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The next incarnation of this thread should include a rough timetable of when to expect various benefits/payments from schools and the VA. I start class in two days but am not really sure when I should be expecting my benefits to begin... Can someone give me a rough timetable on when an incoming student should start looking for these benefits to hit the bank? Pell Grants: Federal Direct Subsidized Loans: GI Bill BAH: GI Bill books:
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Aug 28, 2012 14:34
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sharkbomb posted:The next incarnation of this thread should include a rough timetable of when to expect various benefits/payments from schools and the VA. I start class in two days but am not really sure when I should be expecting my benefits to begin... Pell and Loans should hit before the semester. I doubt there's a federal date, but it has seemed to be a couple of weeks before the semester. Any refund of that money is distributed however your school see fit. I got money for books in early July (!). BAH for those of us starting here into Fall should be on the last day of September.
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Aug 28, 2012 14:50
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sharkbomb posted:The next incarnation of this thread should include a rough timetable of when to expect various benefits/payments from schools and the VA. I start class in two days but am not really sure when I should be expecting my benefits to begin... I got my Pell Grant and GI Bill for books a couple of weeks ago before school started. I'm getting my BAH tomorrow but apparently they're splitting it up in two payments - one the 29th and the 31st. At least that is what I'm assuming they're doing because this first deposit is grossly underwhemled, and I'm about to make a call to confirm this,
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Aug 28, 2012 15:51
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Mad Pino Rage posted:I got my Pell Grant and GI Bill for books a couple of weeks ago before school started. I'm getting my BAH tomorrow but apparently they're splitting it up in two payments - one the 29th and the 31st. At least that is what I'm assuming they're doing because this first deposit is grossly underwhemled, and I'm about to make a call to confirm this, Any time a month falls into two different enrollment periods (Summer and Fall 2012 in this case), the VA splits up your BAH payments. Your first period will be the days of August that fall under Summer and about 3 to 5 days later your second payment will cover the couple days of August that fall under Fall.
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Aug 28, 2012 15:58
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bonds0097 posted:Any time a month falls into two different enrollment periods (Summer and Fall 2012 in this case), the VA splits up your BAH payments. Your first period will be the days of August that fall under Summer and about 3 to 5 days later your second payment will cover the couple days of August that fall under Fall. You're definitely right. This first payment is for the first 6 days of this month I was in summer session, and I'm getting my next payment at the end of the week. Also, BAH here went up to 1170 to 1227.
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Aug 28, 2012 16:20
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sharkbomb posted:The next incarnation of this thread should include a rough timetable of when to expect various benefits/payments from schools and the VA. I start class in two days but am not really sure when I should be expecting my benefits to begin... Pell/Loans: Typically within 3 weeks of completion of your school's add/drop phase at the start of the semester. First your schedule has to be finalized, then the school applies the money to your balance, then refunds you the difference. Takes time, because there are anywhere from thousands to tens of thousands of students in front of you. GI Bill BAH: Paid on the last working day of the month. That would be: Friday, August 31st Friday, September 28th Wednesday, October 31st Friday, November 30th Monday, December 31st Note again that this is when the funds are released from the Treasury to your bank - there may be an additional delay if you don't use a bank like USAA that clears federal money instantly. BAH Books: Paid within 3 weeks of the certificate receipt (if certified late) or approximately 60 days before certifying period begins (if certified on time) I'm planning on adding this to the v3 thread that HOPEFULLY WILL BE WORKED ON THIS WEEK JESUS CHRIST. I'll be at work dealing with this poo poo constantly starting tomorrow so I'll have a good excuse to bang out the rest of it.
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Aug 28, 2012 20:10
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When you make the new OP please add in a warning about the Pell grant only being for first time degree seekers. I curse my ignorance of that fact daily. Also: Turned in my COE today. Should get that sweet, sweet federal teat money soon.
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Aug 28, 2012 23:23
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KetTarma posted:When you make the new OP please add in a warning about the Pell grant only being for first time degree seekers. I curse my ignorance of that fact daily.
