Hadmilitarypayreducedby$100amonthfor12monthsormadea$1200lumpsumcontribution BenefitsPaid Themonthlybenefitpaidtoyouisbasedonthetypeoftrainingyoutake,lengthofyourservice,yourcategory,andif DODputextramoneyinyourMGIBFund(called"kickers").Youusuallyhave10yearstouseyourMGIBbenefits, butthetimelimitcanbeless,insomecases,andlongerundercertaincircumstances. ThetablebelowshowsthebenefitspayableeffectiveOctober1,2009.Thesearethe EducationalAssistance AllowancesfortraineesundertheMontgomeryGIBillActiveDuty(Ch.30oftitle 38U.S.C.).Thefollowingbasic monthlyratesareeffectiveOctober1,2010.
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Fortraineesonactiveduty,paymentislimitedtoreimbursementoftuitionandfeesforthetrainingtaken. Thefollowingratesapplytothosecompletinganenlistmentofthreeyearsormore. EffectiveOctober1,2010. VERIFIEDon1/13/2011.
InstitutionalTraining TrainingTime Fulltime 3/4time 1/2time lessthan1/2timemorethan1/4time 1/4timeorless Monthlyrate $1,426.00 $1069.50 $713.00 $713.00** $356.50 **
Thefollowingratesapplytothosecompletinganenlistmentoflessthanthreeyears.UPDATEDOctober1,2010
InstitutionalTraining TrainingTime Fulltime 3/4time 1/2time lessthan1/2timemorethan1/4time 1/4timeorless Monthlyrate $1,158.00 $868.50 $579.00 $579.00** $289.50 **
Formoreinformationonbenefitrates,visit: http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_BILL_INFO/RATES.HTM
HowtoApply YoucanapplybyfillingoutVAForm221990,ApplicationforEducationBenefits.Youcandownload acopyofthis formontheVAWebsite. MoreInformation Calltollfree 1888GIBILL1
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MontgomeryGIBill SelectedReserve BenefitDescription The MontgomeryGIBill SelectedReserveprogrammaybeavailabletoyouifyouareamemberoftheSelected Reserve.TheSelectedReserveincludestheArmyReserve,NavyReserve,AirForceReserve,MarineCorpsReserve, CoastGuardReserve,theArmyNationalGuard, andtheAirNationalGuard. Youmayusethiseducationassistanceprogramfordegreeprograms,certificateorcorrespondencecourses, cooperativetraining,independentstudyprograms,apprenticeship/onthejobtraining,andvocationalflighttraining programs.Remedial,refresheranddeficiencytrainingareavailableundercertaincircumstances. EligibilityforthisprogramisdeterminedbytheSelectedReserve components.VAmakesthepaymentsforthis program. Youmaybeentitledtoreceiveupto36monthsofeducationbenefits. Ifyoureligibilitytothisprogrambeganonor afterOctober1,1992,yourperiodofeligibilityends14yearsfromyourbeginningdateofeligibility,oronthedayyou leavetheSelectedReserve. IfyoureligibilitytothisprogrambeganpriortoOctober1,1992,yourperiodofeligibilityends10yearsfromyour beginningdateofeligibility,orontheday youleavetheSelectedReserve. Oneexceptiontothisruleexistsifyouaremobilized orrecalledtoactivedutyfromyourreservestatus inthiscase, youreligibilitymaybeextendedfortheamountoftimeyouaremobilizedPLUSfourmonths.Forexample,ifyouare mobilizedfor12months,youreligibilityperiodisextendedfor16months(12monthsactivedutyPLUS4months).So evenifyouleavethereservesaftermobilization,youmayhaveadditionaleligibilitytotheMGIBSR. Eligibility Toqualify,youmustmeetthefollowingrequirements: HaveasixyearobligationtoserveintheSelectedReservesignedafterJune30,1985.Ifyouareanofficer, youmusthaveagreedtoservesixyearsinadditiontoyouroriginalobligation.Forsometypesoftraining,itis necessarytohaveasixyearcommitmentthatbeginsafterSeptember30,1990 Completeyourinitialactivedutyfortraining(IADT) MeettherequirementtoreceiveahighschooldiplomaorequivalencycertificatebeforecompletingIADT. Youmaynotuse12hourstowardacollegedegreetomeetthisrequirement RemainingoodstandingwhileservinginanactiveSelectedReserveunit. IfyourReserveorNationalGuardunitwasdeactivatedduringtheperiodOctober1,1991,throughSeptember30, 1995,oryouwereinvoluntarilyseparated(e.g.,reductioninforce)fromReserveorNationalGuardserviceduringthat sameperiod,youwillretaineligibilityforMGIB SRbenefitsforthe full14yeareligibilityperiod.Youwillalso retainMGIB SReligibilityifyouweredischargedfromSelectedReserveserviceduetoadisabilitythatwasnot causedbymisconduct.Youreligibilityperiodmaybeextendedifyouareorderedtoactiveduty.
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HowtoApply YourunitwillgiveyouDDForm23841,NoticeofBasicEligibility,whenyoubecomeeligiblefortheprogram.Your unitwillalsocodeyoureligibilityintotheDepartmentofDefensepersonnelsystemsothatVAmayverifyyour eligibility. YoushouldthenmakesurethatyourselectedprogramisapprovedforVAtraining.Ifyouarenotclearonthispoint, VAwillinformyouandtheschoolorcompanyabouttherequirements. ObtainandcompleteVAForm221990,ApplicationforEducationBenefits.SendittotheVAregionalofficewith jurisdictionovertheStatewhereyouwilltrain. Ifyouhavestartedtraining,takeyourapplicationandyourNoticeofBasicEligibilitytoyourschooloremployer.Ask themtocompleteVAForm221999,EnrollmentCertification,andsendalltheformstoVA. Youcanalsoapplyonline.Foranelectronicapplicationformthatmaybecompletedandsubmittedonline,visit: http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp. ReserveEducationalAssistanceProgram(REAP) REAPwasestablishedasapartoftheRonaldW.ReaganNationalDefenseAuthorizationActforFiscalYear2005.It isaDepartmentofDefenseeducationbenefitprogramdesignedtoprovideeducationalassistancetomembersofthe Reservecomponentscalledororderedtoactivedutyinresponsetoawarornationalemergency(contingency operation)asdeclaredbythePresidentorCongress.TheDepartmentofDefenseandtheDepartmentofHomeland Securitywilldeterminewhoiseligibleforthisprogram.TheDepartmentofVeteransAffairswilladministerthe programandpaybenefitsfromfundscontributedbyDOD. QualificationsforREAP TheSecretariesofeachmilitaryservice,DepartmentofDefense,andDepartmentofHomelandSecurity(CoastGuard) willdetermineeligibilityandestablishtheprogramtoprovideeducationalassistancetomembersoftheReservesof thearmedforceswhoarecalledtodutyfor90daysormore.Membersmaybeeligibleafterserving90consecutive daysonactivedutyafterSeptember11,2001. REAPmonthlypayments ThebenefitpayableunderREAPisapercentageoftheChapter30threeyearormoreenlistmentrate($1,101.00asof 10/1/07). Ifyouserve90daysbutlessthan1year,youwillreceive40%ofthethreeyearrate. Aserviceperiodof1yearbutlessthan2yearsofactivedutywillpay60%ofthethreeyearrate. Aserviceperiodofmorethan2yearsonactivedutywillresultinan80%paymentofthethreeyearrate. IMPORTANT:Membersonactivedutyareonlyentitledtobereimbursedfortheactualcostofthetuitionandfeesof thecoursestaken(nottoexceedthestatutoryrate). Note:Thisbenefitisretroactiveto September11,2001.Areservistattendingschoolwillbepaidapercentageofthe MGIBthreeyearrateineffectduringthetimeinwhichhe/shewasenrolled.Forexample:Thethreeyearfulltime MGIBrateinJuneof2002was$800.Someonebeingpaidthe40%rateforschoolenrollmentinJune2002would receive$320forfulltimemonthlybenefits.
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AmountofentitlementunderREAP Youwillreceive36monthsoffulltimeentitlementatyourgivenrate.AREAPparticipantmaynotusemorethan48 monthsofentitlementunderanycombinationofVAEducationalprograms. Forexample,ifyouvealreadyused20monthsofChapter1606,youwillonlyreceive28monthsofREAP. LengthofbenefitsunderREAP YoumayuseyourbenefitsunderREAPaslongasyouremainwithinyourcomponent.Benefitsmustbeterminatedif youleavetheReservesorparticipateinaROTCprogramunderTitle10Section2107. Membersreleasedfordisability Membersreleasedearlyfordisabilityincurredoraggravatedinthelineofduty areeligibleto receiveREAPbenefitsat theratetheywerequalifiedforwhentheywerereleased.Forexample,ifaclaimantservedonactiveduty foroneyear and6monthspriortobeingreleased,heorshewouldbeentitledtoreceivebenefitsatthe60%rateforaslongas they'reentitledtoREAPbenefits.Membersreleasedpriortocompleting90daysofactivedutyservicewouldbe entitledtobenefitsatthe40%rate.Ifyouarereleasedfordisability,youareentitledtoREAPbenefitsfor10years fromyourdateofeligibility REAPbenefitsconcurrentlywithanotherMGIBbenefit YoucannotreceiveassistanceundermorethanoneVAEducationprogramatonetime.IfyouareeligibleforMGIB ActiveDuty(chapter30)becauseyouservedondutyforaminimumof24consecutivemonths,youmustmakean irrevocableelectionastowhichprogramyouwillapplyyourtimeonactiveduty.IfyouareeligibleforaChapter 1606kicker,youcanstillbepaidthatkickerwhilereceivingREAP EducationprogramsareapprovedunderREAP Alleducationprograms,withtheexceptionofNationalExamination/TestingReimbursementarepayableunder REAP. WhentoapplyforREAP VARegionalProcessingOfficesin Atlanta, St.Louis, Buffalo,and Muskogeeareacceptingapplicationsand supportingdocumentsforREAPclaims. Ifyouhaveneverappliedforbenefitsbefore,completeVAForm1990andwrite REAPinsectionone.Ifyouare alreadyeligibleforVAEducationbenefitsunderanotherprogram,submitVAForm1995andnotatethatyounow wishtouseREAP.SubmitcopiesofallDD214sandcopiesofallordersfortheperiod(s)youwillusetoclaim eligibility. Benefitsandelectiondatechosen VeteranseligibleforREAPwillmostlikelyalsobeeligibleforChapter1606.TheREAPprogrampaysabitmore thanChapter1606.YoumustweighthebenefitsofretroactivelyelectingREAPwiththebenefitsofusingitforfuture training. ExampleA BobiseligibleforChapter1606andREAP.Heused4monthsofentitlementunderChapter1606inthe Springof2002.BobcouldrequestretroactivepaymentunderREAPforthatperiodbasedonhisactivedutyperiodin 2001.ThefulltimerateunderREAPforthatperiodwouldbe$320.00/month.ForChapter1606,thefulltimerate was$272.00.Bobalreadyreceived$1088.00inChapter1606benefits.UnderREAPhewouldreceive$1280.00.If
BobretroactivelychoosesREAP,hewillreceiveanadditional$192.00forthedifferencebetweenthetwoprograms.Is itmoreadvantageousforBobtotaketheextra$192.00forREAP,ortoelectREAPfromthecurrentdateforward?If Bobtakestheretroactivebenefitamount,henowhas32monthsofREAPtouseforanyfuture schoolenrollment.If Bobdoesn'trequestretroactivebenefits,henowhas36monthsofbenefitsat40%ofthecurrentMGIBthreeyearrate ($401.60forfiscalyear2005).Bobmustdeterminewhathehasusedinthepast,howmuchschoolingheneedsto completeinthefuture,anddeterminewhichoptionwillbemostadvantageoustohiminthelongrun.InBob's situation,itmightbemoreadvantageousforhimnottoretroactivelyelectREAPbenefits. ExampleB SusieiseligibleforChapter1606andwould beeligibleforREAPbasedonactivedutyservedin2001 2002.Shehasbeeninschoolfulltimecontinuouslysinceshereturnedfromactiveduty.Todate,shehasused31 monthsofChapter1606benefits.ForsomeoneinSusie'ssituation,shemightbenefitmorefromretroactivelyselecting REAPbenefits.Shewouldreceivethedifferencebetweenthetwoprograms,andwouldstillhave17monthsoffull timeREAPbenefitsremaining. VeteransEducationalAssistanceProgram(VEAP) BenefitDescription VEAPisavailableifyouelectedtomakecontributionsfromyourmilitarypaytoparticipateinthiseducationbenefit program.Yourcontributionsarematchedona$2for$1basisbytheGovernment.Youmayusethesebenefitsfor degree,certificate,correspondence,apprenticeship/onthejobtrainingprograms,andvocationalflighttraining programs.Incertaincircumstances,remedial,deficiency,andrefreshertrainingmayalsobeavailable. Benefitentitlementis1to36monthsdependingonthenumberofmonthlycontributions.Youhave10yearsfromyour releasefromactivedutytouseVEAPbenefits.Ifthereisentitlementnotusedafterthe10yearperiod,yourportion remaininginthefundwillbeautomaticallyrefunded. Eligibility Toqualify,youmustmeetthefollowingrequirements: Enteredserviceforthefirsttimebetween January1,1977,and June30,1985 OpenedacontributionaccountbeforeApril1,1987 Voluntarilycontributedfrom$25to$2700 Completedyourfirstperiodofserviceand Weredischargedorreleasedfromserviceunderconditionsotherthandishonorable.
