Category Archives: College

No rhyme or reason in GI Bill claim processing

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Today I bring you good news, and somewhat discouraging news about a system without any rhyme or reason.

First, the good news: After I completed my Veterans Online Application to elect Chapter 33 Benefits (Post 9/11 GI Bill) on Jan. 5, I helped two Marines, who I knew were getting out this year, apply for Chapter 33 benefits. Yesterday they both let me know that they’ve received their ticket to college money courtesy of the VA — the Certificate of Eligibility. That one slip of paper is worth a minimum of $17,500, and worth much more when coupled with the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The bad news I mentioned earlier? I completed my VONAPP at least two whole weeks before they did. And I am still waiting for my letter in the mail from the VA.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am very happy I was able to help fellow Marines navigate a very complex system to obtain what is rightfully theirs. Not complex in the actual application process, but in just knowing where to go and where to start.

I called the VA’s hotline for GI BIll related questions, 1-888-442-4551 (888-GI-BILL-1). An automated prompt informed me that due to an overwhelming call volume, my expected to time would be more than 20 minutes. I set down my iPhone and put it on speaker for the next 29 minutes.

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I was actually lucky — sometimes the VA gives you no other option but to set a phone appointment that could be as far out as one week or so. A rep finally came on the line, and after verifying my personal information, let me know that they do have my application, but have not processed it yet.

Luck. That was the answer I was given when I asked why some applicants who had applied after me received their GI Bill Certificate of Eligibility way before me. The VA rep told me that the system is so overwhelmed with GI Bill benefit applications and payment requests, that at this point they are pretty much blindly processing and responding to requests, in no chronological order. No “first-come, first-serve” basis.

So what now? Wait. Again. The “average” processing time is 6-8 weeks for the Certificate of Eligibility. Yesterday marked Week 6. I wouldn’t have sweated it if the flawed system didn’t smack me in the face. The VA recommended to call back in two weeks if I still had not received anything in the mail, and they would be able to take immediate action.

But today, there is nothing they can do. Luckily for me, I do not begin classes at DePaul University until Sept. 5, leaving me about six months to coordinate dialogue between the VA and DePaul.

Moral of the story? Complete your VONAPP early.

To transfer or not to transfer

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I’m in a position that’s not a particularly bad one to be in.

I have WAY too many transfer courses, more than could possibly be accepted. The good news is that the majority of them are applicable toward a double major bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising, and journalism.

A good chunk of these approved transfer credits came from my SMART transcript. SMART stands for Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript, and it is the academically accepted document approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) to validate a service member’s military occupational experience and training along with corresponding ACE college credit recommendations. It also saves time and money by awarding academic credits, which means less tuition to pay, and less time spent in the classroom.

From my SMART transcript alone, I’ve accumulated 88.5 credit hours approved for transfer to DePaul University, with nearly half of those applicable toward study in either PR/Advertising or journalism. I could possibly cut an entire semester off of my expected time as a DePaul undergrad.

Sounds good, right? WRONG.

Transferring as many credits from my SMART transcript into the 56 credit hours required for electives makes sense, as well as knocking out my liberal arts/general education courses. But when it comes to your major, you should not overlook the benefits of gaining a formal education of your intended major in a setting with your peers.

The opportunities for networking, internships and student involvement far outweigh the benefits of being able to substitute your military journalism/public relations experience for important core classes. Ironically you could still find yourself behind the student curve, despite technically being three or four classes ahead of the pack.

In my case, do I really want to substitute my PR experience for DePaul’s intro PR course? Am I that well-versed in PR practice and theory to skip over the core studies? Same goes for my journalism experience and classes in Photojournalism, News Editing and News Reporting. I need and want the formal education in those areas, despite my 12 years of hands-on, real world experience. I need to interact with fellow PR/journalism students, as they may have far more insight in the Chicago PR/news scene than I do.

If anything, I can use my experience to excel in the core courses, rather than be “average” in the higher-level courses.

MY POINT? Transfer all of your work into your electives and Gen Eds, but don’t skimp on your major.

Navigating my way to the Post 9/11 GI Bill

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I’ve heard and read the horror stories. The VA significantly delaying tuition payments. Basic housing allowance payments not being received. Not being able to enroll in college classes because of gross miscommunication between academic institution and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hopefully you won't look like this guy when you're on the phone with the VA or your college financial aid office.

