Is A Army Nurse Able To Receive GI Benefits For Flying...

[Sinistar]

My friends GF's daughter was recently in the Army. Became a nurse. My understanding is that through ROTC or some other program the nursing degree was on Uncle Sam. She served her required time for that program. She is now of the understanding that she is not entitled to the new GI benefits for flight training. Does that sound right? Her service was all after 9/11/2001. She has already completed her PPL and working on IR. Anyone heard anything like this. In a way it would make sense - in a way.

 

[TCABM]

All the answers needed are here:

Flight training | Veterans Affairs

Find out how your VA education benefits can help pay for flight training at a pilot school or training center.Note: If you want to get flight training at a college or university, check the benefits you can get through a college-degree program. Learn about using VA education benefits for a...

www.va.gov

 

[Sinistar]

All the answers needed are here:

Flight training | Veterans Affairs

Find out how your VA education benefits can help pay for flight training at a pilot school or training center.Note: If you want to get flight training at a college or university, check the benefits you can get through a college-degree program. Learn about using VA education benefits for a...

www.va.gov

I saw that earlier but didn't see any specific mention of ROTC or other special programs. Guess she needs to log in to find out if any of those consumed some of her benefits. Was wondering if anyone else here had military pay for undergrad like Nursing, etc only to find out their GI bill benefits had been reduced. Once she logs in and shares I will post back here in case others are interested.

 

[TCABM]

I saw that earlier but didn't see any specific mention of ROTC or other special programs..

They likely did not, but she will have to go thru the process anyways b

 

[HornedFrogGrant]

GI Bill benefits are a little different for commissioned officers vs enlisted.

Enlisted become eligible for full GI Bill benefits after 36 months of active duty service accrued after 09/11/2001.

Commissioned officers become eligible for full GI Bill benefits after 36 months of active duty accrued after 09/11/2001... however, if the officer was commissioned via service academy (West Point, Annapolis, etc) or ROTC scholarship, the clock for those 36 months does not start until AFTER completion of the minimum service obligation associated with service academy or ROTC scholarship.

So... how would this apply to the person in question in the original post? I believe that the minimum service obligation for Army nursing officers commissioned via ROTC is 8 years (first 4 years must be active duty; remaining 4 years can be completed on active duty, reserve, or National Guard).

So, in order to be eligible for full GI Bill benefits, the nurse in question would need to complete her minimum service obligation of 8 years, PLUS an additional 36 months active duty. This would mean a total of 11 years of service, at least 7 years of which were on active duty.

 

[Warlock]

We had a period from I believe 1982 to 1985 when I entered service as an Officer when there was no GI bill and since it’s always based on BEPD (Basic Entry Pay Date) there was no way to get it until post 2001 and serving in combat for over 90 days in the global war on terror…prior gunfights and wars did not count…makes no issue now but there are 30-40k of members served for 20 plus years that never had a GI bill. Rules can be different…legislation was tried to make it retroactive but failed…

 

[TCABM]

The easiest way to determine eligibility (because different periods and characteristics of service do have differing rules of eligibility, especially within the Post-9/11 program) is for the veteran to obtain their VA GI Bill certificate of eligibility. It’s required to do if you decide to use the benefit anyways and there’s no harm/no foul getting that cert today.

See the How To Apply section of this page.

GI Bill and other education benefit eligibility | Veterans Affairs

Learn about GI Bill eligibility requirements and find out if you can get these benefits. VA education benefits can help you pay your tuition, pick out a school, choose a career, and more. If you’re an active-duty service member or Veteran, a member of the National Guard or Reserves, or a...

www.va.gov

 

[Sinistar]

GI Bill benefits are a little different for commissioned officers vs enlisted.

Enlisted become eligible for full GI Bill benefits after 36 months of active duty service accrued after 09/11/2001.

Commissioned officers become eligible for full GI Bill benefits after 36 months of active duty accrued after 09/11/2001... however, if the officer was commissioned via service academy (West Point, Annapolis, etc) or ROTC scholarship, the clock for those 36 months does not start until AFTER completion of the minimum service obligation associated with service academy or ROTC scholarship.

So... how would this apply to the person in question in the original post? I believe that the minimum service obligation for Army nursing officers commissioned via ROTC is 8 years (first 4 years must be active duty; remaining 4 years can be completed on active duty, reserve, or National Guard).

So, in order to be eligible for full GI Bill benefits, the nurse in question would need to complete her minimum service obligation of 8 years, PLUS an additional 36 months active duty. This would mean a total of 11 years of service, at least 7 years of which were on active duty.