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Aug 29, 2012 00:42
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So some of you received your stipend for books already? This summer was the first time I didn't take classes and my bank account is feeling it. I noticed that my tuition hasn't been paid yet either and I am getting a little anxious.
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Aug 29, 2012 02:45
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KetTarma posted:When you make the new OP please add in a warning about the Pell grant only being for first time degree seekers. I curse my ignorance of that fact daily. So I'm going for a bachelor's, but once I meet the requirements for an associates does that mean Pell Grants stop coming in? Do I automatically get an associates degree if I'm working for a BS in CompSci? I just looked at my college's website, and there is no list for an associates for CompSci. I guess I'm good, but what about for others working for a bachelor's degree?
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Aug 29, 2012 05:31
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Mad Pino Rage posted:So I'm going for a bachelor's, but once I meet the requirements for an associates does that mean Pell Grants stop coming in? Do I automatically get an associates degree if I'm working for a BS in CompSci? No, once you finish your first BACHELORS degree you will no longer be eligible for Pell Grants.
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Aug 29, 2012 05:36
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Ah, not so fast there. I wore out my Pell Grant 10 years ago with a trade school certification program. You can always find a way to waste it. I just had no idea at the time that I'd be going to a real college a decade down the road and didn't know about the one degree rule, didn't care. Hooray for being young and dumb. Got two disbursements out of it, what a loving waste.Mad Pino Rage posted:So I'm going for a bachelor's, but once I meet the requirements for an associates does that mean Pell Grants stop coming in? Do I automatically get an associates degree if I'm working for a BS in CompSci? Are you in a community college or an actual university? If you're in a CC working on a university parallel associates, you'll be wasting time in classes you don't need. I'm not kidding. I took two history classes, an extra social science class, an extra arts class, and a speech class that the CC wanted for the UP associates, but the university didn't give two dick shakes about. If you're in CC to build credit hours to get into a university (I needed 24), stick to your math, writing, and science classes, as well as whatever your eventual university wants, like macro-econ or whatever. I liked my CC, but goddamnit they got some free money out of that poo poo.
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Aug 29, 2012 05:53
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Spongebob Tampax posted:Ah, not so fast there. I wore out my Pell Grant 10 years ago with a trade school certification program. You can always find a way to waste it. I just had no idea at the time that I'd be going to a real college a decade down the road and didn't know about the one degree rule, didn't care. Hooray for being young and dumb. Got two disbursements out of it, what a loving waste. Strange, maybe you should look into that further. An associates degree does not make you ineligible to receive a Pell Grant. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/scholarships-and-grants/what-is-a-pell-grant
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Aug 29, 2012 07:09
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It wasn't even an associates.  I'll have to look into it again. I was shot down for it when I applied for it in spring '11.
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Aug 29, 2012 07:28
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I haven't received any benefits yet (Pell grants, book allowance, BAH, loans) but I'm a new student so I figure it will take a bit longer to get everything rolling. I have a meeting with financial aid today - I'll ask them what's up with everything, and then I'll call the VA. The thing is, I don't remember giving the VA any bank account information... but it was months ago that I filled out the paperwork, so maybe I did?
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Aug 29, 2012 13:16
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sharkbomb posted:I haven't received any benefits yet (Pell grants, book allowance, BAH, loans) but I'm a new student so I figure it will take a bit longer to get everything rolling. I have a meeting with financial aid today - I'll ask them what's up with everything, and then I'll call the VA. BAH and Book Allowance go to your bank, and you should have given them that info when you first signed up. Pell Grants and other Aid will come from your school (the relevant agencies disburse them to the school and the school then refunds you) via whatever methods they use. In my case, the default is paper check which takes 2 weeks or so unless I sign up for a 'Rapid Refund' on our school's system (eLion) and give them my direct deposit info. So look into that.