Those were scenarios that I wanted to avoid at all costs. But fear of the unknown is the greatest contributor to inaction, procrastination and futile, last-minute, half-assed efforts. I was expecting a lot of runaround, long phone calls with automated operators and wait times lasting 90 minutes. So once I received the great news that I had been accepted into DePaul University as a transfer student this past week, I began my trek across the information minefield toward obtaining educational benefits through the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

In case you are not sure what the Post 9/11 GI Bill is, for the sake of brevity I will give an abbreviated explanation as it applies to my scenario, compared to the pages of information available at www.gibill.va.gov.

Eligible veterans can receive up to $17,500 annually for college, trade school, vocational training, etc., for a period of up to 48 months. As a full-time student, you can also receive Basic Allowance for Housing at the E-5 with dependents rate, based on the geographical location of the school. In my case, I would be eligible to receive $1,635 a month.  (BAH Calculator) I will also receive an annual stipend of $1,000 under the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Another helpful program is the Yellow Ribbon Program, in which participating academic institutions and the VA team up to offset any costs exceeding the $17.5k available from the GI Bill. The participating school will determine how much they will offer, and the VA will match that amount. This is very helpful in my case, as tuition as a full-time undergrad runs just over $30,000.

Interestingly, it took more than one source of information for me to understand where I needed to go. The greatest source of reliable information did not come from the VA or any academic institution, but from my Facebook account, and those veterans who have obtained VA educational benefits. I’d ask a question or two, and was bombarded with positive and helpful information from fellow Marines who have gone through the process.

I hope everyone interested in obtaining the Post 9/11 GI Bill will have the ease I currently have, as my experience may differ from others, but in a few, easy steps, here is how I was able to apply for the GI Bill, and what I need to do next:

1. Complete the Veterans Online Application for Benefits (VONAPP)

Your first step toward VA educational benefits

The VONAPP (Veterans On Line Application) website is an official U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website that enables service members, veterans and their beneficiaries, and other designated individuals to apply for benefits using the Internet. U.S. military veterans, service members, members of the Selected Reserve, and dependents can apply for education benefits.

Be sure to elect Ch. 33 benefits in lieu of Ch. 30 benefits to switch from the Montgomery GI Bill to the Post 9/11 GI Bill (if you wish to do so), and print a copy of your application before you submit. You’ll receive a confirmation page that you will also want to print and keep, when referencing your application with the VA.

2. Contact your academic institution’s financial aid office

You won’t be the first or last veteran to apply to that school, so your situation shouldn’t be alien to them. In fact, many colleges and universities’ financial aid offices have staff that deal with applicants and enrolled students who use the VA educational benefits, and can answer many of your questions and make the overall admissions/enrollment/payment process easier.

3. Submit required forms

Your school will require the Certificate of Eligibility of educational benefits you will receive from the VA, once they review your VONAPP and deem you 100% eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. From what I was told by a VA rep over the phone, the average processing time is 25 days from the completion of the VONAPP to the eligibility judgment. They will also need a copy of your DD-214, which is Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty service members receive right before they go on terminal leave or upon their End of Active Service (EAS), whichever comes first.

In turn, the VA will require enrollment certification from the academic institution you plan on attending. In my case, I can get the communication between DePaul and the VA rolling by completing the VA Educational Benefits Form. This is what DePaul University’s VA Educational Benefits Form looks like (your school’s requirements/forms may differ):

DePaul University VA Educational Benefits Form

I’m in a unique situation. I go on terminal leave in early August, and Fall 2012 classes at DePaul begin Sept. 5. However, my EAS is Sept. 18, and until that glorious day arrives, I am still considered an active-duty Marine. Because of that, I am not eligible for the sweet Chicago BAH of  $1,635/month, nor am I eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Neither is available to me, or anyone else, until I come off active-duty military service.

There is positivity to this. A very helpful Megan (I forget her last name) at DePaul University’s Financial Aid Office, who is familiar in dealing with the GI Bill and veteran students, explained that while would not be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program due to the 12-day overlap between my active-duty status and the Fall semester, DePaul bills on a quarterly basis, and the $17,500 available from the Post 9/11 GI Bill will cover that. Once Sept. 18 hits, I will be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program and should be covered for the second Fall quarter. The BAH will also go into effect once my EAS hits.