Thanks for explaining this! Obviously this soldier will log into the system and check (per TCABM). However for any others who might be considering a path like this woman did - they may find out they don't just get out after 4 years of school and 4 years of active duty and get to jump right into GI benefited flight school!

I am a VEAP child so lots of envy for all original GI bill before me and new GI bill afterwards. I would have thought the new GUI bill would have covered flight training no matter what other benefits they had already used. But that is based on all the stories you hear of older vets going to college forever and getting 8 degrees they will never use.

 

[Sinistar]

We had a period from I believe 1982 to 1985 when I entered service as an Officer when there was no GI bill and since it’s always based on BEPD (Basic Entry Pay Date) there was no way to get it until post 2001 and serving in combat for over 90 days in the global war on terror…prior gunfights and wars did not count…makes no issue now but there are 30-40k of members served for 20 plus years that never had a GI bill. Rules can be different…legislation was tried to make it retroactive but failed…

That totally sucks. So you may have been VEAP baby as well?

I hated that program. Yes I did put in my $2 and they matched with $1 but in the end given college costs and the VEAP maxing out at like $8,700 it was more of an assist than fully covering college. I see your dillema as you entered during that period but spanned it the next and no way to switch over. I would think just doing a full 20-yr retirement would have worked all that out. Sorry to hear. Its is not right.

I was only in 4 years. Worked my ass off during new construction, commissioning and flowed right into tail end of cold war full patrols and all. I think GI benefits were pretty damn lame.

People always assume (2) things about my basic (4 active, 4 inactive) service time:

#1 All our college was paid for - NO!
#2 We will have VA medical benefits for life - NO!

I want to be careful to say that the college gripe is just that now years later. I had loans but they were definitely lower than the next person's.

For the VA health benefits I'm glad I was never injured and don't need anything. Its just interesting that many civilians think all veterans get VA benefits.

 

[Shepherd]

I was under the old G.I. Bill. They paid for my education for 8 years.
The new versions suck in comparison.
JMHO.

Also, I'm on my way to the VA this afternoon for this year's abuse.
Glad I don't have to rely on the VA for actual medical.

 

[Archer Jack]

My friends GF's daughter was recently in the Army. Became a nurse. My understanding is that through ROTC or some other program the nursing degree was on Uncle Sam. She served her required time for that program. She is now of the understanding that she is not entitled to the new GI benefits for flight training. Does that sound right? Her service was all after 9/11/2001. She has already completed her PPL and working on IR. Anyone heard anything like this. In a way it would make sense - in a way.

Just out of curiosity doesn't a registered nurse with a degree automatically qualify to go in as a commissioned 2Lt which would make ROTC unnecessary. I believe MD's used to start as captains although that may have changed by now.

 

[Sinistar]

Here nursing degree was as @HornedFrogGrant covered. It was paid for by a ROTC program as part of the process of becoming a nursing officer.

 

[Sac Arrow]

That totally sucks. So you may have been VEAP baby as well?

I hated that program. Yes I did put in my $2 and they matched with $1 but in the end given college costs and the VEAP maxing out at like $8,700 it was more of an assist than fully covering college. I see your dillema as you entered during that period but spanned it the next and no way to switch over. I would think just doing a full 20-yr retirement would have worked all that out. Sorry to hear. Its is not right.

I was only in 4 years. Worked my ass off during new construction, commissioning and flowed right into tail end of cold war full patrols and all. I think GI benefits were pretty damn lame.

People always assume (2) things about my basic (4 active, 4 inactive) service time:

#1 All our college was paid for - NO!
#2 We will have VA medical benefits for life - NO!

I want to be careful to say that the college gripe is just that now years later. I had loans but they were definitely lower than the next person's.

For the VA health benefits I'm glad I was never injured and don't need anything. Its just interesting that many civilians think all veterans get VA benefits.

Yeah, that kind of grinds away at me as well, but I actually had a specific $10K college fund incentive when I joined. And I spent every last dime of it.

 

[HornedFrogGrant]

Just out of curiosity doesn't a registered nurse with a degree automatically qualify to go in as a commissioned 2Lt which would make ROTC unnecessary. I believe MD's used to start as captains although that may have changed by now.

I don't know off-hand whether nurses qualify for direct commissioning in the same way that physicians, lawyers, and chaplains do.

If not eligible for direct commissioning, they would need to complete a commissioning program of some sort. If she had already graduated from college with degree in-hand, OCS would be the obvious choice. If she had not yet completed her degree, ROTC would make the most sense, so that Uncle Sam would foot most (if not all) of her university tuition via ROTC scholarship.

 

[Warlock]

I was not eligible for VEAP either when it was in place…people use the term “ Act of Congress” yeah for some of us at the time sitting in a foxhole it was not happening…