Who here understands GI Bill benefits?

[IwantmyMMnow!]

During basic training, I signed up to have $100/mo deducted from my pay for 12 mos to get GI Bill benefits. I am now using said benefits; essentially, my classes are 100% covered by my GI Bill (I do not pay one cent out of pocket) and as long as I go full-time, I also get a housing allowance stipend. This stipend is pro-rated when classes do not cover the entire month...basically comes out to $39/day. I get $1170 for a full month; since the spring semester ended 1 May, I got $39 for that month.

I receive the housing allowance on the last day of the month; the $39 for May I received on 31 May. Just a little while ago, I checked my bank account to see if a check I had written a week ago had cleared yet. I noticed there were 3 seperate deposits of $500, $166.67, & $125 into my account yesterday, all with the same 'code' that shows up when I receive my housing allowance.

This COULD be my housing allowance for this month, but why now and not and the end of the month, and why 3 seperate deposits?

If anyone with experience in understanding how GI Bill benefits work has any clue as to what these deposits are, please let me know. I don't mind having extra money in my pockets (DUH!)...just trying to figure out where this $$$ came from and if I should expect to see it 'disappear' because of an error made by the VAED office.

TIA

Edit: Another point: My housing allowance for June should be $1014 ($39 x 26 days); the deposits made into my acct yesterday add up to $791.67.

[Speed]

VA operates in the same manner as DFAS though your payment is on the first of the month covers the month prior (i.e. 1-30 April get payed on 1 May).

There can be many variables for the funding you just got; check with your VA advisor at your school, they should be able to determine what it is for and why.

Remember you also get a 1,000 stipend per year for books as well.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

VA operates in the same manner as DFAS though your payment is on the first of the month covers the month prior (i.e. 1-30 April get payed on 1 May).

There can be many variables for the funding you just got; check with your VA advisor at your school, they should be able to determine what it is for and why.

Remember you also get a 1,000 stipend per year for books as well.

My VA advisor is out this week; will get in touch with her next week. Back in February (took 5 weeks to get my GI Bill $$$ going after I filed the paperwork), I received a book stipend in the amount of around $580. I was also under the impression that the cap was $1000 per year, but maybe it's been raised? Also, is it all paid up front in Aug for both fall/spring semester of that academic calendar year?

Just wondering if I should expect the full stipend or just half when fall semester rolls around. Since I started school in the spring semester, I understand why I received the amount I did back in February...started in the middle of an academic calendar year.

Thanks...

[tallpaul]

You can bet that the VA will take back the money if they accidentally overpaid you. It happened to me.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

You can bet that the VA will take back the money if they accidentally overpaid you. It happened to me.

That's what I'm thinking...will find out for sure next week when I talk to my VA rep. If she tells me I was, in fact, supposed to get the money, I've already got plans for it. Just gotta wait to make sure it's not a mistake before I use it, though...

[Ozark Marauder]

Wow, when I went to college after Vietnam, 75-79, I got 319.00 a month, for 4 years, and had to take 15 credits a semester. It was a little tough working full time and full time school, but made it through. At that time, they didn't have any money deducted from my military pay, which was 276.00 per month.:woohoo:not counting Overseas pay, Hazardous duty, etc.

I'm glad to see that the VA, good or bad, has other allowances to help my Brothers in Arms make it through college.

Good Luck dealing with the VA.....

OZ

[MMBLUE]

Do yourself a favor and just be patient and try to let it sort itself out. Whenever I have pay issues I usually wait 2 pay periods before I inquire about it. Sometimes DFAS has clitches and they figure it out.;)

[CBT]

Wow, when I went to college after Vietnam, 75-79, I got 319.00 a month, for 4 years, and had to take 15 credits a semester. It was a little tough working full time and full time school, but made it through. At that time, they didn't have any money deducted from my military pay, which was 276.00 per month.:woohoo:not counting Overseas pay, Hazardous duty, etc.

I'm glad to see that the VA, good or bad, has other allowances to help my Brothers in Arms make it through college.

Good Luck dealing with the VA.....

OZ

75-79 :eek: I was 5 thru 9 years old :D

:flag: Thank you for your service! :beer:

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Wow, when I went to college after Vietnam, 75-79, I got 319.00 a month, for 4 years, and had to take 15 credits a semester. It was a little tough working full time and full time school, but made it through. At that time, they didn't have any money deducted from my military pay, which was 276.00 per month.:woohoo:not counting Overseas pay, Hazardous duty, etc.

