This new GI Bill is discriminatory towards veterans that had there 10 year entitlement expire. A family member of a veteran can go to college without serving their country, but you tell me as a vet to bad so sad your gov. Bush's daughters got a free ride and he dodged Vietnam skipping 300 applicants to get into the Texas Air National Guard, thanks to Dadio. If your going to give an extra five years from a veterans discharge date to use the GI Bill, then every vet has an extra five years no matter when or where they defended the freeloaders that get everything the vet should get. Obama and Hillary are prime examples that you can't run for President if you do not defend your country when your a nobody! And you wonder why there are are so many homeless vets.
Finally!! I waited many years for the opportunity to sign up for the GI Bill but I did not contribute to VEAP. Now that I'm retired I can finally get the GI Bill.
I love the way they cherry pick service. If you are an AGR soldier and have not yet deployed you are not elgible. But if you are active army and have not yet deployed you are elgible. I maybe wrong but it seems to me that alot of deserving soldiers are not going to be able to receive this benefit.
The more I think about this, the more offended I am about the implementation of this bill that aimed to benefit those that served post 9/11. The reality of the situation is that it has failed to provide 100% benefit to those veterans who served in OIF, the very service members that this bill was designed to support.
I had served 4 years Active Duty before 9/11 and left the Marine Corps to go to college in 2001. Then 9/11 happened, and all bets were off as I was recalled involuntarily back to the Marine Corps. I was assiged to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force which were the first ones to go into Iraq in support of OIF. Having served almost another 2 years in recalled status, I was finally able to depart the Marine Corps once again to integrate back into the civilian ranks.
What bothers me is that I have served 6 years, paid the $1200 Montgomery GI Bill, and actually was in Kuwait/Iraq in support of OIF when it was actually called a war vice occupation and I have earned only 70% of available benefits. Whereas someone that came in after 9/11 never paid into the GI Bill, never served overseas will be entitled to 100% benefit as long as they served only half the time I had.
How did anyone proposing this Bill miss this? The very intent of this Bill was to support those that answered our Nations Call in support of OEF and OIF, and yet it had managed to forget a large subset of the military population that was in the same situation as myself. There should be an ammendment to this Bill to provide proper compensation to those that served.
Originally posted by 3839429: Finally!! I waited many years for the opportunity to sign up for the GI Bill but I did not contribute to VEAP. Now that I'm retired I can finally get the GI Bill.
I unfortunately am still not eligible. I too was a VEAP era guy, but I didn't have the forsight to see that the tragedy was going to happen and I retired in March 2001. I'm beginning to see a conspiracy. Why can't all those folks that were told not to get into VEAP get equivalent benefits as everyone else?
I too spent more than 30 years in the Air Force, but while trying to get our lives together following retirement, the 10 year deadline is fast approaching to use the remainder of my G.I. Bill benefits. However, I have not seen anywhere in the new Post 9/11 program that explicitly stated whether there was an automatic extension of 5-years for those veterans who were eligible for the Vietnam era G. I. Bill benefits. I have gone through most of the Q&A about the post 9/11 program but have not see anything. Did I miss something?
Though I've been against this thing for it's stipulations and particulars, I'm curious about one thing.
Does this new crap-tacular GI Bill stipulate that the payment is based on the tuition of the state school "Per Year", "Per Semester", or "Per Credit Hour"? As I attend a private school, and I'm on a quarter based system, this information would be nice to think about.
Though I enlisted in 1999, only 30 months of my service were post 9/11 so I'd only qualify for 90% of the benefits. I don't really understand why my service prior to 9/11 is worth less than after...and why my service in the ANG and multiple call ups are worth squat.
Hell I only qualify for 40% of REAP with MGIB Ch 30 expends. This whole thing stinks.
I was getting very excited about the prospect of getting to school to become a nurse. My husband was going to transfer his benefits to me. He went to college on a different scholarship and was in National Guard Reserves for almost 12 years before deploying to Iraq at the beginning of the war. We he returned home in 2003 he left his civilian job and took a full time AGR position. Now we find out that AGR soldiers do not qualify. He was deployed to Iraq at the start of the war in 2003 and he is currently there now...both times serving at least 12 months. Doesn't that count for something? He is still a soldier, he's still laying is life out there on the line. Whoever decided to leave the AGR out of this benefit made a big mistake and will hopefully realize that in the near future and correct the problem.
I'm pretty ****ed about this whole thing. Again, I have gotten myself all worked up over a promise from those who manage the GI Bill that was flip flopped... I am currently in school and headed into my senior year. I was discharged in 2003, so I was looking forward to about 80% of the benefits coming to be from this new "post 9/11" GI Bill, but only now do I hear that I won't be getting anything at all. Just how in the world do they rationalize signing a bill in summer 2008 and not have it go into effect until summer 2009??? What a load of crap. Why not make this bill retroactive to the time they actually signed the damn thing?!?!?! Why isn't it in effect now?!?!?! Looks like I am going to have to try to get through my senior year on the measily $1300 a month, which barely covers my rent and food in Chicago IL. I will never tell anyone to join the service. It turned out to be nothing but heartache.
