Oklahoma State Accrediting Agency

1. Oklahoma State Accrediting Agency G.I. Bill Benefits Danny Stewart The Post 9/11 GI Bill

2. A little history… • Public Law 346 of the 78th Congress created the GI Bill on June 22, 1944, for veterans returning from WWII. This GI Bill of Rights provided education and training benefits of up to $500 per year for tuition and books, and a monthly stipend of up to $50 a month for a single veteran. By 1947 veterans accounted for 49% of all college enrollments. • As we go through this presentation we will see that the new GI Bill follows closely with the ideas of the original GI Bill

3. Current GI Bills • Chapter 30 • Also known as the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) • For active military service after 6/30/85 • Requires $1200 contribution by member • Current rate is $1321 per month • Chapter 1606 - MGIB • Requires 6-year enlistment in National Guard or reserves; current rate is $309 per month • Chapter 1607 - REAP • Enhanced benefits for national guard & reserves that have been called to active military service • Monthly benefit rate based on aggregate active service (i.e. 90 days = 40%; 1-yr =60%; 2-yrs =80%)

4. Current GI Bills continued • Chapter 31 • Known as Veteran’s Vocational Rehabilitation • GI Bill for veterans with service connected disabilities • Extremely flexible program designed to meet the unique needs of that individual disabled veterans • Chapter 35 - DEA • Education benefits for the dependants of the 100% service connected disabled veteran and the dependants of service members that died on active duty

5. Programs Available • These GI Bill’s allow beneficiaries to draw a monthly stipend in a wide variety of education and training programs, including: • University • Community College • Vocational/Technical School • Flight Training • On-The-Job (OJT)/Apprenticeship • Preparatory Courses for College and Graduate School Entrance Exams • Licensure and certification exams

6. Chapter 33Post-9/11 GI Bill • ELIGIBILITY. Individuals who served on active duty after 09/10/01 will be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill if the individual— • Served at least 30 continuous days and was discharged due to a service-connected disability, or • Served for an aggregate period ranging from 90 days to 36 months and receive an honorable discharge. • Effective date for Chapter 33 is August 1, 2009

7. Approved Programs • All programs approved under chapter 30 and offered at a degree granting institution • Individuals who were previously eligible for chapter 30 or 1607 may continue to receive benefits for approved programs not offered by degree granting institution’s (i.e. flight, correspondence, APP/OJT, preparatory courses, and national tests)

8. Period of Eligibility Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, individuals will remain eligible for benefits for 15 years from the date of last discharge or release from active duty of at least 90 continuous days. Note: the MGIB has a 10 year delimiting date

9. Service Requirements (after 9/10/01 an individual must serve an aggregate of) % of Maximum Benefit Payable At least 36 months 100 100 At least 30 continuous days on active duty (Must be discharged due to service-connected disability) At least 30 months, but less than 36 months 90 At least 24 months, but less than 30 months 80 At least 18 months, but less than 24 months 70 At least 12 months, but less than 18 months 60 At least 06 months, but less than 12 months 50 At least 90 days, but less than 06 months 40 Service Eligibility Criteria

10. Entitlement Individuals will generally receive 36 months of benefits. However, individuals are limited to 48 months of combined benefits under educational assistance programs administered by VA. NOTE: Individuals transferring to the Post-9/11 GI Bill from the Montgomery GI Bill (chapter 30) will be limited to the amount of remaining chapter 30 entitlement.

11. 3 Benefit Payments • Tuition and Fees • Monthly Housing Allowance • Stipend for Books and Supplies • Note: Those eligible for less than 100% of Chapter 33 will have each benefit reduced to their appropriate percentage of eligibility

12. Tuition and Fees (Payment 1) • Individuals are eligible for the applicable percentage (based on aggregate active duty service) of the lesser of— • Established charges (tuition and fees); or • Highest amount of established charges for full-time, undergraduate training at a public IHL in the State the student is attending. • Tuition rate in Oklahoma is $151.00 per hour • Fee rate in Oklahoma is $11,508.30 per term • Eligible tuition and fees paid directly to institution • Benefits paid for up to 19 hours per semester

13. Yellow Ribbon Program • Institutions can voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition (and fee) expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. • The school will agree to fund (waive, scholarship, etc) an amount of the tuition and fees not paid by VA. VA will match this same amount, not to exceed 50% of the difference. • Look for school’s with Yellow Ribbon agreements at: • http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/yrp/states/ok.htm • Students affected include graduate students, undergraduate students paying non-resident tuition, and students at private colleges and universities. • Only students eligible at the 100% rate are eligible for Yellow Ribbon.

14. Monthly Housing Allowance (Payment 2) • Equivalent to Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents • Amount determined by zip code of the IHL where the student is enrolled • Prorated based on the percentage of the maximum benefit payable • The following are not eligiblefor the monthly housing allowance • those on active duty • anyone training at ½ time or less • those pursuing totally by distance learning • MHA rates in Oklahoma vary from $776 to $954 per month. By comparison in San Francisco the monthly rate will be about $2,700 per month

15. Books and Supplies Stipend (Payment 3) • Up to a $1,000 per year • Paid at $41.67 per credit hour until allowance is exhausted for the academic year • Prorated based on the percentage of the maximum benefit payable • Active duty members are not eligible

16. Refund of Contributions • A proportional amount of the basic $1200 contribution will be included in the last monthly housing allowance payment when chapter 33 entitlement exhausts. • Individuals who do not exhaust entitlement under chapter 33 will not receive a refund of contributions paid under chapter 30. • Refund of $600 additional contributions is not authorized.

17. Transfer of Entitlement(Department of Defense Benefit) • Chapter 33 allows for an eligible member to transfer all or part of Chapter 33 entitlement to his/her dependents in some cases • DoD has established rules to allow a currently serving individual to elect to transfer entitlement to one or more dependents • Additional information can be found at: • http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2009/0409_gibill/ • http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2009/0409_gibill/DTM%2009-003%20Post%209-11%20GI%20Bill.pdf

18. Veterans Education • Where can you go for more information on the GI Bill? • www.gibill.va.gov

19. Summary • The biggest benefit to a veteran using Chapter 33 in Oklahoma is that tuition is paid up front to the school by VA. Most will see more total money under 33 than 30, but by far removing the tuition barrier is most significant to the individual. • Will schools see a large increase in veteran students on campus? Certainly, but predicting how much is a guess at this point. • Questions?