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Aug 29, 2012 13:41
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Spongebob Tampax posted:Ah, not so fast there. I wore out my Pell Grant 10 years ago with a trade school certification program. You can always find a way to waste it. I just had no idea at the time that I'd be going to a real college a decade down the road and didn't know about the one degree rule, didn't care. Hooray for being young and dumb. Got two disbursements out of it, what a loving waste. I go to a CC - Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis. The CS degree is issued by Purdue which I heard is high up for those interested in engineering and I think not a bad choice for CompSci majors. I don't know how this partnership works. I don't know how equally or less valid a BS of CompSci is compared to going to and earning from going to the actual Purdue university. Despite the concern, I've resided to just getting my 4 year degree here because it is the most convenient choice. If I decide to do my master, IUPUI offers some accelerated program to get your master's in one year. However, if I wanted to get my master's I'd try to find a way to go to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign which I've read to be a top 5 school for Comp Sci. If for some reason I find myself the opportunity to go to Purdue or UIUC, then I do have a few extra courses that won't apply. Otherwise, I'm near the requirements for either university.
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Aug 30, 2012 06:38
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sharkbomb posted:I haven't received any benefits yet (Pell grants, book allowance, BAH, loans) but I'm a new student so I figure it will take a bit longer to get everything rolling. I have a meeting with financial aid today - I'll ask them what's up with everything, and then I'll call the VA. My entire first year consisted of GI Bill and Pell Grant showing up 2-3 weeks after the quarter started. Then 2 weeks after Pell Grant appeared on the statement, I would get an e-mail that the school is sending out my check/direct deposit. This semester (1 year later) GI Bill AND Pell Grant paid prior to the semester starting. Also, make sure that your financial aid office doesn't need an official copy of your taxes. My college does this "randomly" and they only alert by e-mail. This has happened to me for the past two years.
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Aug 30, 2012 09:34
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Sarah posted:My entire first year consisted of GI Bill and Pell Grant showing up 2-3 weeks after the quarter started. Then 2 weeks after Pell Grant appeared on the statement, I would get an e-mail that the school is sending out my check/direct deposit. This semester (1 year later) GI Bill AND Pell Grant paid prior to the semester starting. Also, make sure that your financial aid office doesn't need an official copy of your taxes. My college does this "randomly" and they only alert by e-mail. They randomly selected me and Sarah twice for financial audits this semester. 
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Sep 1, 2012 00:29
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I called the VA (was on hold for an hour and twenty minutes). I haven't received my BAH and book stipend because they don't have a copy of my DD214-- I know for a fact they received it, because I walked into the base personnel office with pre-stamped envelopes for my school and VA and mailed off the DD214 within an hour of receiving it. So I'm resending the DD214 and hoping I get paid sometime before 2015. I'm curious-- what's going on at my school's end? They're telling me everything is set, but if the VA is saying they're missing paperwork, how would the school receive any money? My tuition bill had all of the anticipated VA benefits on it so I'm not being charged anything. This is so frustrating because I called the school and the VA multiple times this summer just to ask "ARE WE COOL?" I guess we weren't.
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Sep 1, 2012 02:16
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sharkbomb posted:I called the VA (was on hold for an hour and twenty minutes). I haven't received my BAH and book stipend because they don't have a copy of my DD214-- I know for a fact they received it, because I walked into the base personnel office with pre-stamped envelopes for my school and VA and mailed off the DD214 within an hour of receiving it. Certifying Officials have no way of knowing if they're missing your DD214 - sometimes this happens with people who apply for benefits while still on terminal, sometimes it doesn't. We put it in VA-ONCE and our involvement is done at that point. More than likely there is a memo put on your account re: payments to the school. It's the federal government, that check isn't gonna bounce if the cert comes back from VA-ONCE in the clear. That's what my school does - we don't actually take money from the VA until after add/drop so we don't have to return checks. Nobody knows the internal process once the certificate is in VA-ONCE and leaves the school. It's possible that somewhere two or three steps in the process they realized there wasn't a DD214. Good news is that if they get it within the next ~2 weeks, you should be fine for September payments.
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Sep 1, 2012 02:23
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Vasudus posted:GI Bill BAH: Paid on the last working day of the month. That would be: I still haven't gotten my book stipend, did not get my BAH payment, and my tuition still hasn't been paid, even though VONAPP confirms I'm enrolled for this semester. I thought maybe my school's certifying official dropped the ball since she's pretty bad at her job. Guessing I should call the VA on Tuesday and ask what's going on.
