Post 9/11 GI Bill if you used Loan Repayment Program during Active Duty?

If you used Loan Repayment during Active Duty, can you still get the Post 9/11 GI Bill?

I received about 9K in Loan Repayment benefits while in (to pay for schooling that I had prior to signing up). in the going on 7 years now since I got out, I've gotten a Bachelor's and Master's on my own.

I was thinking that I wasn't eligible for the GI Bill, since I remember expressly refusing it because I had taken LRP (Loan Repayment Program). I was wondering if someone knowledgeable in this area would tell me if I had Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits, or not.

I did write the VA about this, but didn't get a response, and I believe that this board might be more responsive.

The only thing I could get through their website was that I had to apply to a school first, get accepted, and then a determination would be made. This is counter to my intuition, as I want to know if I'm eligible prior to wasting my time, as the caliber of school that I can attend could change, depending on if I have to self-fund it all, or if I can utilize a benefit to supplement.

I'm going to go to school more, either for a Ph.D, another Master's, additional IT certification, etc. That's decided, regardless of if my fellow taxpayers contributes or not.

But, if I'm entitled to a benefit, I wouldn't mind receiving it.

Thanks.

 

According to this site: GI Bill for the 21st Century (Post 9/11 active duty service) "In other words, if you initially enlisted for five years and received the CLRP, you would have to reenlist or extend your enlistment in order to take advantage of the new GI Bill."

I don't know your situation but if you meet the eligibility requirements after satisfying the LRP requirements, you should be able to receive the new GI Bill benefits. You could always apply and see what the VA says; worse thing that can happen is they tell you that you're ineligible.

 

Hah.

Decided to go ahead and apply. Have nothing to lose.

Turns out that it is possible to apply for benefits, without applying to a school at the same time.

So, I'll see how that turns out.

 

You should be fine. After your application is processed you will receive a certification letter stating whatever percentage you qualify for, which if you have 3 years or more active duty beyond 9/11/01 should be 100%, and for how many months you qualify for. Once you have that letter, you would send it to the VA certifying official at your school after you enroll in classes. They should be able to do the rest.

Good luck!

 

Yeah. I'll make sure to post back what the result is.

 

Loans & GI Bill

I have a family member who enlisted for six years in the Army and is getting his loans repaid. The loans will be repaid over three years, then the clock will start on GI bill benefits AFTER the loan repayment period. In his case, since he enlisted for six years the final three years of his enlistment will count towards GI Bill benefits. The first three years will not count.

So, all other things being the same, if someone has enlisted for five years with loan repayment, the first three years will not be counted towards GI Bill credit but the last two will count. The length of the loan repayment period may differ from case to case. There should be some career counselor who could fill in the details of a particular case

 

I have yet to receive a response from the VA.

In the meantime, I found these links, that appear to say that I'm good to go.

Post-9/11 GI Bill Eligibility For Active Duty Veterans
https://gibill.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/947

I Did Not Contribute $1200 To The GI Bill. Can I Still Get The Post-9/11 GI Bill?
https://gibill.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/941

Student Loan Repayment & The Post-9/11 GI Bill
https://gibill.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/955/

And, if it falls through, oh well. I'll just keep self-funding like before. (Just try schools that are a bit more budget-friendly, LOL.)

 

Woohoo!

Awesome, I am indeed eligible for the full 36 months of benefits. I received the verification letter from VA. It was dated February 13.

"You have 36 months and 0 days of full-time benefits remaining.

You have until April 20,2021 to use your benefits under this program, which is fifteen years from your last separation from active duty."

Yay!

 

Hey, this is all great news! I'm in the same boat as you in terms of choosing SLRP and will be out after three years. Have you enrolled in school yet and have received the benefits?

 

armyguy:

I have yet to enroll in a school in order to utilize the benefits.

Please note that I did not say so in the original post, but I actually served 6 years, one month.

The first three years were used to cover the Loan Repayment program.
The second three years were used to cover the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

I hope this helps!

 

Nice! Now apply to Nova Southeastern University for Ph.D in Information Systems. While the program is paid by the VA and Post 9/11 GI Bill Yellow Program. Then bank your BAH (housing allowance) and $1000.00 per year for books stipend. If you take 2 courses at the time (full-time enrollment); you can utilize that 36 months of benefit for the entire program.