IfyouarecurrentlyonactivedutyandwishtoreceiveVEAPbenefits,youmusthaveatleast3monthsof contributionsavailable. Contributionsmaybewithdrawnifyoudonotmeetthebasiceligibilityrequirementsorifyouformallyrequesta refundofthecontributionswithheld. HowtoApply YoushouldmakesurethatyourselectedprogramisapprovedforVAtraining.Ifyouarenotclearonthispoint,VA willinformyouandtheschoolorcompanyabouttherequirements. Youcannowsearchforapprovedprogramsof educationontheVAWebsite.Youcansearchforapprovedprogramsatcolleges,noncollegedegreegranting institutions,licensing&certificationgrantingproviders,andnationaltestingproviders.Tobeginyoursearch,visit http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/Search_Programs.htm.
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ObtainandcompleteVAForm221990,ApplicationforEducationBenefits.SendittotheVAregionalofficewith jurisdictionovertheStatewhereyouwilltrain.Ifyouarenotonactiveduty,sendcopy4(MemberCopy)ofyourDD Form214,CertificateofReleaseorDischargeFromActiveDuty.Ifyouareonactiveduty,youmusthaveyour enrollmentapprovedbyyourbaseEducationServicesOfficer,andyoumusthaveyourserviceverifiedbyyour CommandingOfficer. Ifyouhavestartedtraining,takeyourapplicationandMemberCopyofDDForm214toyourschooloremployer.Ask themtocompleteVAForm221999,EnrollmentCertification,andsendalltheformstoVA.Ifyouwishtowithdraw yourcontributionsfromVEAP,obtainandcompleteVAForm245281,ApplicationforRefundofEducational Contributions,andsendittoyournearestVAregionaloffice. AdditionalinformationisavailablebycontactingyourlocalVARegionalOfficetollfree,18884424551. EducationalAssistanceTestProgram(Section901ofPublicLaw96342) Section901isanEducationalAssistanceTestProgramcreatedbytheDepartmentofDefenseAuthorizationActof 1981(PublicLaw96342)toencourageenlistmentandreenlistmentintheArmedForces.Benefitsareavailableto individualswhoenteredonactivedutyafterSeptember30,1980,andbefore October1,1981(orbefore October1, 1982,ifentrywasunderadelayedenlistmentcontractsignedbetween September30,1980,and October1,1981). AirForceEligibilityRequirementsforSection901 Allthreeofthefollowingcriteriamusthavebeenmettoestablisheligibilityforthisbenefit. Musthaveenlistedbetween December1,1980andSeptember30,1981. EnlistmentmusthavebeeninoneofthefollowingAirForceSpecialties:20723,20731,20830,46130, 46230A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,J,orZ,46430,81130 Enlistmentmusthavetakenplaceatoneofthefollowinglocations: Beckley,WVBuffalo,NYDallas,TX Fargo,NDHouston,TXJackson,MS Louisville,KYMemphis,TNOmaha,NEPhiladelphia,PA Seattle,WASiouxFalls,SDSyracuse,NY SurvivorsandDependentsEducationalAssistanceProgram(DEA) BenefitDescription DEAprovideseducationandtrainingopportunitiestoeligibledependentsofveteranswhoarepermanentlyandtotally disabledduetoaservicerelatedcondition,orwhodiedwhileonactivedutyorasaresultofaservicerelated condition.Theprogramoffersupto45monthsofeducationbenefits.Thesebenefitsmaybeusedfordegreeand certificateprograms,apprenticeship,andonthejobtraining.Ifyouareaspouse,youmaytakeacorrespondence course.Remedial,deficiency,andrefreshercoursesmaybeapprovedundercertaincircumstances. SpecialRestorativeTrainingisavailabletopersonseligibleforDEAbenefits.TheDepartmentofVeteransAffairs mayprescribespecial restorativetrainingwhereneededtoovercomeorlessentheeffectsofaphysicalormental disabilityforthepurposeofenablinganeligible persontopursueaprogramofeducation,specialvocationalprogram orotherappropriategoal.Medicalcareandtreatmentorpsychiatrictreatmentisnotincluded. ContactyourlocalVA officeformoreinformation. SpecialVocationalTrainingisalsoavailabletopersonseligibleforDEAbenefits.Thistypeofprogrammaybe approvedforaneligiblepersonwhoisnotinneedofSpecialRestorativeTraining,butwhorequiressuchaprogram becauseofamentalorphysicalhandicap.ContactyourlocalVAofficeformoreinformation. Eligibility
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Youmustbetheson,daughter,orspouseof: Aveteranwhodiedorispermanentlyandtotallydisabledastheresultofaserviceconnecteddisability.The disabilitymustariseoutofactiveserviceintheArmedForces. Aveteranwhodiedfromanycausewhilesuchserviceconnecteddisabilitywasinexistence. Aservicemembermissinginactionorcapturedinlineofdutybyahostileforce. Aservicememberforciblydetainedorinternedinlineofdutybyaforeigngovernmentorpower. PeriodofEligibility Ifyouareasonordaughterandwishtoreceivebenefitsforattendingschoolorjobtraining,youmustbebetweenthe agesof18and26.Incertaininstances,itispossibletobeginbeforeage18andtocontinueafterage26.Marriageis notabartothisbenefit.IfyouareintheArmedForces,youmaynotreceivethisbenefitwhileonactiveduty.To pursuetrainingaftermilitaryservice,yourdischargemustnotbeunderdishonorableconditions.VAcanextendyour periodofeligibilitybythenumberofmonthsanddaysequaltothetimespentonactiveduty.Thisextensioncannot generallygobeyondyour31stbirthdayhowever,therearesomeexceptions. Ifyouareaspouse,benefitsend10yearsfromthedateVAfindsyoueligibleorfromthedateofdeathoftheveteran. Forsurvivingspouses(spousesofservicememberswhodiedonactiveduty)benefitsend20yearsfromthedateof death. HowtoApply YoushouldmakesurethatyourselectedprogramisapprovedforVAtraining.Ifyouarenotclearonthispoint,VA willinformyouandtheschoolorcompanyabouttherequirementsoryoucancheckonlinetoseeifaprogramis approved. ObtainandcompleteVAForm225490,ApplicationforSurvivors'andDependents'EducationalAssistance.Senditto theVAregionalofficewithjurisdictionovertheStatewhereyouwilltrain.Ifyouareasonordaughter,underlegal age,aparentorguardianmustsigntheapplication. Ifyouhavestartedtraining,takeyourapplicationtoyourschooloremployer.AskthemtocompleteVAForm22 1999,EnrollmentCertification,andsendbothformstoVA. NationalCalltoServiceProgram Beginningon October1,2003,thisprogramofferscashincentivesforenlistment. TheNCSprogramhasathreepartservicerequirement: 1. First,aftercompletionofinitialentrytraining,individualsmustserveonactivedutyinamilitaryoccupational specialtydesignatedbytheSecretaryofDefenseforaperiodof15months. 2. Afterthis,andwithoutabreakinservice,theseindividualsmustserveeitheranadditionalperiodofactive dutyasdeterminedbytheSecretaryofDefense,oraperiodof24monthsinanactivestatusintheSelected Reserve. 3. Aftercompletionofthisperiodofservice,andalso,withoutabreakinservice,theremainingperiodof obligatedservicespecifiedintheagreementwillbeservedasfollows: onactivedutyinthearmedforces intheSelectedReserve
intheIndividualReadyReserve inAmericorps,oranotherdomesticnationalserviceprogramjointlydesignatedbytheSecretaryof Defenseandtheheadofsuchaprogram AnycombinationoftheservicereferredtoabovemayalsobeapprovedbytheSecretaryofthemilitarydepartment concerned pursuanttoregulationsprescribedbytheSecretaryofDefense andspecifiedintheagreement.
ChoiceofIncentives Individualswhoparticipateinthisnewprogramhaveachoiceofincentivesasfollows: Cashbonusof$5,000 Repaymentofaqualifyingstudentloannottoexceed$18,000 Entitlementtoallowanceequaltothe3yearmonthlychapter30ratefor12months($1,034effectiveOct1, 2005) Entitlementtoallowanceequaltofiftypercentofthelessthan3yearmonthlychapter30ratefor36months (Fiftypercentof$840effectiveOct.1,2005) Coordinationwith MontgomeryGIBillBenefits ThebasicruleisthatNationalCalltoService(NCS)participantsarenotentitledtoadditionalassistanceunderchapter 1606orchapter30 benefits.However,iftheNCSparticipanthaseligibilityundereitherofthesechapters,heorshe maybepaidtheamountofchapter1606orchapter30benefitsminusanyamountspaidundertheNCSprogram.The educationbenefitoptionswillbeadministeredtotheextentpossiblelikechapter1606oftitle10. HowtoApplyforGIBillBenefits Online Visithttp://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.aspforanelectronicapplicationformthatmaybe completedand submittedonline. Currentregulationsrequirethatyousend theVA asignatureinthemailaftersubmissioninorder forthem toprocessyourapplication. ApplyforGIBillBenefitsUsingaHardcopyForm Visithttp://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/education_forms.htm forahardcopyapplicationyoucanprint,complete, andmailto theVA. Ifyoudon'thavethecapabilitytoprintouttheformorapplyonline,youcancall1888GIBILL 1(18884424551)tohaveaformmailedtoyou. Youmayalsoreceiveanapplicationformattheschoolortrainingestablishmentyouwishtoattend.TheVA Certifyingofficialattheschool (usuallylocatedintheRegistrar'sorFinancialAidoffice)shouldhavetheforms available,canassistyouinfillingthemout,andwillsubmitthemtoVA. TransitionAssistance TheDepartmentofVeteransAffairs(VA)hasanactiveroleinTransition AssistanceProgram(TAP)andDisabled TransitionAssistanceProgram(DTAP)throughoutthe UnitedStatesandaroundtheworld.Sincetheimplementation ofTAP/DTAPthroughtheoriginallegislationVAhasprovidedbenefitinformationtoseparatingservicemembersand theirfamilies.
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VAencouragesallseparatingservicememberstocontacttheirrespectiveFamilyServiceCenters/TransitionCenterto determinewhentheTransitionAssistanceBriefingsarescheduledforaparticularsiteandattend.Thesebriefings provideinformationwhichwillhelpyoumakethetransitiontocivilianlifeeasierbyensuringyouareawareofthe manyVAbenefitsavailabletoyou. MilitaryServicesCoordinators(MSCs)conductTAP/DTAPbriefingsattransitionsiteslocatedatmilitaryinstallations acrossthecountryaswellasatlocationsinEuropeandthe FarEast.Thesebriefingsprovideinformationonthefull rangeofVAbenefitstoincludebutnotlimitedtodisabilitycompensation,education,homeloanprogram,insurance, vocationalrehabilitation,andburialbenefits. Disabledtransition(DTAP)isanintegralpartofthetransitionprogramandconcentratesonthoseservicemembers beingseparatedduetoadisabilityincurredwhileonactiveduty. Almostwithoutexception,anMSCisassignedtoeachVARegionalOfficeacrossthecountryandheorshevisitsthe transitionsiteswithintherespectivestatetoprovidetheTAP/DTAPbriefings.VAalsohasanOverseasMilitary ServicesPrograminwhichVA representativesareassignedtohosttransitionsitesinboththeEuropeanandPacific Theaters.Theserepresentativesprovidebenefitbriefingsattransitionsitesthroughoutthecountrytowhichtheyare assigned. ThisprogramisjointlyfundedwiththeDepartmentofDefense. VAcurrentlyhascounselorsassignedin Germany,England,Italy,Japan,andon Okinawa.Itinerantserviceisalso providedin Spain,Turkey,Iceland,Panama,and GuantanamoBay,Cuba.Seealsohttp://www.gibill.va.gov/links.htm andhttp://www.gibill.va.gov/Vet_Info/tar.htm. ForeignTrainingforVeterans,Servicepersons,Reservists,andEligibleDependents Eligibility 1. Tobeeligiblefortraininginaforeignschool,youmustmeetthesamebasiceligibilityrequirementsasfor trainingintheUnitedStates.Inaddition,thetrainingattheforeignschoolmustbeataninstitutionofhigher learningleadingtoastandardcollegedegree,ortheequivalent,andtheprogramofeducationattheforeign institutionmusthavebeenapprovedbyVA. YoushouldsubmittheappropriateapplicationformlistedbelowtoVA.Alloftheseformscanbedownloaded fromtheWebsite http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/education_forms.htm. Ifyouknowtheforeigneducationalinstitutionandprogramofeducationyouintendtopursue,pleaseindicate thisonyourapplication. a.)Veterans/Servicepersons/Reservists SubmitVAForm221990,ApplicationforEducationBenefits,ifyouareaveteran,serviceperson,orreservist andareapplyingforthefirsttime. SubmitVAForm221995,RequestforChangeofProgramorPlaceofTraining,ifyouareaveteran, serviceperson,orreservistandyouarerequestingachangeofprogramorplaceoftraining. b.)Dependents SubmitVAForm225490,ApplicationforSurvivorsandDependents'EducationalAssistance,ifyouarea spouseorachildandareapplyingforthefirsttime.