@9605556 you have to opt to enroll in the post 9/11 program but once you opt-in, you are put on the 15 year clock (minus the time that's already ticked away, obviously)
@10923275 it's annoying to hear the phrase "laying his life on the line" thrown about. unless he is in iraq running actual missions, he's as safe as he would be in chicago.
@11233367 let me get this straight, you joined the military to get money but now you are complaining because you don't get enough or it won't be increased enough and that is a "heartache" for you? you disgust me. join the military to serve your country and stop begging for increased handouts.
quick question to any experts out there. I retired over 4 years ago, like many of you thought VEAP was BS and didn't contribute. I noticed that family members can use this program but isn't real clear. Any one know who to talk to about this or does anyone know if I can use it for my childrens education? Thanks.
I refused the MGIB orginally back in 1994 and this was a big mistake on my part. With the new changes being made will I be able to now get the MGIB even though I orginally refused it, or the same rules in effect for this part of the GI Bill.
@10923275 it's annoying to hear the phrase "laying his life on the line" thrown about. unless he is in iraq running actual missions, he's as safe as he would be in chicago.]
Sorry to "annoy" you. But when you get mortars fired off at you almost every day, I hardly think you are "as safe as Chicago" at least not the areas I would hang out in. He has no choice where to go there. Sometimes he's in Baghdad, and sometimes various other places he can't mention. Even if you do have an AGR guy who doesn't deploy...that doesn't mean they aren't here working their butts off behind the scenes for those who do deploy. Don't judge when you don't know the whole story.
A great resource is the Department of Veterans Affairs' itself. They now have a secure "Question & Answer" website where you can submit an inquiry and get an e-mailed reply. It is on the DVA website http://www.gibill.va.gov/ Go to the left -side menu and click on "Question & Answers".
You will need to set up an account by supplying your e-mail address for the DVA reply. For your inquiry you will want to supply your name as it would have appeared in you service recourd and your file number (social security number) Remember, this is asecure site so sharing the file number isn't a problem.
You will be sent an e-mailed message acknolwedging your inquiry with an estimate on how long it will take to get the answer (usually no longer than a few working days for complex, researched inquiries).
Our son served in the Navy for nine years He joined the local guard unit and went from an E4 to a second LT. For the past two years He has served in the Army reserve as a First LT. Now what I'd like to know is were does he stand with the GI bill.? Can he use the one for serving nune years or does he have to wait for the new one.? Or what? He has a total of Nineteen in.
@PtPanther the post 9/11 GI Bill is exactly that. If your son served the requisite amount of time after September 11, 2001 then he will be eligible for the new package when it takes effect in 2009. If he didn't opt out of the Montgomery GI Bill, he will be able to use that at any time. However, if he did opt out of the Montgomery GI Bill, he will have to wait for the new Post 9/11 GI Bill to take effect.
@10923275 this isn't the forum to get involved in an argument about who works the hardest, but you military wives are all the same. you think because your non-combat husband heard an explosion one night that he is getting mortars shot "at" him daily. it's annoying to see someone with such little comprehension complain that your husband has been working hard filing papers or carrying boxes and deserves the same as those who actually are laying their lives on the line.
@mahumphrey...whatever....I suppose they must have awarded my "non-combat husband" the bronze star and CIB for carrying boxes and filing paperwork in Iraq. You really need to stop judging me and all the "military wives who are all the same." Sounds like you are bitter about something and need to GET OVER IT. This is supposed to be a board where we can talk about the GI Bill and it's pro's and con's...not judge others.
I am having difficulty understanding what they mean by selected reserve service used to establish REAP is not available to be used to get the post 9/11 Bill. Does that mean I am not eligible or what?
Originally posted by mahumphrey: @10923275 this isn't the forum to get involved in an argument about who works the hardest, but you military wives are all the same. you think because your non-combat husband heard an explosion one night that he is getting mortars shot "at" him daily. it's annoying to see someone with such little comprehension complain that your husband has been working hard filing papers or carrying boxes and deserves the same as those who actually are laying their lives on the line.
So in your view it's only the grunts the deserve this? Okay cool, then why don't you guys start humping everywhere you go and tell the helicopters and their mechanics to **** right off then?
Those "non-combat" people you speak of, do you have any idea what it's like to work 36 hours straight regardless of incoming fire to an air field? Do you know what it's like how to safety-wire nuts and bolts wearing full MOPP? To be honest I get sick and tired of the sort of infantry types who think they're the only people that are worth a ****. Funny thing though, the Infantry guys on my MEU float didn't feel this way toward their 'non-combat' brethren, but I suppose this is an attitude the Army fosters because I saw that all the time from the Army in Bagram last summer.
I suppose the next time you need aerial support I guess you should just figure out a way to arc bullets at the enemy? Or the next time you need GPS to work, or