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Sep 1, 2012 16:31
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Anyone have any experience using the GI Bill for flight training? My two options are to take flight instruction at a local airport FBO, or to drive an hour away to take a community college professional pilot degree/training. The FBO told me that I could take online courses through Utah Valley University while doing my flight training with them, and it would count towards full benefits under the GI Bill. If this is true I'd like to learn to fly there (10 minutes away) versus driving an hour one way to the community college. Edit: Welp, guess I can't go to my local airport cuz they're not Part 141, which is the only one covered by the GI Bill. Mike-o fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Sep 4, 2012 |
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Sep 4, 2012 21:32
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I called the VA again today - last week I was told that my BAH and book stipend haven't started because they didn't have my DD214. I mailed a copy of my DD214 last week as they requested. Today, the representative at the VA said that they didn't need my DD214. The actual hold up is my 'enrollment certification,' from the school, which they haven't received yet. The VA rep said that as soon as they receive this enrollment certification they can process my benefits and give me an award letter, although this may take a long time to process. Does this sound right? I will be going to my financial aid office tomorrow to figure out what the hell is going on. I was told many times that all the paperwork was in order, now I'm having to wait X months for my BAH and book stipend. Edit to add: I am a new student, and didn't register for classes until last week. Do you think the certifying official at the school didn't send in my enrollment certification because I wasn't registered yet? sharkbomb fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Sep 5, 2012 |
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Sep 5, 2012 00:44
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sharkbomb posted:I called the VA again today - last week I was told that my BAH and book stipend haven't started because they didn't have my DD214. I mailed a copy of my DD214 last week as they requested. Your enrollment certification is what your school's certifying official sends off to the VA via VA-ONCE. He's loving you, more than likely. Unfortunately, I don't have the permission to remote view certificates otherwise I could just look it up for you. Find out exactly when you were certified with the school - the day and the certification number. If he did submit one to the VA, then give them the cert ID# and they'll fix it immediately. If there was never a certificate sent off to the VA, you're being dicked over by your school for whatever reason. edit: just caught your edit. Make sure the VA rep does your certification tomorrow and gets things in motion.
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Sep 5, 2012 00:53
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Talked to the VA on the phone today about not getting book stipend yet, they said its coming soon....First semester it has taken this long but whatever as long as its on its way. Also asked if I could beg someone to keep 1 day on my GI Bill for voc rehab stipend purposes but she couldn't do it ;( . At least that montgomery gi bill repayment is real so I should be getting that 1200 back at the end of the semester. Also the local VA rep called and said my application for voc rehab had been "processed" and scheduled a meeting with me. I'm guessing that doesn't mean I'm fully accepted until we have a meeting and then it can possibly be approved? Also, is there anything you're supposed to say when they talk to you that helps you to get into the program? Don't know if its like applying for disability and poo poo where magic words can help you out.
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Sep 5, 2012 21:44
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Anyone have any idea what the deal with the Chapter 33 paying for week to month-and-a-half long certification (like Network+ and whatnot) classes is? I kind of want to do all of them that I can, and this chick told me today she was VA certified and that a five day class only counts as five days of benefits but I'm very dubious about it.
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Sep 6, 2012 00:26
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moker posted:
You won't be approved until you've taken their tests, watched their videos, and sat through a minimum of one meeting with the counselor, and they wield the sword of approval. Make sure to save yourself some time and print off some openings from a job posting site (USAjobs, monster, whatever) to show that there are open positions somewhere out there in the field you are studying, take a handful, 3-5. After that, it's in the wizards' hands. Your counselor will probably contact your school VA office and tell them to switch you over to Chapter 31. I don't know any magic words, just plead your case. CRUSTY MINGE fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Sep 6, 2012 |
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Sep 6, 2012 00:42
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Spongebob Tampax posted:You won't be approved until you've taken their tests, watched their videos, and sat through a minimum of one meeting with the counselor, and they wield the sword of approval. Make sure to save yourself some time and print off some openings from a job posting site (USAjobs, monster, whatever) to show that there are open positions somewhere out there in the field you are studying, take a handful, 3-5. After that, it's in the wizards' hands. Your counselor will probably contact your school VA office and tell them to switch you over to Chapter 31. Cool, thanks  One more question, is it approved/disapproved by the counselor you speak to or do they submit everything on your behalf to some magical wizard @ a regional office?(Guessing the latter since it takes longest heh)
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Sep 6, 2012 00:45
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Counselor you speak to is the wizard, yes.