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SubmitVAForm225495,RequestforChangeofProgramorPlaceofTraining SurvivorsandDependents EducationalAssistance,ifyouareaspouseorachildandyouarerequestingachangeofprogramorplaceof training. c.)DisabledVeterans SubmitVAForm281900,DisabledVeteransApplicationsApplicationforVocationalRehabilitation,ifyou haveaserviceconnecteddisabilitywhichVAhasratedatleast20percentdisabling,or10percentdisablingif youhaveaseriousemploymenthandicap. 2. IfyouaredeterminedtobeeligibleforVAbenefits,youwillbeissuedaCertificateofEligibilityshowingthe numberofmonthsofentitlementyouhave,aswellasthedateyoureligibilityexpires.Ifpossible,youshould havethisdocumentinyourpossessionbeforeenrollingataforeignschool. 3. Youshouldsubmityourapplicationearlyenoughtohavetheprogramofeducationapprovedbeforeleaving theUnitedStates.(SeeGeneralInstructionbelow.) 4. YoumayreceiveVAbenefitsunderthefollowingprogramsofeducationalassistance: a.) MontgomeryGIBill ActiveDuty(Chapter30) b.)MontgomeryGIBill SelectedReserve(Chapter1606) c.)PostVietnamVeteransEducationalAssistanceProgram VEAP(Chapter32) d.)SurvivorsandDependentsEducationalAssistanceProgram(Chapter35) e.)EducationalAssistancePilotProgram(Section901) f.)OmnibusDiplomaticSecurity&AntiterrorismAct GeneralInstructions 1. Beforeenrollingataforeignschool: a.)DetermineifyourprogramofeducationisapprovedforVAbenefits.Theeducationalinstitutionyouplanto attendshouldbeabletoadviseyouiftheprogramyouareinterestedinpursuingattheirschoolhasalreadybeen approvedforVAbenefits.Ifyouareunabletoobtainthisinformationfromyourschool,contacttheVAat https://www.gibill2.va.gov/vba/vba.cfg/php.exe/enduser/std_alp.php,providethenameoftheforeignschool,the completeaddress,andthenameoftheprogramyouintendtopursue.TheVA willadviseyouwhethertheprogram hasalreadybeenapprovedforVAbenefits. IMPORTANT: IftheprogramofeducationyouintendtopursuehasnotyetbeenapprovedforVAbenefits,you shouldcontactanofficialfromtheforeignschoolandrequesttheyapplyforapproval.Only anofficialofthe foreignschoolmayapplyforapprovalofaprogramyoucannotsubmittherequestontheschoolsbehalf. b.)Makearrangementswiththeschoolforacceptance,enrollment,paymentoftuitionandfees,andforanyother requirementssuchaslivingaccommodations. c.)Makearrangementsfortravelincludingyourpassport,visa,andvaccinations,asrequired.Youshouldalso checkwithyourintendedschooltoascertaintheschoolsorhostcountrysrequirementsforhealthinsurance.This isveryimportantsince,insomeinstances,youmaynotbeabletostartclassesuntilhealthinsurancearrangements havebeenmade.
d.)MaintainasufficientfinancialreservetocareforallofyourneedsuntilVAeducationalassistanceallowance paymentsbegin.Pleasebearinmind thatanypaymentofVAbenefitswillbemadedirectlytoyou,nottheschool. VAbenefitratesaresetbyCongressbasedonyourtrainingtimeandattendancetheywillnotnecessarilycover thetotalcostofyourschoolstuitionandfees.Youaresolely responsibleforpaymentofallchargesassessedby yourschool. Ifyourprogramofeducationhasalreadybeenapproved,youwillnormallyreceiveyourfirstcheckonlyafteryou havecompletedyourfirstmonthofschool.Chapter30orChapter1606studentshavetheoptiontohavebenefit paymentsdepositedintoaUnitedStatescheckingorsavingsaccount. IMPORTANT: IfyouarereceivingbenefitsunderaprogramotherthanChapter30orChapter1606,orifyou donotarrangeforpaymentstobedepositedintoaU.S.account,paymentswillbemailedtotheAmerican EmbassyinthecountryofyourresidenceandwillbeforwardedtoyoubytheEmbassy.Thismaydelay receiptofyourchecksbyupto30days.Pleaseplanaccordingly. IMPORTANT:Ifyourprogramofeducationhasnotalreadybeenapproved,youmayexperiencefurther delayswhileVAevaluateswhetheryourprogramcanbeapprovedforVAbenefits.Ifapprovalofyour programofeducationisdeniedbyVA,youwillstillberesponsibletoyourschoolforallcharges,including tuitionandfees. e.)SomecountrieshavetheirownversionofthePrivacyAct.Studentsattendingschoolinthesecountriesshould furnishwrittenpermissiontoschoolofficialsallowingthemtoreleaseinformationasnecessarytoVA.Failureto dosomayaffectreceiptofVAbenefits. 2. Afterenrollingataforeignschool: a.)SubmityourapplicationtoVAatleast90daysinadvanceofyourdeparturetoensureampletimefor processing.Promptprocessingofyourapplicationforforeigntrainingwillbegreatlyfacilitatedifyousendyour applicationtotheappropriateVAoffice. b.)Allstudents(withtheexceptionofthoseapplyingforVocationalRehabilitationbenefitsunderChapter31) shouldmailthecompletedapplication,orsignatureformifapplyingonline,tothefollowingaddress: ForeignSchoolApprovalGroup(22ESU) VARegionalOffice 130S.ElmwoodAvenueSuite601 Buffalo,NY 14202 c.)Chapter31studentsshouldsubmittheirapplicationtotheirnearestRegionalOffice.Onceacceptedintothe program,Chapter31studentswillworkwiththeirVAcounselortoarriveatasuitableforeigntrainingprogram. d.)Iftheschoolislocatedinthe Philippines,sendthecompletedapplicationto: Director U.S.DepartmentofVeteransAffairs ManilaRegionalOffice 1131RoxasBoulevard 1000Ermita Manila,The Philippines e.)WhenyoureceivetheCertificateofEligibility,takeitwithyouandsubmitittotheschoolscertifyingofficial asverificationthatyouareeligibletoreceiveVAbenefits.Yourschoolscertifyingofficialwillthensubmityour
enrollmentinformationonVAForm221999.Pleasenoteyouwillnotreceivepaymentsuntilyourenrollment informationhasbeenreceivedandprocessedbyVA. WhereYourClaimWillbeProcessed IfyouaretraininginPuertoRicoortheU.S.VirginIslands,yourclaimwill behandledbytheAtlantaRegional ProcessingOffice(in Decatur,Georgia). IfyouaretrainingintheRepublicofthePhilippines,AmericanSamoa,Guam,Midway,WakeIsland,anyofthe islandsintheFederatedStatesoftheMarshallIslands,theRepublicofMicronesia,ortheRepublicofPalau,your claimwillbehandledbytheMuskogeeRegionalProcessingOffice. Ifyouaretraininginanyotherforeigncountryorarea,yourclaimwillbehandledbytheBuffaloRegionalProcessing Office. Reentrance Normally,foreignschoolscertifytheirstudentsforthecompleteacademicyear.Ifyouplantoattendaforeignschool formorethanoneyear,within120daysofyourreenrollmentyoushouldnotifytheschoolofyourintentiontoreenroll andhavetheappropriatecertifyingofficialsubmitanenrollmentcertificationforyourreenrollment.Ifyourschool doesnothaveasupplyoftheenrollmentcertifications,theschoolshouldrequestasupplyofformsfromtheBuffalo RegionalOffice,andtheywillbemaileddirectlytotheschool.Youshouldkeeptheschooladvisedofyourplansfor continuingenrollmentinordertoavoidanydelayinreceivingyourbenefits. ApprovalInformation InformationconcerningtheapprovalstatusofaprogramataforeignschoolmaybeobtainedbycontactingVAat https://www.gibill2.va.gov/vba/vba.cfg/php.exe/enduser/std_alp.php. Writtenrequestsforinformationshouldbe submittedto: ForeignSchoolApprovalGroup(22ESU) VARegionalOffice 130S.ElmwoodAvenueSuite601 Buffalo,NY 14202 Whensubmittinganinquiryorapplication,youshouldclearlyindicateyourschoolandyourplannedprogramof educationaspreciselyaspossible.VAwillthenadviseyouoftheprogramsapprovalstatusandthusenableyouto contactyourschoolwithoutunduedelaytoinitiateanyapprovalproceduresthatmaybenecessary. RestrictionsonForeignTraining ThelawprovidesthatVAbeneficiariesmaynotpursueprogramsofeducationatschoolsoutsideoftheUnitedStates unlesstheyare pursuingapprovedprogramsleadingtoastandardcollegedegree,ortheequivalent,atapproved institutionsofhigherlearning.TheonlyexceptionisforpersonseligibleforSurvivorsandDependentsEducational Assistance(Chapter35)whomayreceiveVAbenefitswhilepursuingapprovedpostsecondarynoncollegedegree programsattrainingestablishmentsinthePhilippines. Theterminstitutionofhigherlearningmeansacollegeoruniversityofferingprogramsofinstructionleadingtoan associatedegreeorhigher,oritsequivalent.Theprogramsmustberecognizedasbeingcomparabletoadegree grantedbyaccreditedU.S.collegesanduniversities.VAwillacceptdegreesgrantedbypubliccollegesand universitiesinforeigncountriesasbeingcomparabletodegreesgrantedbyaccreditedU.S.collegesanduniversities. Degrees,ortheirequivalent,grantedbyprivatecollegesanduniversitiesinforeigncountriesmustbecomparableto
degreesgrantedbypubliccollegesanduniversitiesinthesamecountry.Degreeorequivalentprogramsmusthavethe sameentrancerequirementsasthedegreeprogramsofferedbypubliccollegesanduniversitiesinthesamecountry. ApprovalProcedures Programsofferedbyschoolsin the PhilippinesaresubjecttoapprovalbytheDirectoroftheManilaRegionalOffice. ProgramsofferedbyallotherforeignschoolsaresubjecttoapprovalbytheDirectoroftheBuffaloRegionalOffice.If aveteran,serviceperson,reservist,oreligibledependentwishestoenrollinaprogramofeducationthathasnotalready beenapproved,heorsheshouldasktheschooltorequestapprovaloftheprogramheorsheintendstopursue.VAcan takenoactionuntilarequestforapproval isreceivedfromaschoolofficial. IMPORTANT: SomeschoolslocatedintheUnitedStatesoffercoursesinaforeigncountryundercontract withtheDepartmentofDefense.Thesecoursesarenotconsideredforeigntraining.Similarly,JuniorYear Abroadprogramsandsimilarprogramsofferedbyschoolsinthe UnitedStatesarenotconsideredforeign training. Instructionsonhowschoolofficialsmayapplyforapprovalofprogramsofeducationcanbefoundat http://www.gibill.va.gov/School_Info/os_trngs.htm. WheretoGoforHelp Forapplicationsandfurtherinformation,thefollowingofficesorrepresentativeswillbegladtoassistyou: AnyVARegionalOffice LocalrepresentativesofveteransorganizationsandtheAmericanRedCross ForeignServicePosts CanadianDepartmentofVeteransAffairs(Canadianschoolsonly).
Withinall50states,theDistrictofColumbia,PuertoRico,andtheVirginIslands,callVAscustomerservicetollfree forinformationabouteducationbenefits:1888GIBILL1(18884424551).FortollfreeTDDservice,call1800 8294833.ForinformationaboutallotherVAbenefits,calltollfree18008271000. Youmaysendanemailinquiry24hoursaday,7daysaweekbyvisiting https://www.gibill2.va.gov/vba/vba.cfg/php.exe/enduser/std_alp.php. Youwillgenerallyreceivearesponsewithin3to 5businessdays. Duringbusinesshours,MondaythroughFriday8:00amto4:00pmEST,StudentsandSchoolCertifyingOfficials callingfromoutsidetheUnitedStatesmaycalltheBuffaloRegionalOfficeat7168573196or7168573197.Once connected,thecallercanimmediatelyenter"option1"tobeplacedinaspecialpriorityqueue.Thisisnotatollfree numberbutthecallerwillberoutedtothenextavailableCustomerServiceRepresentativeforpriorityservice.
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EducationPrograms
ThevariousGIBillsareavailableformanydifferenttypesofEducationPrograms.Hereisalistingoftheprograms available: IHL(InstitutesofHigherLearning)TheGIBillisavailableforattendanceatIHLssuchas: FourYearUniversities CommunityColleges AdvancedDegrees Paymentisbasedonthenumberofclassesyouattend: 12hoursormore fulltime 911hourstime 68hourstime lessthan6hours reimbursedataratenottoexceedthetuition&feeschargedforthecourse(s)
Forgraduateleveltraining,thetrainingtimeisdeterminedbythecollege forexample,ifa2hourclassisconsidered fulltimeinagraduateprogramatyourschool,theVAwillpayyouthefulltimerate.Forcurrentpaymentratessee http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/rates.htm. TheGIBillwillallowyoutoattendmorethanonecollegeatatime,aslongastheclassesatbothinstitutionscount towardsyourdegree,andtheschoolgrantingyourdegreeacceptstheclassesatthesecondschoolaspartofyour requirements.However,theGIBillwillnotpayyoutotakethesameclassestwiceunlessyoureceiveafailinggrade inaclassthatisagraduationrequirement. TheGIBillcanpayyouformorethanonedegree,forexample:itwillpayyouforadegreeinBusinessandthenfora seconddegreeinComputerScience,orforanAA,BA,MAinthesamefield.Onceyouhaveadegree,youcould pursueanotheroneprovidedyouhaveremainingentitlementonyourGIBill. Paymentsareissuedmonthlyinarrears(forexample youreceivetheNovemberpaymentinDecember.) NCD(NonCollegeDegree)TrainingTheGIBillisavailablefortrainingatNonCollegeDegreeInstitutions, examplesofthistypeoftrainingarediplomavocationalschoolssuchas: HVACCertification TruckDriving EMTCertification Barber/BeauticianSchool
Themonthlyrateisbasedonthenumberofclockhoursyouattendtrainingforeachmonth. Paymentsareissuedmonthlyinarrears(forexample youreceivetheNovemberpaymentinDecember).
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OntheJoborApprenticeshipTrainingTheGIBillisavailableforOntheJoborApprenticeshipTraining. Examplesofthistypeoftrainingare: UnionPlumber HotelManagement Firefighter VAwillreimburseyouatthefollowingrate:

