How do people on the GI Bill survive?

[laabstract]

As of June 25th I have been in school for 1 year. I have been going to school full time and enrolled in several units over the maximum requirements, so I can receive my full benefits. But the whole year I have been going to school I have only received my full benefits twice, every other time I have been undercut by either a clerical error IE school VA rep not submitting my enrollment confirmation. To the VA denying some of my classes that I took, to the VA loosing my enrollment information. This last check I got was about 1/3 of what I am supposed to be getting paid and now I have to call on monday to find out "what happened this time"

Luckily I have a side business that makes a decent amount of money, but I have come to the point where I have almost drained the money from my savings and the business savings just to keep a float with the loss in pay from the VA. I am seriously contemplating dropping out of school and getting a job to avoid the inconsistent pay.

My Question is, is this pretty common when dealing with the VA/ Post 911 GI Bill?
How do people survive with pay decreases this consistent?

[bodger]

I can't speak to post 9/11 G.I. Bill. I started getting mine in 1976, attending Ohio State University. We got $220 a month back then for a maximum of 36 months. It came in like clockwork as long as I was enrolled.

I had to work two jobs to make ends meet, but tuition was way low back then. Something Like $400 per semester if I recall.

Good luck and thanks for your service.

[rooster85]

The VA is very inconsistent with payments. I have a buddy that didn't get paid for about one year and when he asked why he wasn't getting paid their reply was, "we don't know sir." When you talk to your certifying official at your school make sure they tell you that your classes are payable. Sometimes the work study's don't know what they're talking about. If you san swing it, go full time and work full time. Plenty of time to sleep when you're dead. Best of luck.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk

[laabstract]

Thanks Rooster85 and bodger, I am actually going to be applying to a couple of places this week.

[Hecktic]

The short answer is you don't...

Your school should have a VA representative / worker and anytime there is a problem you should let them know immediately because they should take care of it. I graduated with an undergraduate degree in the early 2000’s and earned a graduate degree in 2003 so things & procedures may have changed. However, there was no way I could have survived just on the GI bill alone. I think the GI Bill was $600 and some change a month back then for full time enrollment. I had to work 2 part time jobs and take on work wherever I could get it at the time i.e. (construction, manual labor, service work). I also had many roommates and ate once or twice a day. My GI Bill ran out in my junior year of college and I had to get financial aid and received a few scholarships. Good luck because it is an uphill battle even with the GI Bill.

[jmsenk]

There is always a lag, or something like that. I was almost done with my last semester before I got my first check. The school still says I owe them money from the sping (**** that noise, I'm a soldier, I don't pay for college) but a lot of it goes back on you enrolling in the right classes and double checking everything. Gotta stay on top of VA. They pay you a stipend, so it is kinda like having a job. That is the way I saw it. If I wanted my money, in addition to working my *** off for my MBA, part of it was also making sure all the courses were honored, stuff is in on time, and following up with the mouthbreathers and DOD civilians that you have to deal with to get **** done.

Also, when I enrolled at CSULB the president of the VA office there was a retired Green Beret Colonel who was a bad ***, and knew the system inside and out. If anyone had an issue, he made it his personal mission to ***** slap people with his long tab until it got resvolved.

[GMG]

You might even contact your congressman, for help.

[boltmopar]

You cant survive on the GI Bill alone. I work full time and go to school full time as well. If I don't receive a payment on the first I call right away. You also have to remember they won't pay for anytime you are not in school. So when you go on spring break and such, you won't be paid for that week.

[Ross]

I've been using it for just over a year now and the payments are very consistent.

One thing to remember though, you only receive the BAH for the time you're in class. So if your terms are 9 weeks long with one week between terms, you don't collect BAH for the week you're off. This also applies to Christmas vacation if your school closes down for a week or two.

[laabstract]

I've been using it for just over a year now and the payments are very consistent.

One thing to remember though, you only receive the BAH for the time you're in class. So if your terms are 9 weeks long with one week between terms, you don't collect BAH for the week you're off. This also applies to Christmas vacation if your school closes down for a week or two.

I am glad, I have already taken the breaks into account.

[ir0nclash86]

my pay has always been consistent. There was a few times where I was short changed $100-$200 for no reason and nobody knew why. Other than that though I've always been paid on time and when I was supposed to be. I've never had a delay even when I was the first person to use post 9/11 at my school. I was my reps first person to enter into the system and everything went smooth.

[Raider510]

So far when I used mine for a couple years the payments were consistent, never had a problem. I used Ch. 30, now I'm using it again for University of Phoenix. Should be getting my full month's pay in a week or so, we'll see. Good luck to you, hope they pay you.

[nothing4u]

Save money while your still in the service.

[Backcountry]

My GI Bill payments were 100% consistent, never late, and never any underpayment.

[tanksoldier]

GI Bill isn't meant for you to survive. It's meant to help.

The only time I ever had problems with VA payments was when the post-9/11 GI Bill was first getting started, because they were so backed up. Even then they just cut us checks after a few months.

It is on YOU to make sure your paperwork is straight, not the VA rep or school official. You. No different than the military itself.

If you're having problems it is on YOU to fix it. Not getting paid for a YEAR and didn't bounce the problem higher? Was he asking the school, the VA or his congressman? $5 says it was the school. VA would have had an answer even if it was BS. YOU have to be proactive. It is YOUR money and YOUR education. After 2 months I would have been melting my congressman's phone line.

The military is huge, the VA is huge. Mistakes happen, things get lost, people are lazy. If you sit back rely on the system to get you what's yours chances are you'll have a problem.

Keep copies of everything, check and verify things are done and submitted, read the rules and regs for yourself and don't rely on word of mouth and chances are you'll have fewer issues.