Fewer people are using the GI Bill

Discussion in 'Military-related education topics' started by Kizmet, Oct 7, 2019.

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  1. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Isn't it possible to transfer GI Bill benefits to family members? Could it be that more people are saving it for their kids?
     
    GTFLETCH likes this.
  3. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Yes they can, although there are a lot of restrictions which would lead me to believe it's not a strong factor in the aforementioned decline in benefit usage.
    Personal guess... it's the economy.
     
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  4. bball_lover_86

    bball_lover_86 New Member

    It definitely has to do something with the economy. It makes school less appealing, it also makes joining the military less appealing. It also doesn’t mention service members using tuition assistance while on active duty or reserve components. You can complete up to a masters plus 21 credits for a certificate in all of the Army components while you are in. So hopefully it just means that more services members are doing that in combination with the economy.
     
    GTFLETCH likes this.
  5. instant000

    instant000 Member

    Based on personal experience, there are a few reasons:
    (1) Time. The new forever GI bill (that I am not eligible for) means you don't have to rush (the reason I attempted to use mine was that the VA sent me a letter telling me that the benefit would run out in X number of years.
    (2) Affordability. If you cannot afford to complete the degree with either the GI bill or your remaining eligibility time, then you won't pursue the schooling until such time as you can get around to it.
    (3) On-Campus for full housing benefit. By the time I got out of the military, I had financial obligations (and work travel) that preclude going to school unless it's online. Unfortunately, as pointed out in the article, going online reduces the money received for housing, so you have to weigh the financial benefit to be derived from the degree, versus the travel and what-not.
    (4) Transfer difficulty. From what I read, I have to transfer the benefits while I'm still in the service. I didn't have anyone that I wanted to transfer the benefits to when I was in the service.
    (5) Ignorance. I didn't know how to use the benefit at first, and by the time I figured it out, I don't have enough time to use it all up. I didn't find helpful forums like this one until it was already becoming too late for me to make full use of the benefit.

    Hopefully, the next generation has it better than me. I try to help out any vets with advice and tips anytime that I get them, so they can do better and not make the same mistakes that I did. If I can find a recruit, I try to convince them to enlist from the state of Texas (instead of Mississippi where I enlisted, as there's better state benefits for Texas enlistees.)
     

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