st 85%ofthefulltimeGIBillrateforthe1 sixmonths nd 65%ofthefulltimeGIBillrateforthe2 sixmonths 45%ofthefulltimeGIBillratefortheremainderofthetrainingprogram
Youmayalsoreceiveasalaryfromyouremployerduringthetraining. Paymentsareissuedmonthlyinarrears(forexample youreceivetheNovemberpaymentinDecember.) FlightTrainingTheGIBill (exceptDEA)isavailableforFlightTrainingsuchas: Rotarywingqualification B747400Qualification DualQualification Inordertoqualify,youmusthaveaprivatepilot'slicenseandvalidmedicalcertificationbeforebeginningtraining. VAwillreimburseyoufor60%oftheapprovedcharges. PaymentsareissuedafterthetrainingiscompletedandtheschoolsubmitsinformationtotheVA. Independent,DistanceLearning,orInternetTrainingTheGIBillisavailableforIndependent,Distanceor Internettraining.ThistypeoftrainingisusuallyofferedbyIHLsandsimilarrules&ratesapply. CorrespondenceTrainingTheGIBill (exceptforchildrentrainingunderDEA)isavailableforCorrespondence Training.ThistypeoftrainingdiffersfromDistanceLearningbythemeansofdelivery.UsuallyinCorrespondence Training,youreceivelessonsinthemailandhaveacertainamountoftimetocompleteandreturnthemforagrade. VAwillreimburseyou55%oftheapprovedcostsforthistypeoftraining. Paymentsaremadequarterlyafterthelessonsarecompleted. NationalTestingProgram Section106ofPL108454allowsVAtoreimburseclaimantsforthefeechargedfor: 1. nationaltestsforadmissiontoinstitutionsofhigherlearningand 2. nationaltestsprovidinganopportunityforcoursecreditatinstitutionsofhigherlearning. ExamplesoftestscoveredareSAT,GRE,CLEP,GMAT,LSAT,etc.Currentlythisprogramisonlyavailablefor MGIBAD,VEAP&DEA. LicensingandCertification Youcanreceivereimbursementforlicensingandcertificationtestsyoutakeonorafter March1,2001. (MGIBAD,VEAP&DEAbeneficiariesonly.)Effective January6,2006MGIBSR&REAP participantsbecameeligibleforthisprogram.ThesetestsmustbespecificallyapprovedfortheG.I.Bill.VAcanpay onlyforthecostofthetests,upto$2,000.00,andnototherfeesconnectedwithobtainingalicenseorcertification. VAwillpayfortestseveniffailed.OrganizationsprovidingtestscanobtainasupplyofaVAPamphletexplaining thisbenefitbygoingto http://www.gibill.va.gov/pamphlets/LC_brochure.pdf.
Paymentisissuedafteryousubmitproofofpayment,etc.totheVA. EntrepreneurshipTrainingAvailabletoallGIBillprogramswiththeexceptionofDEA. Asaservicememberorveteranyounowhaveanopportunitytouseyoureducationbenefitstolearnhowtostartor enhanceasmallbusiness.EntrepreneurshiptrainingallowseligibleservicemembersandveteranstouseVAeducation benefitstotakecoursesofferedbytheSmallBusinessDevelopmentCenters(SBDCs)orTheNationalVeterans BusinessDevelopmentCorporation,betterknownasTheVeteransCorporation.Individualcoursesmustbe specificallyapprovedforVApurposestouseyourbenefits. Eligibility YoumayreceivereimbursementforapprovedentrepreneurshipcoursesifyoureeligibleforanyoftheseVA EducationPrograms: MontgomeryGIBill ActiveDuty MontgomeryGIBill SelectedReserve VeteransEducationalAssistanceProgram Section903ofPublicLaw96342
Tofindoutifyoumightbeeligibleunderanyoftheseprograms,checkouttheWebsite http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.htm. Owningoroperatingyourownbusinesswillnotdisqualifyyoufromusingyourbenefitsforthesecourses.Infact,you canuseyourbenefitsmorethanoncetotakeapprovedentrepreneurshipcourses. FindingaCourse Bothofthequalifiedorganizationsoffercoursesaroundthecountry.Tolocatecourseofferingsnearyou,view training opportunitiesontheWeborcontacttheorganizationsdirectly. SmallBusinessDevelopmentCenters Onthewebatwww.sba.gov/sbdcorbyphoneat18008ASKSBA.
TheVeteransCorporation Onthewebatwww.veteranscorp.org orbyemailatvetregistrar@veteranscorp.org.YoushouldcontactVAat1888 4424551orthelocaltrainingsiteswhereyouplantoattendtoseewhatcoursesareapprovedforVApurposes. HowtoApply Youcangetandsubmitanapplicationforbenefits(VAForm221990)online,orsubmitaprintedcopy. Justgo http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/How_to_Apply.htm todownloadacopyoftheapplication.Ifapplying online,acopyofthesignaturepagewithanoriginalsignaturemustbereceivedtoprocessyourclaimforbenefits. ApplicationsmayalsoberequestedbycallingtheVAat1888GIBILL1(18884424551). PrintedapplicationsshouldbesubmittedtotheVAregionalprocessingofficethathasjurisdictionoverthestatewhere youwilltrain.Mailingaddressesareprovidedonthe applicationorontheGIBillWebsiteunderContactInformation.
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ContactInformation Youmaycall1888GIBILL1or,forthehearingimpaired,at18008294833. VeteransinBusiness AdditionalassistanceforveteranentrepreneursisavailablethroughtheDepartmentofVeteransAffairsCenterfor VeteransEnterprise(CVE).CVEhelpsveterans: Open aBusiness Expand aBusiness Understand FederalBuyingRules Find BusinessOpportunities
TofindoutmoreabouttheservicesofferedbyCVE,visitthemonthewebatwww.vetbiz.gov orcall18665842344. WorkStudyProgram Ifyou'reafulltimeor3/4timestudentinacollegedegreeprogram,oravocationalor professionalprogram,youcan"earnwhileyoulearn"withaVAworkstudyallowance. Note:Dontrelyonthisdocumenttodetermineifyoureeligibleforworkstudyoreducationbenefits.Toreceivea formaldecisionfromVA,youmustfileaclaimforbenefits. WhoisEligible? TheVAworkstudyallowanceisavailabletopersonstrainingunderthefollowingprograms: Montgomery GIBillActiveDuty(38U.S.C.Chapter30) VocationalTrainingandRehabilitationforVeteransWithServiceConnectedDisabilities(38U.S.C.Chapter 31) PostVietnamEraVeterans'EducationalAssistanceProgram(38U.S.C.Chapter32) Dependents'EducationalAssistanceProgram(38U.S.C.Chapter35) MontgomeryGIBillSelectedReserve(10U.S.C.Chapter1606) Eligibledependentsunder38U.S.C.Chapter35mayuseworkstudyonlywhiletraininginaState. VAwillselectstudentsfortheworkstudyprogrambasedondifferentfactors.Suchfactorsinclude: Disabilityofthestudent Abilityofthestudenttocompletetheworkstudycontractbeforetheendofhisorhereligibilitytoeducation benefits Jobavailabilitywithinnormalcommutingdistancetothestudent VAwillgivethehighestprioritytoaveteranwhohasaserviceconnecteddisabilityordisabilitiesratedby VAat30%ormore. ThenumberofapplicantsselectedwilldependontheavailabilityofVArelatedworkatyourschooloratVAfacilities inyourarea. HowMuchCanBeEarned? You'llearnanhourlywageequaltotheFederalminimumwageoryourStateminimumwage,whicheverisgreater.If you'reinaworkstudyjobatacollegeoruniversity,yourschoolmaypayyouthedifferencebetweentheamountVA paysandtheamounttheschoolnormallypaysotherworkstudystudentsdoingthesamejobasyou.
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Youmayelecttobepaidinadvancefor40percentofthenumberofhoursinyourworkstudyagreement,orfor50 hours,whicheverisless.Afteryou'vecompletedthehourscoveredby yourfirstpayment,VAwillpayyoueachtime youcomplete50hoursofservice. Youmayworkduringorbetweenperiodsofenrollment.YoucanarrangewithVAtoworkanynumberofhoursyou wantduringyourenrollment.But,thetotalnumberofhoursyouworkcan'tbemorethan25timesthenumberof weeksinyourenrollmentperiod. WhatTypeofWorkCanBeDone? ServicesyouperformunderaVAworkstudyprogrammustberelatedtoVAwork.Examplesofacceptableworkare: ProcessingVApaperworkatschoolsorVAoffices PerformingoutreachservicesunderthesupervisionofaVAemployee PerformingservicesatVAmedicalfacilitiesortheofficesoftheNationalCemeteryAdministration Theworkyouactuallydowilldependonyourinterestsandthetypeofworkavailable. HowtoApply? Forformsandinformation,oneormoreofthefollowingofficesorrepresentativescanassistyou: AnyVAregionaloffice. AnyVAofficeorVetCenter. Localrepresentativesofveteransorganizations. ReserveEducationandIncentivesOfficers.
ConsultatelephonedirectoryunderUnitedStatesGovernment,DepartmentofVeteransAffairs,forthetelephone numberoftheofficenearestyou.Tollfreetelephoneserviceisavailableinall50states,PuertoRico,andtheU.S. VirginIslands.Call 1888GIBILL1(18884424551)orforthehearingimpairedcall 18008294833. VAsupervisorypersonneloccasionallymonitortelephonecalls.Theydothistoensurethatthepublicreceives accurateinformationandcourteousresponses.Thepersonmonitoringacalldoesnotkeeparecordofthecaller's name,address,filenumber,ortelephonenumber. Toobtaininformationonothersourcesofassistance,contactthefinancialaidofficeatyourschool. CoopTrainingCooptrainingallowsyoutoattendschoolandgainvaluableworkexperienceatthesametime! Someschoolspartnerwithemployersallowingyoutoattendclassesinyourdesiredfield,i.e.ComputerProgramming, andworkforanemployerinthatfieldaswell. Thereareseveraldifferentscenarios: youcanattendclassesinthemorningandworkintheafternoon youcanattendclassesatnightandworkduringtheday youcanattendfulltimeduringonesemesterandworkfulltimeduringanothersemester,etc. YouwillreceiveGIBillbenefitsatthefulltimerateduringtheentireperiod. Pleasecontactyourschooloremployerformoreinformation.
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AcceleratedPaymentforMGIBADAnacceleratedpaymentisalumpsumpaymentof60%oftuitionandfeesfor certainhighcost,hightechprograms.Ifyoudonothavesufficiententitlementtocover60%oftuitionandfees,we willpayyoubasedonyouractualremainingentitlement. VAwillmakeacceleratedpaymentsforoneterm,quarter,orsemesteratatime.However,iftheprogramisnotoffered onaterm,quarterorsemesterbasis,theacceleratedpaymentispaidfortheentireprogram.Toqualify,youmustbe enrolledinahightechprogramandyoumustcertifythatyouintendtoseekemploymentinahightechindustryas definedbyVA.AcceleratedpaymentispaidinsteadofMontgomeryGIBillbenefitsthatyouwouldotherwisereceive. Whoqualifiesforacceleratedpayments? OnlyindividualseligiblefortheMontgomeryGIBill ActiveDuty(Chapter30)qualifyforacceleratedpayments. Howhighdothetuitionandfeeshavetobe? Toreceiveacceleratedpayment,thetuitionandfeesmustbemorethandoubletheMontgomeryGIBillbenefitsthat youwouldotherwisereceiveforthatterm.Forexample,ifyourfulltimerateis$732andyouareenrolledina4 monthsemester,yourtuitionandfeesmustbeover$5,856(4monthsx$732=$2,928$5,856=2x$2,928)beforeyou couldreceiveanacceleratedpayment. Ifyoureceive$900monthlybenefits,yourtuitionandfeesmustbeover$7,200(4 monthsx$900=$3,600$7,200=2 x$3,600).Ifyoureceive$1,050monthlybenefits,yourtuitionandfeesmustbeover$8,400(4monthsx$1,050= $4,2002 x$4,200 =$8,400). Whatprogramsqualifyforacceleratedpayment? Bothdegreeandnondegreeprogramsqualify.Youmustbeenrolledinaprograminoneofthefollowingcategories: Lifescienceorphysicalscience(butnotsocialscience) Engineering(allfields) Mathematics Engineeringandsciencetechnology Computerspecialtiesand Engineering,science,andcomputermanagement
Whatindustriesqualifyforacceleratedpayments? Youmustintendtoseekemploymentinoneofthefollowingindustries: Biotechnology LifeScienceTechnologies Optoelectronics Computersandtelecommunications Electronics Computerintegratedmanufacturing MaterialDesign Aerospace Weapons Nucleartechnology
Formoreinformationonacceleratedpayments,includinghowtoapplyvisit http://www.gibill.va.gov/pamphlets/acceleratedpayinfo.htm.
TuitionAssistanceTopUp
