This is a significant change from the initial post 911 GI Bill. It definately looks good for distant learners. Bill would give stipend to distance learners By Rick Maze - Staff writer Posted : Friday Feb 13, 2009 6:03:01 EST People using the Post-9/11 GI Bill for distance learning would be eligible to receive a living stipend under legislation introduced Tuesday by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman. The bill sponsored by Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., addresses one of the biggest complaints about the new veterans education benefits plan that takes effect Aug. 1. In addition to covering tuition and fees and providing a $1,000 annual allowance for books and supplies, the new GI Bill provides a monthly living stipend equal to the military basic allowance for housing for an E-5 with dependents for the ZIP code where the school is located. The law includes two big limits on who can receive the housing allowance. First, it is paid only to people who are attending school as at least half-time students. Second, it is not paid to anyone taking distance learning classes unless they are taking at least one class on campus. Filner’s bill, HR 950, keeps the first requirement that living stipends go only to those who are at least half-time students, but waives the requirement to take at least one class on campus. With that change, the housing allowance paid to distance learning students would be based on the ZIP code for where the school is located. The bill makes no change in coverage of tuition and fees for distance learning under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Paying a living stipend based on the location of a distance learning school is something the Veterans Affairs Department opposed last year when officials discussed details with Congress. VA officials were concerned that schools would set up shop in the most expensive locations of the U.S. solely to entice veterans to sign up for classes with the promise of big living stipends. VA officials similarly opposed paying a housing allowance based on the student’s location, arguing they didn’t want to encourage people to try to boost their income by moving to the most expensive area of the U.S. in order to get a bigger monthly check. Since Congress passed the bill and VA has publicized proposed rules for paying benefits, complaints have arisen from both schools and potential GI Bill users about the unfairness of paying living stipends to some veterans but not to others. Filner’s committee has scheduled a Feb. 26 hearing about the Post-9/11 GI Bill to look at VA’s preparations to make payments as well as changes that Congress could make in the bill before the new program launches on Aug. 1. Distance learning is expected to be part of the discussion, aides said
Thanks for posting that article! That is pretty significant. Also, the VA just posted a preliminary chart of the maximum tuition and fees payable by the new GI Bill here: http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Tuition_and_fees.htm
What do you think about Post 9/11 GI Bill BAH? The students are not entitled to BAH if attend school via distance learning. Is that because students can live thousand miles away from school and comparing the BAH rate of the school zipcode? For example, if you live in Wyoming and attend school in New York City. Where New York's E-5 BAH with Depdent is about $2,800.00; and you pay only a little for living in Wyoming. What is your imput about this?
I thought about that as well. I think they would eventually lean toward using the students home address for BAH.
All that I ever find when looking up reasons why distant learning students do not get the BAH entitlements is this crap about living in Wyoming and going to NYU or a school in San Fransisco. Just becuase the current GI Bill reads "in the school's zip code" doesn't mean that they cannot change it to read "for online students, BAH will be given according to THEIR zip code." I spent 10 years in the military and am now out. I have a full time job, go to school full time (graduate student) and raise a family full time. Where I live and work, there are no schools that offer Graduate degrees, at least not in driving distance. Since I own a home and have a family, I can't just pack up and move closer to a campus. So I am attending Tulane Univeristy Online to get a Masters of Public Health. I would not expect to get New Orleans BAH, but I SHOULD be entitled to California City BAH. Am I the only person in the whole country that see's this is total CRAP!!
I just found this information regarding to the Distance Learning and the Post 9/11 GI Bill with BAH. "Question : Do I get BAH while enrolled in distance learning? Answer If your entire enrollment is distance or online training you are not entitled to the BAH portion of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. If just one of your classes is categorized as “in-residence” and you are otherwise eligible, you would be entitled to the applicable BAH rate for the time you are engaged in “in-residence” training. The BAH will be determined by the ZIP code of the “in-residence” course(s) school location. "
The following tier 1 colleges participate in the Post 9/11 Yellow Ribbon Program. 1. Darthmouth College 2. Columbia University 3. Cornell University 4. Rice University 5. Northwestern University 6. Forham University 7. University of Rochester 8. Stevens Institute of Technology 9. George Washington University 10. Johns Hopkins University
Distance Learning and BAH Does anyone know what the status is of the change in legislation introduced Feb 09 by Rep. Bob Filner to give distance learners BAH?
update Another interesting update to the distance learning situation with the post 911 gi bill. I will be retiring next year from the army and really hope this opportunity comes around. DC Roundtable on Vets Education Options December 10, 2009 House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, December 3, 2009, Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, led a roundtable discussion on education. Interested stakeholders were provided the opportunity to express their concerns and provide specific recommendations regarding education programs offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA). “As part of today’s roundtable, we asked for all our participants to provide us with recommendations to consider as we seek to address the education needs of our nation’s veterans while providing the Department of Veterans Affairs with the resources to succeed in implementing education benefits in a timely manner,” said Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin. Participants submitted the following proposals: provide a housing allowance for full-time distance learners based on the zip code in which the veteran resides; expand Post-9/11 G.I. Bill entitlements to on-the-job-training programs, apprenticeship programs and vocational programs; authorize Chapter 33 benefits for Guard and Reserve members who were activated for active duty by the state governor under Title 32 orders; and grant Public Health Commission Corps and NOAA Corps Officers the ability to transfer Chapter 33 benefits to their dependents.