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Sep 6, 2012 00:53
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Spongebob Tampax posted:Counselor you speak to is the wizard, yes. WHoa 0_o
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Sep 6, 2012 01:02
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If you're lucky, they drive a bitchin' van and have metal posters all over the office. This is not my case, but my counselor is awesome anyhow.
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Sep 6, 2012 01:10
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So University of Illinois has the requirement that transfer students send in ACT/SAT transcripts to them along with the admission application. Uh what the gently caress do I do if that poo poo is totally expired for me? Last time I took those was back in 2002. Are they really going to ask me to re-take both of them?
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Sep 6, 2012 01:16
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HeyEng posted:So University of Illinois has the requirement that transfer students send in ACT/SAT transcripts to them along with the admission application. Uh what the gently caress do I do if that poo poo is totally expired for me? Last time I took those was back in 2002. Are they really going to ask me to re-take both of them? It's possible that they have a nontraditional student waiver system - usually the prereq is being out of high school for 7 years. They may or may not advertise it, you might have to call admissions and speak to someone that isn't a secretary. If you're going to take anything though, please take the ACT. It's accepted just about everywhere and it is overall easier on people like us. Not because it's objectively easier, because it's not, but rather because they test a variety of things that people tend to retain better.
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Sep 6, 2012 01:20
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Vasudus posted:It's possible that they have a nontraditional student waiver system - usually the prereq is being out of high school for 7 years. They may or may not advertise it, you might have to call admissions and speak to someone that isn't a secretary. Honestly the ACT is really easy. I missed perfect by like 2 points and ~~outback joke~~
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Sep 6, 2012 01:28
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invision posted:Honestly the ACT is really easy. I missed perfect by like 2 points and ~~outback joke~~ Just a coupla prawns short of perfect mate!!!
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Sep 6, 2012 01:32
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Spongebob Tampax posted:You won't be approved until you've taken their tests, watched their videos, and sat through a minimum of one meeting with the counselor, and they wield the sword of approval. Make sure to save yourself some time and print off some openings from a job posting site (USAjobs, monster, whatever) to show that there are open positions somewhere out there in the field you are studying, take a handful, 3-5. After that, it's in the wizards' hands. Your counselor will probably contact your school VA office and tell them to switch you over to Chapter 31. On top of job postings, get any transcripts you can, as well as info on your course of study; required classes list and a timeline.
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Sep 6, 2012 01:42
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Yup, you're right. I forgot about that stuff, but wasn't already in college when I started VR&E. That stuff definitely needs to go along for the first meeting.
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Sep 7, 2012 00:28
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I asked a question earlier without really doing proper research, so now that I've looked into hopefully rephrasing it will help get me an answer: As far as I understand it, the Post 9/11 GI Bill will only cover ~18k for training at non degree-granting institutions for an academic year. If the training is only, say, two months worth of schooling but equals 18,000 dollars, does that mean I will have burned a full year of my Post 9/11 benefits?
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Sep 7, 2012 01:03
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vacation in merica posted:I asked a question earlier without really doing proper research, so now that I've looked into hopefully rephrasing it will help get me an answer: If you take an 18k, 2 month long course you will have burned your allotment for the year as far as paying tuition goes. Eligibility time will decrease by the number of days you're in school, and you will be paid BAH accordingly. With the tuition allotment used up, you'll have to wait until the next academic year to continue getting that paid for. If you had a regular school session immediately following, for example, your tuition would not be paid (unless they did YR) but you would still get BAH. Clear as mud?
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Sep 7, 2012 01:54
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