On October30,2000,thePresidentsignedintolawanamendmenttotheMontgomeryGIBill ActiveDutyeducation programthatpermitsVAtopayaTuitionAssistanceTopupbenefit.Theamountofthebenefitcanbeequaltothe differencebetweenthetotalcostofacollege courseandtheamountofTuitionAssistancethatispaidbythemilitary forthecourse. TobeeligiblefortheTopupbenefit,thepersonmustbeapprovedforfederalTuitionAssistancebyamilitary departmentandbeeligibleforMGIBActiveDutybenefits.TobeeligibleforMGIBbenefits,thepersonmustbean MGIB ActiveDutyparticipantandmusthaveservedatleast2full yearsonActiveDuty. TheamountofthebenefitislimitedtotheamountthatthepersonwouldreceiveforthesamecourseifregularMGIB benefitswerebeingpaid.InnocasecantheamountpaidbythemilitarycombinedwiththeamountpaidbyVAbe more thanthetotalcostofthecourse. IfapersonreceivestheTopupbenefit,hisorherregularMGIBbenefitswillbereduced.Theamountofentitlement chargedforTopuppaymentsisdeterminedbydividingtheamountofthepaymentbytheclaimant'sfulltimemonthly rate. ThebenefitisavailableforallcoursesthatbeganonorafterOctober30,2000.AcopyoftheTuitionAssistance Authorizationformforthecoursethathasbeensignedbyanauthorizedmilitaryofficialwillberequired.Peoplewho havenotrequestedMGIBbenefitsbeforeshouldsubmitaVAForm221990toestablisheligibility. TheapplicationandotherevidenceshouldbesenttooneofVAsfoureducationprocessingofficesin Atlanta, Buffalo,Muskogee(OK),orSt.Louis.See http://www.gibill.va.gov/Contact/contact.htm foraddressesofthe processingoffices.Theapplicationformisavailablehttp://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/How_to_Apply.htm. ClaimsshouldspecifythatTuitionAssistanceTopupisbeingclaimed. TheTopupprogramisnotavailableatthistimetopersonswhoareeligiblefortheMGIBSelectedReserveprogram. TutorialAssistanceProgram TutorialassistanceisavailableifyouarereceivingVAeducationalassistanceatthehalftimeormorerateandhavea deficiencyinasubjectmakingtutoringnecessary.Ifyouhavequestionsonthisprogrampleasecontactthetollfree number18884424551.
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6
TypesofFederalStudentAid
Therearethreetypesoffederalstudentaid: Grantsarefinancialaidthatdoesn'thavetoberepaid(unless,forexample,youwithdrawfromschooland owearefund). Workstudyallowsyoutoearnmoneyforyoureducation. Loansallowyoutoborrowmoneyforschool.Youmustrepayyourloans,withinterest. Youapplyforallthreetypesofaidbyfillingoutjustoneapplication:the FreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid (FAFSA). Grants Therearetwotypesofgrants:FederalPellGrantsandFederalSupplementalEducationalOpportunityGrants (FSEOGs). Generally,toreceiveagrant,youmustbeanundergraduatestudent(someonewhohasn'tearnedabachelor's orgraduatedegree). Youcan beenrolledfulltimeorparttime. Howmuchcanyouget? FederalPellGrantsAwardamountscanchangeyearly.ThemaximumPellGrantawardforthe200809awardyear (July1,2008 toJune30,2009)is$4,731.Themaximumawardforthe200809awardyear(July1,2008toJune30, 2009)is$4,731. Theamountyouget,though,willdependnotonlyonyourfinancialneed,butalsoonyourcoststo attendschool,yourstatusasafulltimeorparttimestudent,andyourplanstoattendschoolforafullacademicyearor less. FederalSupplementalEducational OpportunityGrants(FSEOGs) Awardsrangefrom$100to$4,000ayear. FSEOGsareawardedtoundergraduatestudentswithexceptionalfinancialneedthosewiththelowestExpected FamilyContribution(EFC)numbers.FederalPellGrantrecipientsreceivepriorityforFSEOGawards. What'sthedifferencebetweenthesegrants? Ifyou'reeligibleforaFederalPellGrant,you'llreceivethefullamountyouqualifyforeachschoolparticipatingin theprogramreceivesenoughfundstopaythePellamountsforallitseligiblestudents.Theamountofotherstudentaid youmightqualifyfordoesnotaffecttheamountofyourPellGrant. ReceivingotheraidmightreducetheamountofyourFSEOGaward.Also,eachschoolparticipatingintheFSEOG programreceivesacertainamountofFSEOGfundseachyearfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Theschool's financialaidofficedecideshowbesttoawardthosefunds.WhenallFSEOGfundsareusedforthatawardyear,no moreFSEOGawardscanbemadeforthatyearthat'swhynoteveryonewhoqualifiesforanFSEOGmightgetone. Howwillyoubepaid? Yourschoolcancredityourgrantfundstoyourschoolaccount,payyoudirectly(usuallybycheck),orcombinethese methods.Also,withyourpermission,schoolscancredityourbankaccount.Schoolsmustdisbursefundsatleastonce
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perterm(semester,trimester,orquarter).Schoolsthatdon'tuseformallydefined,traditionaltermsmustdisbursefunds atleasttwiceperacademicyear. FederalWorkStudy Providesparttimejobsallowingyoutoearnmoneytohelppayforschool Encouragescommunityserviceworkandworkrelatedtoyourcourseofstudy, wheneverpossible Isavailabletoundergraduateandgraduatestudentsand Isavailabletofulltimeandparttimestudents. Howmuchcanyoumake? You'llbepaidatleasttheminimumwage,butyoumightreceivemore,dependingonthetypeofworkyoudo.You'll bepaidbythehouroryoumightreceiveasalary.Yourschoolmustpayyoudirectlyatleastonceamonth. Canyouworkasmanyhoursasyouwant? No.Theamountyouearncan'texceedyourtotalFederalWorkStudyaward.Also,whenassigningworkhours,your employerorfinancialaidadministratorwillconsideryourclassscheduleandyouracademicprogress.Justasistrue withtheFSEOGprogrammentionedearlier,eachschoolparticipatingintheFederalWorkStudyprogramreceivesa certainamountofWorkStudyfundseachyearfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.WhenallWorkStudyfunds areusedforthatawardyear,nomoreFederalWorkStudyawardscanbemadeforthatyear.So,youmightreceive lessfundsthanyouqualifyfor. Wherearethejobslocated? Youcanworkeitheronoroffcampus.Ifyouworkoncampus,you'llusuallyworkforyourschool.Ifyouworkoff campus,youremployerwillusuallybeaprivatenonprofitorganizationorapublicagency,andtheworkperformed mustbeinthepublicinterest. YourschoolmighthaveagreementswithprivateforprofitemployersforFederalWorkStudyjobs.Ifso,yourjob mustbeas relevantaspossibletoyourcourseofstudy.Ifyouattendacareerschool,theremightbefurtherrestrictions onthejobsyoucanbeassigned. StudentLoans Withsomeexceptions(Seepage7)loansareborrowedmoneyyoumustrepay,withinterest. Bothundergraduateandgraduatestudentscanreceiveloans. Forsomeloans,youdon'thavetodemonstratefinancialneed. Theamountsyoucanborrowdependinpartonyourgradelevelinschool.
Soundadviceonstudentloans Theescalatingcostsofcollegehavemadeloansnearlyanecessityformoststudents. Notonlyaretuitioncosts soaring,butsoarethecostsofbooks,meals,gas,cellphones,recreation,etc.Avarietyofstudentloansareavailable tohelpstudentstakecareofcollegeexpenses. Youjustneedtorememberthatastudentloanisaloanandmustbe repaid. Thefollowingarestudentloanswithdifferingconditionsandtimeframesforrepayment:
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ADirectStudentLoan isaloanwithascheduleofrepaymentsixtoninemonthsafterthestudenthascompleted school.ThefundsfromtheDirectStudentLoanaredistributedthroughtheschoolthestudentisattending.Thiskind ofloanhasinterestratesthataretypically lowerthanaGuaranteedStudentLoan. GuaranteedStudentLoans,alsoknownasStaffordLoanshavealowinterestrate.Astudentcanapplyforasubsidized orunsubsidizedstudentloan.Asubsidizedloanmeansthegovernmentpaystheinterestforyouwhileyouarein school.Thesubsidizedstudentloanisbasedonthestudentsfinancialneed.Anunsubsidizedstudentloanmeansyou willbechargedinterestwhileyouareattendingschool.Theprincipalmuststartbeingpaidafteryouhavefinished school.Bothtypesofstudentloansrequirerepaymenttobeginsixmonthsafterthestudenthasfinishedcollege. FederalParentLoansarestudentloansthatarenotcontingentonthestudentsincome.However,lendersdoconsider personalcredithistory.Parentsorguardianswithadependentchildincollegeatleastparttimeareeligibleforthis kindofloanwhichhasaninterestrateof9%orless. VirtuallyallschoolsletstudentsusetheDirectStudentloan,GuaranteedStudentloanorFederalParentloan.Itis importanttodoyourhomeworkonloans.Researchallyouravailableoptionsforfinancingyoureducation. FederalPerkinsLoansTheseloansareofferedtostudentswhodemonstratethegreatestfinancialneedFederalPell Grantrecipientsgettoppriority.Youcanbeenrolledfulltimeorparttime.Eachschoolparticipatingintheprogram receivesacertainamountofPerkinsfundseachyearfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Whenallthosefundsare usedforthatawardyear,nomorePerkinsLoanscanbemadeforthatyear.Yourepaytheseloanstoyourschool. StaffordLoansTheseloansareforundergraduateorgraduateandprofessionalstudentsandaremadethroughoneof twoU.S.DepartmentofEducationprograms: WilliamD.FordFederalDirectStudentLoanProgram referredtoasDirectLoansorDirectStaffordLoans. FundsforDirectLoanscomefromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducationandaredeliveredtoyouthroughyour school.YourepaytheseloanstotheDepartment. FederalFamilyEducationLoan(FFEL)Program referredtoasFFELStaffordLoansorFederalStafford Loans.Fundswillcomefromabank,creditunion,orotherlenderthatparticipatesintheprogram.Yourepay theseloanstoyourlenderoritsservicingagent. WhetheryouborrowaDirectoraFFELStaffordLoandependsonwhichprogramtheschoolyouattendparticipates in.Mostschoolsparticipateinoneortheother,althoughsomeschoolsparticipateinboth.It'spossibleforyouto receiveFFELandDirectStaffordLoans,butnotbothtypesforthesameperiodofenrollmentatthesameschool. ForbothtypesofStaffordLoans,youmustbeenrolledatleasthalftime.Youdon'thavetodemonstratefinancialneed but,ifyoudo,thegovernmentwillpaytheinterestonyourloanduringcertainperiods. PLUSLoans Theseareloansparentscantakeoutfortheirdependentundergraduatechildrenwhoareenrolled asatleasthalftime students.TheloansaremadethroughtheDirectLoanandFFELprogramsmentionedaboveandareknowneitheras DirectPLUSLoansorFFEL(orFederal)PLUSLoans. Whatarethedifferencesintheseloanprograms? Seethechartbelowforaquickcomparison.
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StudentLoanComparisonChart Loan Program Federal Perkins Loans Eligibility AwardAmounts InterestRate 5percent Lender/Lengthof Repayment Lenderisyourschool Repayyourschoolorits agent Upto10yearstorepay, dependingontheamount owed
Undergraduateupto Undergraduateand $4,000ayear(maximum graduatestudentsyou of$20,000asan donothavetobe undergraduate) enrolledatleasthalftime Graduateupto$6,000 ayear(maximumof $40,000,including undergraduateloans) Amountactually receiveddependson financialneed,amount ofotheraid,availibility offundsatschool
FFEL Stafford Loans
Lenderisabank,credit Undergraduateand Dependsongradelevel Changesyearly union,orother graduatestudentsmust inschooland Forthosewithfinancial participatinglender beenrolledatleasthalf dependencystatus(see need,governmentpays time chart) interestduringschool Repaytheloanholderor itsagent Financialneednot andcertainotherperiods necessary Between10and25years torepay,dependingon amountowedandtypeof repaymentplanselected Sameasabove Sameasabove Sameasabove LenderistheU.S. Departmentof Educationrepay Department Between10and30years torepay,dependingon amountowedandtypeof repaymentplanselected
Direct Stafford Loans
FFELPLUS Parentsofdependent Loans undergraduatestudents enrolledatleasthalf timeparentsmustnot havebadcredithistory DirectPLUS Loans Sameasabove
Costofattendance Otheraidreceived =Maximumloan amount
Changesyearly SameasforFFEL governmentdoesnotpay StaffordLoansabove interest
Sameasabove
Sameasabove
SameasforDirect Staffordloansabove, exceptthatarepayment planbasedonincome earnedisnotanoption