I'm glad to see that the VA, good or bad, has other allowances to help my Brothers in Arms make it through college.

Good Luck dealing with the VA.....

OZ

UNC-A is around $225 per credit hour; so a 3-hour class is $675. (this is the rate for in-state residents...out of state residents pay 3.5 times this amount)

PLUS $364 a semester for health insurance. UNC-A is one of the cheaper UNC-affiliated colleges, too.

Thanks for your service...and glad you were able to come home alive. It's my personal opinion that those who served before I did, truly did 'serve' their country...you guys dealt with a lot more life/death s**t than I ever had to...

[Ozark Marauder]

Thanks for your service...and glad you were able to come home alive. It's my personal opinion that those who served before I did, truly did 'serve' their country...you guys dealt with a lot more life/death s**t than I ever had to.[/B]..

YW, but anyone who goes into the military, for whatever reasons, to protect and defend us, "Serve"

Anyone who has been in the S**T, .....knows....the life/death s**t. I've sat up there and talked with my Brothers in the grove of trees looking down at the Wall in D.C. If you go to the Wall, turn around and look up the hill you'll see them with the "thousand yard stare". Let me tell ya, there's not just Nam Vets up there, but all of them, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan Vets.

I truly respect all the Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan Vets, because they were volunteers,

Thanks Bros........

Support Wounded Warriors,

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

OZ

Sorry for the :Offtopic: but I felt it had to be said.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Received a letter in the mail yesterday (opened it a little while ago) from the VA ED office. The deposits that were made into my acct were for books and supplies for my summer and fall classes.

Weird that it showed up as 3 seperate deposits and not quite fully certain of how the book/supplies stipend really works, but as long as I've got a letter saying I will receive the exact amount that was deposited into my account, it's all good.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

YW, but anyone who goes into the military, for whatever reasons, to protect and defend us, "Serve"

Anyone who has been in the S**T, .....knows....the life/death s**t. I've sat up there and talked with my Brothers in the grove of trees looking down at the Wall in D.C. If you go to the Wall, turn around and look up the hill you'll see them with the "thousand yard stare". Let me tell ya, there's not just Nam Vets up there, but all of them, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan Vets.

I truly respect all the Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan Vets, because they were volunteers,

Thanks Bros........

Support Wounded Warriors,

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

OZ

Sorry for the :Offtopic: but I felt it had to be said.

I hear what you're saying, but it's a bit hard for me to truly believe I'm in the same category as you guys. During my deployment to Iraq in 08, my location never had an attack or anything along those lines...which was unusual; I slept/worked right next to BIAP. I'm thankful that things were 'quiet' while I was there, but feel that I really didn't do 'anything' of importance. Same thing for when I deployed to Saudi back in 94....

Wounded Warrior is an excellent charity. Back in 2009, I organized a golf tournament (The Wing Commander's Annual tourney) and we raised $800 for them.

[Haggis]

Glad to hear that it work out Kyle.

[Ozark Marauder]

I hear what you're saying, but it's a bit hard for me to truly believe I'm in the same category as you guys. During my deployment to Iraq in 08, my location never had an attack or anything along those lines...which was unusual; I slept/worked right next to BIAP. I'm thankful that things were 'quiet' while I was there, but feel that I really didn't do 'anything' of importance. Same thing for when I deployed to Saudi back in 94....

Wounded Warrior is an excellent charity. Back in 2009, I organized a golf tournament (The Wing Commander's Annual tourney) and we raised $800 for them.

Don't sell yourself short.....you took the risk!

OZ

[Commodore Crap]

I got a refund from the college as an overpayment from the VA. It could be that?

-ryan s.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

I got a refund from the college as an overpayment from the VA. It could be that?

-ryan s.

I received that 'goodie' a month ago...to the tune of $2000! Ironic that my GI Bill not only has funded my pursuit of my degree, it's also funded the recent upgrades to my MM....

410 gear install & will be heading out to FastBlackMerc's place in a couple weeks to have the following done: HID heads/fogs, LED trunk/hood lights, ambient interior lighting kit, LED marker lamp turn sigs, LED tailights w/additional LEDs, working oil press/volt gauges with LED lighting, LED cluster lighting).