The wait begins…

(I think) I’ve gathered as much information and completed as many steps as I can at this stage of the process. Once I get my VA certificate of eligibility, I’ll submit it along with the DePaul VA Educational Benefits Form. My DD-214 won’t come until I go on terminal leave from the Marine Corps in early August, but DePaul will accept it once I receive it.

From here, I need to complete the following:

  • Math, writing and foreign language placement exams
  • Pay my tuition deposit of $100
  • Submit my acceptance of admission form
  • Submit immunization form
  • Keep my nose clean and leave active-duty Marine Corps service with an Honorable Discharge

D minus 338: Cadillac dreams

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Between now and Sept. 18, 2012, I have 338 days, 48 1/2 weeks, 11 months, 1 Combat Fitness Test, 1 Physical Fitness Test, 1 more annual fitness report, and 1 last Marine Corps Birthday Ball remaining as an active-duty United States Marine. After 11 years, I’m about to become a “civilian”: the horror! 

What to do between now and then? I kind of have an idea, but I’m not sure if it’s denial, hesitation, overconfidence, or just laziness that’s prevented me from mapping my route from Staff Sergeant Agostini to Mr. Agostini - something I have not been familiar with since I left my parents’ house more than 11 years ago.

There’s the military-to-civilian transitional assistance (TAP/TAMPS) classes I need to attend. There’s a final physical exam. I’ve been meaning to get my left foot checked out — it could be fractured, and if it is, I definitely would want that in my medical record. I need to enroll in the Post-9/11 GI Bill. I’d like to be debt free once I stop receiving that guaranteed monthly income of almost $5,000. Who do I talk to to get that done? What are my deadlines? How much time do I need? What documentation do I need? What benefits do I rate? How would I even know?

When I think of my future, I think of the desired end-state: a successful career as a public relations professional in Chicago, driving my black Cadillac CTS home to the suburbs, where my wife, kids and dog are waiting for daddy to come home to the $350,000 house we mortgaged.  Maybe a condo in River East. On the kitchen counter, next to my kids doing their homework, is a copy of an industry mag profiling the city’s Top 40 under 40, with my face somewhere in there.

Before I can even have the audacity to dream of that, there’s lot of tiny, medium and big-boy-sized steps I need to take. I still have a job to do as a Staff Sergeant of Marines. I’m still responsible for the welfare and mission accomplishment of the Marines below and above me. I still have a responsibility as a husband and a father. I’ll owe it to both my wife and son to be fiscally responsible, for now, the near and long-term future.

My admission into DePaul University is nowhere near guaranteed. While I currently have more than the transferable college credits (24) and minimum GPA (2.0) to be qualified for admission, I still have alot to do. I need to get and send ALL of my college transcripts. I have to file for FAFSA (federal financial aid), along with the GI Bill. I’ve heard and read too many horror stories of the GI Bill going completely wrong, so I’ll definitely need to ensure I do everything right.

At about $30,000 a year, DePaul tuition exceeds the $17.5k that the GI Bill caps off at, so I’ll also need to apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program, in which DePaul and the Department of Veterans Affairs meet halfway in covering the tuition that exceeds the GI Bill max. I have to complete another full-time semester of college classes here in Oceanside for, which, if rumors are anywhere near true, I’ll have to pay out of pocket significantly, due to the projected cuts in military tuition assistance.

Where am I going to live? It looks like with my in-laws, in northwest Indiana (my wife, also an active-duty Marine, will still have two-plus years left on active-duty service). I probably won’t even drive my 2006 Saturn Ion into Chicago, but take public transportation instead. That’s going to be fun, especially with the notorious Chicago winters. The $1,550 monthly housing allowance provided by the GI Bill will have to be coupled with a part-time job, or if I am lucky enough, an entry-level job loosely related to my desired career field.

I’m excited. I’m confident. I’m prepared. But until I put together and execute a good military-to-civilian transition plan, my Cadillac dreams will have to wait. Over the next year, I’ll share my journey with you.