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HowdoyouapplyforaPerkinsorStaffordLoan? YoujustneedtocompletetheFreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA).But,youwillneedtosigna promissorynote,abindinglegaldocumentthatsaysyouagreetorepayyourloanaccordingtothetermsofthenote. Readthisnotecarefullyandsaveit. Howmuchmoneycanyouget? PerkinsLoansSeethechartabove. FFELorDirectStaffordLoansSeethechartbelow. Note:Youcan'tborrowmorethanyourcostofattendanceminustheamountofanyFederalPellGrantyou'reeligible forandminusanyotherfinancialaidyou'llget.So,youmightreceivelessthantheannualmaximumamountsgivenin thechart.Notethattherearenominimumawardamounts. Whenyoulookatthechart,you'llseethatyourloanlimitsalsodependonwhetheryoureceive"subsidized"or "unsubsidized"StaffordLoans. Subsidized StaffordLoan Ifyoudemonstratefinancialneed,youcanreceiveasubsidizedStaffordLoanto coversomeorallofthatneed.Ifyou getasubsidizedloan,theU.S.DepartmentofEducationpaystheinterestwhileyou'reenrolledinschoolatleasthalf time,forthefirstsixmonthsafteryouleaveschool,andduringaperiodofdefermentapostponementofloan payments. Theamountofyoursubsidizedloancan'texceedyourfinancialneed. Unsubsidized StaffordLoan Youmightbeabletoreceiveloanfundsbeyondyoursubsidizedloanlimitorevenifyoudon'thavedemonstrated financialneed.Inthatcase,you'dreceiveanunsubsidizedloan.ForthistypeofStaffordLoan,you'reresponsiblefor theinterestfromthetimetheloanisdisbursedtoyouuntilit'spaidinfull.Thegovernmentdoesnotpayyourinterest. Talkwiththeschool(s)you'reinterestedintofindoutwhatkindofStaffordLoanyoucangetandhowmuchyou qualifyfor. Howwillyougetyourloanfunds? PerkinsYourschoolwilleitherpay youdirectly(usuallybycheck)orcredityouraccount.Generally,you'll receivetheloaninatleasttwopaymentsduringthe academicyear. Stafford Yourschoolwilldisburseyourloaninatleasttwoinstallmentsnoinstallmentwillbegreaterthan halftheamountofyourloan.Ifyou'reafirstyearundergraduatestudentandafirsttimeborrower,yourfirst disbursementcan'tbemadeuntil30daysafterthefirstdayofyourenrollmentperiod. YourPerkinsorStaffordLoanmoneymustfirstbeusedtopayforyourtuition,fees,androomandboard.Ifloan fundsremain,you'llreceivethembycheckorincash,unlessyougivetheschoolwrittenpermissiontoholdthefunds untillaterintheenrollmentperiod.
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MaximumAnnualLoanLimitsforSubsidizedand UnsubsidizedDirectandFFEL(Federal)StaffordLoans Dependent Undergraduate Students 1stYear $2,625 IndependentUndergraduate Student $6,625Nomorethan$2,625 ofthisamountmaybein subsidizedloans. $7,500Nomorethan$3,500 ofthisamountmaybein subsidizedloans. $10,500Nomorethan $5,500ofthisamountmustbe insubsidizedloans. $46,000Nomorethan $138,500Nomorethan$65,500of $23,000ofthisamountmaybe thisamountmaybeinsubsidized insubsidizedloans. loans. Thegraduatedebtlimitincludes StaffordLoansreceivedfor undergraduatestudy. Note:Forperiodsofstudyshorterthananacademicyear,theamountsyoucanborrowwillbelessthanthoselisted. Also,youmightreceivelessifyoureceiveotherfinancialaidthatsusedtocoveraportionofyourcostofattendance. Otherthaninterest,isthereanychargeassociatedwiththeseloans? FederalPerkinsLoansNo. DirectandFFEL StaffordLoansYes,you'llpayafeeofupto4percentoftheloan,deductedproportionately fromeachloandisbursement.Becauseofthisdeduction,you'llreceiveslightlylessthantheamountyou're borrowing. Whendoyoustartrepayingyourloans? Afteryougraduate,leaveschool,ordropbelowhalftimestatus,youmustbeginrepayment.Youhaveaperiodof time,however,calledagraceperiod,beforeyoumuststartmakingpayments. FederalPerkinsLoansThegraceperiodisninemonths(ifyou'reattendinglessthanhalftime,checkwiththe financialaidadministratoratyourcollegeorcareerschooltodetermineyourgraceperiod). DirectorFFEL(Federal)StaffordLoansThegraceperiodissixmonths. Howmuchtimedoyouhavetorepay? FederalPerkinsLoansUpto10years DirectandFFELStaffordLoansYourrepaymentperiodvariesfrom10to30yearsdependingonwhetherthe loanisaFFELoraDirectStaffordLoananddependingonwhichrepaymentplanyouchoose.Whenitcomes timetorepay,youcanpicktheplanthat'srightforyou.
Graduate/ProfessionalStudent $18,500Nomorethan$8,500of thisamountmaybeinsubsidized loan.
2ndYear
$3,500
3rdand4thYears(each)
$5,500
MaximumTotalDebt from StaffordLoans WhenYouGraduate
$23,000
Thechoicesare: A10yearplanwithaminimummonthlypaymentof$50 Agraduatedplanwithamonthlypaymentthatstartsoutlowandthenincreasesgraduallyduringthe repaymentperiod Anextendedplanthatallowsyoutorepayyourloanoveralongerperiodor Aplanthatbasesthemonthlypaymentamountonhowmuchmoneyyoumake.(DirectPLUSLoan[parent] borrowersarenoteligibletorepaytheirloansunderthisplan.) You'llgetmoreinformationaboutrepaymentchoicesbeforeyouleaveschooland,later,fromtheholderofyourloan. Whatifyouhavetroublerepayingyourloan? Undercertaincircumstances,youcanreceiveadefermentorforbearanceonyourloan. DefermentYourpaymentsarepostponed.Interestdoesnotaccumulateunlessyouhaveanunsubsidized StaffordLoan.IfyouhaveanunsubsidizedStaffordLoan,youmustpaytheinterest.Youmustmeetspecific conditionstoqualifyforadeferment.Forexample,youcanreceiveadefermentwhileyou'reenrolledin schoolatleasthalftime.You'llreceivemoreinformationbeforeyouleaveyourcollegeorcareerschool,and you'llalsogetinformation fromtheholderofyourloan. Forbearance Yourpaymentsarepostponedorreduced.Interestcontinuestoaccumulate,however,andyou areresponsibleforpayingit,nomatterwhatkindofloanyouhave.Yourlenderusuallygrantsforbearanceif youdon'tqualifyforadeferment. Defermentandforbearanceperiodsdon'tcounttowardtheamountoftimeyouhavetorepay. Youmustapplytotheholderofyourloanforeitherdefermentorforbearance.Notethatyoumustcontinuetomake paymentsuntilyou'renotifiedyourrequesthasbeengranted.Ifyoudon't,youmightendupindefault. Whatisdefault? Defaultoccurswhenyoudon'trepayyourloanaccordingtothetermsyouagreedtowhenyousignedthepromissory noteforyourloan.Defaultingonastudentloanhasveryseriousconsequences.Listedbelowaresomeofthem: You'llbeineligibleforadditionalfederalstudentaid. You'llbeineligiblefordefermentorforbearanceonyourloan. Yourcreditrecordwillbedamaged,whichcaninterferewithbuyingwhatyouneed,likeacar. Youmighthavetroublegettingajob. Legalactioncanbetakenagainstyoutorecoverwhatyouowe.
Thelastthingyouwanttodoisdefault!Ifyoueverhavetroublemakingpayments,contacttheholderofyourloan rightawaytodiscussoptionstohelpyouout. Arethereanysituationswhereyourloancouldbecanceled? Yourloancanbecanceledforcertainspecificcircumstances,suchasyourdeathortotalandpermanentdisability.You alsomightqualifytohaveyourloancanceledbecauseoftheworkyoudoonceyouleaveschool(teachinginalow incomeschool,forexample).You'llreceivemoreinformationoncancellationprovisionsbeforeyouleaveyourcollege orcareerschool.
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Notethatyourloanscan'tbecanceledbecauseyou'rehavingfinancialproblems.Also,theycan'tbecanceledbecause youdidn'tcompletetheprogramofstudyatyourschool(unlessyoucouldn'tcompletetheprogramforavalid reasonbecausetheschoolclosed,forexample).Cancellationisnotpossiblebecauseyoudidn'tlikeyourschoolor programofstudy,oryoudidn'tobtainemploymentafteryoufinishedyourprogram. PLUSLoans(ParentLoans) WhatarePLUSLoans? ParentswhohaveanacceptablecredithistorycantakeoutaPLUSLoan(eitheraDirectPLUSLoanoraFederal FamilyEducation[FFEL]PLUSLoan)topaytheeducationexpensesoftheirchildren.Yourparentscanborrowfor youifyou'readependentstudentenrolledatleasthalftimeinaneligibleprogramataneligibleschool. Howdoyourparentsgetaloan? DirectPLUSLoan YourparentsmustcompleteaDirectPLUSLoanapplicationandpromissorynote, containedinasingleformyoucangetfromyourschool'sfinancialaidoffice. FFELPLUSLoan Yourparentsmustcompleteandsubmitanapplication,availablefromyourschool, lender,ortheguarantyagencyinyourstate.Aftertheschoolcompletesitsportionoftheapplication,itmust besenttoalenderforevaluation.Yourparentsgenerallywillberequiredtopassacreditcheck.Iftheydon't pass,theymightstillbe abletoreceivealoaniftheycandemonstratethatextenuatingcircumstancesexist,or ifsomeonetheyknow whocanpass agreestoendorsetheloanandpromisestorepayitifyourparents don't. ForeitheraDirectoraFFELPLUSLoan,youmustmeetthegeneraleligibilityrequirementsforfederalstudentaid andyourparentsmustalsomeetsomeofthesegeneralrequirements.Forexample,theymustbecitizensoreligible noncitizensandmaynotbeindefaultorowearefundtoanyfederalstudentaidprogram. Doyourparentsgetthemoneyordoyou? Yourschoolfirstreceivestheloanfundsandmightrequireyourparentstoendorseadisbursementcheckandsendit backtotheschool.Theschoolthenappliesthemoneytoyourtuitionandfees,roomandboard,andotherschool charges.Ifanyloanmoneyremains,yourparentsreceivetheamountasacheckorincash,unlesstheyauthorizethe fundstobereleasedtoyou.Theremainingloanmoneymustbeusedforyoureducationexpenses. Whendoyourparentsbeginrepayingtheloan? Generally,thefirstpaymentisduewithin60daysaftertheloanisfullydisbursed.Thereisnograceperiodforthese loans.Interestbeginstoaccumulateatthetimethefirstdisbursementismade,soyourparentswillbeginrepayingboth theprincipalandinterestwhileyou'reinschool.YourparentsmustpaytheinterestontheirPLUSLoaniftheyhavea defermentorforbearance.
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7
LookingforStudentAid
ThelargestsourceofstudentaidintheUnitedStatescomesfromtheFederalStudentAid(FSA)programs.These programsprovidemorethan$60billionayearingrants,loansandworkstudyassistance(moreontheseprograms laterinthispublication). Whenlookingforstudentaid,makesureyoulookatallavailablesourcesincludingFederalandState. Shouldyoupaysomeonetohelpyoufindorapplyforstudentfinancialaid? Thequickanswerisno. Freehelpisavailable,whetheryourelookingforsourcesofstudentaidorcompletingthe FreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA).Iftheresafeeinvolved,besureyouknowwhatyourepaying for. Wherecanyougetfreeinformationaboutstudentaid? Thefollowingsourcesusuallyhaveinformationaboutaidfromthefederalgovernmentandyourstategovernment mostcantellyouaboutfundsfromyourlocalcommunityandprivatesourcesaswell. Acollegeorcareerschoolfinancialaidoffice.Talktothefinancialaidadministratorattheschoolyouplanto attend.Besuretoaskaboutinstitutionalaidmoneytheschoolitselfawardsstudents.Theschoolscatalog orWebsiteisalsoagoodsourceofinformationaboutaidavailableattheschool. Alocalorcollegelibrary.Relevantmaterialsareusuallylistedunderstudentaidorfinancialaid.Ifyou needhelp,askthereferencelibrarian. TheInternet.Searchusingthekeywordsstudentaidorfinancialaid.Rememberthatmanyscamsoperate overtheInternet,soifanInternetservicechargesafee,researchitcarefully.Betteryet,useoneofthemany freeInternetsearchservicesoraidinformationsitesincludingwww.studentaid.ed.gov Ahighschoolcounselorsoffice.Manycounselorshavealargeselectionofmaterials,knowwhatrecent graduateshavereceived,andcanguideyoutofreeonlineinformation. ThemajorsourceofstudentfinancialaidistheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Nearly70%ofthestudentaidthatis awardedeachyearcomesfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducationsprograms(approximately$61billionin200001). TheDepartmentsaidincludesgrants,loans,andworkstudy. Freematerialsavailableinthefinancialaidofficeatyourcollegeorcareerschoolortheguidanceofficeatyourhigh schoolincludetheFreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA). Federal StudentAid Information Center(FSAIC): 18004FEDAID(18004333243) (TTY18007308913) Mostfederalstudentaidisawardedbasedonfinancialneedratherthanscholasticachievement.Forinstance,most grantsaretargetedtolowincomestudents.However,youdonothavetoshowfinancialneedtoreceivecertainfederal studentloans.
41
YoumayapplyforfederalstudentaidatnocostbyfilingapaperFAFSAorapplyingelectronicallywithFAFSAon theWeb,theonlineapplicationforfederalstudentaid.AllyouneedforFAFSAontheWebisacomputerthat supportsaDepartmentapprovedbrowser.FAFSAontheWebisatwww.fafsa.ed.gov. Whoelseawardsaidtostudents? Somesourcesofaidareobscure.Organizationswhichmighthavemoneytogivestudentsincludeunions,clubs, lodges,foundations,andprofessionalorganizations.Mosthighschoolguidanceofficesknowwhatscholarshipshave beenobtainedbystudents. Contactingthemisagoodwaytofindhelp.Studentaidmayalsobeavailablefrom foundations,communityorganizations,andorganizationsrelatedtoyourfieldofinterest(forexample,theAmerican MedicalAssociationorAmericanBarAssociation).Contacttheorganizationsdirectlyfordetailedinformation.Check withyourparentsemployerstoseewhethertheyawardscholarshipsorhavetuitionpaymentplans.Althoughfunds fromthesesourcesmakeupasmallpercentageofthetotalaidawardedeachyear, itsworthdoingtheresearch you neverknowwhatyoumightfind. FreeResourcesofStudentFinancialAidInformation: thefinancialaidofficeatyourcollegeorcareerschool ahighschoolcounselor theU.S.DepartmentofEducation otherfederalagencies(includingthemilitary,ifappropriate) yourstateeducationagency thereferencesectionofyourschoolorpubliclibrary theInternet foundations,religiousorganizations,communityorganizations,localbusinesses,andcivicgroups organizations(includingprofessionalassociations)relatedtoyourfieldofinterest ethnicitybasedorganizations youremployeroryourparentsemployers freescholarshipsearchservices
ScholarshipSearchServices:AWarning
Anumberofprivatelyoperatedscholarshipsearchserviceschargefeesthatcanrangefrom$50towellover$1000. Wedonotrecommendthem.Theyprovidenoinformationthatyoucannotfindonyourown.However,ifyouare determinedtouseoneofthese services,itisimportanttounderstandwhatinformationscholarshipsearchservicescan provide.Somecanbehelpfulinidentifyingsourcesofaidforstudentswhomeetcertaincriteria,suchasacademic achievement,religiousaffiliation,ethnicorracialheritage,artistictalents,athleticability,careerplans,orproposed fieldofstudy.However,bearinmindthatfundsfromthesesourcesareusuallylimitedandnotallapplicantswill receiveawards.Andrememberthattheyhavenospecialaccessto informationthatanyonecannotgetontheirown. Listedbelowaresomeoftheservicesyoumightreasonablyexpectfromaprivatescholarshipsearchservice: Mostscholarshipsearchservicesprovidealistofsourcesoffinancialassistanceyoumayapply for.After studyingthelist,youthensendaseparateapplicationtoeachsourcethatinterestsyou.Thescholarshipsearch servicedoesnotapplyonyourbehalforpayanyadditionalapplicationfeesthatmayberequired. Manysearchservicesofferto refundyourfeeifyoudonotreceiveanyaward.However,someservicesrequire youtoprovidearejectionletterfromeverysourceonthelisttoclaimyourrefund.Youshouldbeawarethat manyscholarshipsourcesdonotroutinelysendrejectionletters.Makesureyougetthescholarshipsearch servicesrefundpolicyinwritingbeforepayinganymoney.Notethatthemoneybackguaranteeis meaninglessasvirtuallyeveryoneiseligibleforsomekindofscholarship.
Whataresomequestionabletacticsyoushouldwatchoutfor? Someserviceswilltellyouthatmillionsorevenbillionsofdollarsinstudentaidgounclaimedeveryyear. Thisisfalseoratminimumhighlymisleading.Thelargefiguresyoumayhearorreadaboutusuallyrepresent anestimatednationaltotalofemployeebenefitsormemberbenefits.Usually,suchbenefitsareavailableonly toahighlylimitednumberofpeople,e.g.,theemployees(andtheirfamilies)ofaspecificcompany,ortothe membersofaspecificunionorotherorganization. Someclaimthatyoucantgetthesameinformationanywhereelse.Thisisabsolutelyfalse.Manyservices makeyoupaytogetinformationyoucouldhaveeasilyobtainedforfreefromacollegefinancialaidoffice, stateeducationagency,locallibrary,theU.S.DepartmentofEducation,ortheInternet.Rememberthatyou canfindoutaboutstudentaidwithoutpayingafeetoasearchservice.Asingle$15bookwillspelloutmore opportunitiesthanyouwillfeellikeapplyingfor. Othersrequestyourcreditcardorbankaccountnumbertoholdstudentfinancialaidforyou.Thisisaripoff. Searchservicesdonotprovideanyawardsdirectlytoapplicants,applyonbehalfofapplicants,oractasa disbursingagentforfinancialaidproviders.Youshouldnevergiveoutacreditcardorbankaccountnumber unlessyouknowthecompanyororganizationyouaregivingittoislegitimate,andwehaveyettoencounter onethatis. Otherstrytogetyoutosendthemmoneybyclaimingthatyouareafinalistinascholarshipcontest.Most sourcesoffinancialaidhaveapplicationdeadlinesandeligibilitycriteriatheydonotoperatelikea sweepstakes.Dontwasteyourmoneyonthesescams. Scholarshipseminarsfrequentlyendwithoneononemeetingsinwhichasalespersonpressuresthestudentto buynoworloseoutonthisopportunity.Legitimateservicesdontusesuchpressuretactics.Youaremuch betteroffnotattendingsuchseminarsandsubjectingyourselftohighpressuresales. Eachyear,theU.S.DepartmentofEducationreceivesnumerouscomplaintsfromstudentsandparentswhodidnot receivetheinformationtheyexpectedfromasearchservice.TheDepartmentdoesnotevaluateprivatescholarship searchservices.Ifyoudecideto useoneoftheseservices,youshouldcheckitsreputationbycontactingtheBetter BusinessBureau(www.bbb.com),aschoolguidancecounselor,orastateattorneygeneralsoffice. Additionally,investigatetheorganizationyourselfbeforemakingacommitment: Askfornamesofthreeorfourlocalfamilieswhohaveuseditsservicesrecently. Askhowmanystudentshaveusedtheserviceandhowmanyofthemreceivedscholarshipsasaresult. Findoutabouttheservicesrefundpolicy. Geteverythinginwriting. Readallthefineprintbeforesigninganything. Bestofall,simplydotheresearchyourself
TheScholarshipFraudPreventionActcreatedafraudawarenesspartnershipbetweentheU.S.Departmentof EducationandtheFederalTradeCommission(FTC).Formoreinformationaboutscholarshipscamsortoreporta scam,calltheFTCtollfreeat1877FTCHELP(18773824357)orgotowww.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams. Mostoftheinformationprivatescholarshipsearchservicesprovidecanbeobtainedforfreeelsewhere.Beforeyoupay anycompanyororganizationtofindstudentfinancialaidforyou,makesureyourenotpayingforfreeinformation. Alsomakesureyouknowwhatyouregettingforyourmoney.Searchingforstudentaidonyourowncanpreventyou fromwastingyourmoney.Youjustneedtoknowwheretolook.
43
8
TheSelfAwardedScholarship
Thereisanotherkindofscholarship,aguaranteedwaytocutthecostsofcollege,aformoffinancialhelpthatyou awardyourself.Thebestscholarshipistheoneyougiveyourselfbyracingthroughthecollegedegreein threeor feweryearsinsteadoftheusualfouryears.Notonlycouldsuchanacceleratedprogrammeana25%discountona collegeeducation afullyearofnotgoingtoclassesandpayingtuition italsogetsyouintotheworkforceayear sooner,afullyearofearninggoodmoneyasacollegegraduateinsteadofgrindingthroughcollegecourses. Manystudentshavefoundthatuniversitieswhichofferonlineprogramsallowthemtospeedthroughcoursesinless thantheusualtime.Theonlineoptionisoneyoumaywanttoconsider. WhatYouShouldKnowAboutOnlineEducation Ifyouareanactivedutymilitary servicemember,perhapsservingaboardaU.S.Navyship,deployedoverseas,orona CoastGuardcutter,itmayseemtoyouthatyoujustdonthaveachancetopursue acollegedegree. However,today, onlineeducationputsthatdegreewithinreach.Distanceeducationrepresentsanexcellentway forservicemembersto earnacollegedegreewhileservingtheircountry.Onlineinstructionandacademicprogramsaredesignedspecifically tooffertheflexibilitynecessarytofitwiththebusy dutyschedulesofactivedutymembersofthemilitary. Rightnow,thousandsofdutystandinganddeployedservicemembersareearningtheircollegedegreesusingonline education.Manyofthem whileservingonactiveduty managetoearncollegecreditjustasfastastheywould goingtoschoolfulltimeoncampus!Thegreatpartaboutonlineeducationisthatyoucanmakeitfityourschedule WhatOnlineEducationIsLike Inmanyways,onlinecoursesarejustliketraditionalones.Theyusethesameformat,withaprofessor,textbooks, homework,quizzes,exams,etc. However,onlinecoursesaremuchmoreflexible.Theyalsooffercommunicationopportunitiesthattraditionalcourses lack. Besidestextbooks,onlinecoursesusuallyofferamixofmessageboards,email,chatrooms,CDROMsand onlineaccesstootherstudymaterials.Typically,theonlineprofessorpostsaweeklyreadingassignment,alongwith questionstoguidestudy.Studentsarerequiredtopostresponsestothestudyquestionsandengagewith other studentspostingssometimeduringtheweek.Whilemostonlinecourseshaveweeklydeadlines,justwhenyoumeet theweeksrequirementsisentirelyuptoyou. Justasin atraditionalcollegecourse,successdependsoncommitment.Youdontneedtobebrilliant.Youdoneed tobemotivated.Probablythebestadvicewecanofferistohitthegroundrunning.Theresanoldsayingthatajob wellbegunishalfdone. Workespeciallyhardwhenyoufirststartandbuildupagoodlead.Giveyourselftheexperienceofearlysuccessand youwillfindthatthisleadsontofurthersuccess.Onemoregoodtip:tellyourfriendswhatyouredoing.This increasesyourlevelofcommitment. AreOnlineCollegeCourseValid? Absolutely.Whilethereareworthlessdiplomamills,youneedtomakesuretoavoid,manyprestigiousfully accreditedschoolsoffercoursesonline.TheseincludeuniversitieslikePennState,PhoenixUniversity,theUniversity ofMarylandandGrantham University,tonameafew.
Yourbestbetistofindamilitaryfriendlyschool.Everyschoolhasitsownculture. Thereareanumberofquestions youshouldaskwhenchoosingtherightschoolandprogramforyou: DoesMilitaryTuitionAssistanceortheMGIBcoverallormostofthetuitioncosts? Doestheschoolgrantacademiccreditformilitarytraining asrecommendedbytheAmericanCouncilon Education(ACE)? Doesthemedia(CDRom,email,Internet,etc)fityourneedsandabilities? Doestheschoolhavethedegreeprogramthatfitsyoureducationgoals? Soifyouthink"online"maybethebestfitforyou,weencourageyoutobeginlookingfortheschoolthatmeetsyour needs.Schoolsusuallyhavefreeinformationpacketstheywillmailyouwithanswerstothequestionsabove,moreon tuitioncosts,andanapplication.Withnoobligationorcost,learningaboutdifferentschoolsisagreatwaytotakethe firststep. Choosinganinstitutionto continueyoureducationcanbeintimidating.Severalfactorsmustbetakeninto consideration.DotheyofferthedegreeIwanthowmuchofthetuitionwillbecoveredbytuitionassistancewillthe classesbewellpresentedhowwilltheprogramfitintomyscheduleandwillmyACE(collegecreditformilitary experience),CLEPtesting,andothercollegecreditstransferintothisprogram? Identifyingthoseinstitutionsthatprovidethebestvalueformilitarymemberscanbeadauntingtask.Oftenthevalueis lostinthesalespitch.ItisdiscouragingtogetspamannouncinganewGIBillbenefit,onlytofinditisbaittogetyour emailaddressandotherpertinentinformationtogenerateevenmorespam. Servicemembershaveseverallayersofassistance.FirstandforemostistheadviceoftheirEducationServices Officers(ESO).ESOshaveexperiencewithawidevarietyofschoolsandknowwhatprogramsworkandthosethatdo notworkwellwithservicemembers.InadditiontheServicemembersOpportunityColleges(SOC)andtheDANTES Catalogprovidegreatinformationonschools.
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9
FreeStudentAidInformationandSources
Checkouttheseothergreatresourcesforfederalornonfederalstudentaid: FinancialAidAdministrator Talktotheaidadministratorateachschoolyou'reinterestedintofindoutabouttheschool'saidprogramsand totalcostofattendance. StateHigherEducationAgency ThisagencyinyourhomestatecangiveyouinformationaboutstateaidincludingaidfromtheLeveraging EducationalAssistancePartnership(LEAP)Program,fundedjointlybystatesandbyus. PublicLibraries/Internet Theseareexcellentsourcesofinformationonstateandprivateformsofaid.Whenusingeithersource,search usingkeywordslike"financialaid,""studentaid,""scholarships,"etc. AmeriCorps Thisprogram providesfulltimeeducationalawardsinreturnforworkincommunityservice.Youcanwork before,during,orafteryourpostsecondaryeducation,andyoucanusethefundseithertopaycurrent educationalexpensesortorepayfederalstudentloans.Formoreinformation,call18009422677.TheTTY numberis18008333722.Informationisalsoavailableatwww.americorps.org. RobertC.ByrdHonorsScholarshipProgram(ByrdProgram) Toreceiveaid,youmustdemonstrateoutstandingacademicachievementandshowpromiseofcontinued academicexcellence.Formoreinformation,callourtollfreenumber:18004FEDAID(18004333243)or visitwww.ed.gov/programs/iduesbyrd/index.html. CompaniesandLaborUnions Checkwithyourparents'placesofwork.Theymighthaveprogramstohelppaythecostofpostsecondary educationforemployeesandtheirchildren. Organizations,Foundations,Etc. Foundations,religiousorganizations,fraternitiesorsororities,andtownorcityclubsoftenofferfinancial assistance.IncludeinyoursearchcommunityorganizationsandcivicgroupssuchastheAmericanLegion, YMCA,4HClub,Elks,Kiwanis,Jaycees,andtheGirlorBoyScouts.Organizationsconnectedwithyour fieldofinterestcanbehelpfulforexample,theAmericanMedicalAssociationandtheAmericanBar Associationaregoodsourcesforstudentsseekingspecializationinthosefields. U.S.ArmedForces TheArmedForcesalsoofferfinancial aidopportunities.Formoreinformationonrecruitmentincentives,visit theU.S.DepartmentofDefenseDefenselinkWebsiteatwww.todaysmilitary.com.Clickon"WhatYouGet" atthetopofthesite.Thengoto "CollegeHelp."Youcanalsocontactyourlocalrecruiter. U.S.DepartmentofVeteransAffairs Ifyou(oryourspouse)areaveteranoryou'rethedependentofaveteran,veterans'educationalbenefitsmay beavailable.InformationisalsoavailablethroughtheInternetatwww.gibill.va.gov orcall1888GIBILL1 (18884424551).
46
InternalRevenueService(IRS) TheIRSofferstwofederalincometaxcredits(dollarfordollarreductionsintaxliability)forhighereducation expenses. o TheHopetaxcredit,worthupto$1,500perstudent,isavailableforfirstandsecondyearstudents enrolledatleasthalftime. o TheLifetimeLearningtaxcreditisataxbenefitequalto20percentofafamily'stuitionexpenses,up to$10,000.Thecreditcanbeusedforvirtuallyanypostsecondaryeducationandtraining,including graduateandprofessionalschools,andevenforlessthanhalftimestudy FormoreinformationontheHopeandLifetimeLearningtaxcredits,andothertaxbenefitsfor postsecondarystudents,goto www.irs.gov.IRSPublication970,TaxBenefitsforHigherEducation, whichexplainsthesecreditsandothertaxbenefits,isavailableonline.Or,calltheIRS at1800829 1040.TTYcallerscancall18008294059. UsingBooks Whilethishandbookcontainsinformationonmanysourcesofscholarship,noonebookcanpossiblyincludeall sourcesofhelp.Usemultiplesources. Nearlyeverypubliclibraryhasascholarshipsectionintheirreferenceroom. Also,manyhighschoolsandcollegeshavescholarshipdatabasesthatyoucansearchthrough. AdditionalSitestoSearch U.S.DepartmentofEducation: http://www.ed.gov/students/landing.jhtml FederalStudentAid: http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp FastWebScholarshipSearch: www.fastweb.com ScholarshipResourceNetworkExpress:http://www.srnexpress.com/ Scholarships.com:www.scholarship.com Military.comScholarshipFinder:http://aid.military.com/scholarship/searchforscholarships.do
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2011 Getting Uncle Sam To Pay For Your College Degree

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2011 Getting Uncle Sam To Pay For Your College Degree

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MilitaryHandbooks2011 GettingUncleSamtoPayforYourCollegeDegree

30daysbeforeschoolstarts Writethankyounotes. Fall Startoveragainto findnewandrenewexistinggrants.

Fortraineesonactiveduty,paymentislimitedtoreimbursementoftuitionandfeesforthetrainingtaken. Thefollowingratesapplytothosecompletinganenlistmentofthreeyearsormore. EffectiveOctober1,2010. VERIFIEDon1/13/2011.

HowtoApply YoucanapplybyfillingoutVAForm221990,ApplicationforEducationBenefits.Youcandownload acopyofthis formontheVAWebsite. MoreInformation Calltollfree 1888GIBILL1

Themonthlyrateisbasedonthenumberofclockhoursyouattendtrainingforeachmonth. Paymentsareissuedmonthlyinarrears(forexample youreceivetheNovemberpaymentinDecember).

OntheJoborApprenticeshipTrainingTheGIBillisavailableforOntheJoborApprenticeshipTraining. Examplesofthistypeoftrainingare: UnionPlumber HotelManagement Firefighter VAwillreimburseyouatthefollowingrate:

FFEL Stafford Loans

Direct Stafford Loans

Costofattendance Otheraidreceived =Maximumloan amount

Changesyearly SameasforFFEL governmentdoesnotpay StaffordLoansabove interest

SameasforDirect Staffordloansabove, exceptthatarepayment planbasedonincome earnedisnotanoption

Graduate/ProfessionalStudent $18,500Nomorethan$8,500of thisamountmaybeinsubsidized loan.

MaximumTotalDebt from StaffordLoans WhenYouGraduate

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