GI Bill for Flight training and college courses!!!!!!!!

[IslandFlyer]

Okay,

So I have a question about using my GI bill for flight training as well as taking regular college courses.

I'm currently using my GI bill for my CSEL at a mom and pop flight school here in Texas. I want to enroll at the local community college so I can start working towards a degree.

My question is....since I'm receiving VA benefits for flight training, can I receive money for traditional schooling at the same time.

I know that I couldn't go to two traditional schools at the same time, but would it be any different since I'm doing flight training. Has anyone tried doing this or know if it's even possible?

I'm going to be calling the VA on Monday but the college didn't have the answer for me. I checked out the VA's website and couldn't pull up the info there either.

Thanks in advance.

 

[surreal1221]

Well, when I returned back to school for my undergrad. . .I had to get a letter signed by my previous training establishment (flight school) saying that I've complete training and would not be seeking any further GI Bill funds unless I reapplied.

So, from that I gather that the VA does not like paying people two disbursments. It makes it significantly harder for them to keep up with and the potential to over pay someone for school seems high, so they make an effort to avoid it and suggest that people are only enrolled in one school at a time.

That being said, I could easily attend two or three colleges at the same time and draw less than part-time tuition from the VA.

It's when we start mixing in flight schools with college with OJT, etc, that they get a little concerned.

But yes, the best place to get an answer is to actually call the 1800 #.

 

[IslandFlyer]

Well, when I returned back to school for my undergrad. . .I had to get a letter signed by my previous training establishment (flight school) saying that I've complete training and would not be seeking any further GI Bill funds unless I reapplied.

So, from that I gather that the VA does not like paying people two disbursments. It makes it significantly harder for them to keep up with and the potential to over pay someone for school seems high, so they make an effort to avoid it and suggest that people are only enrolled in one school at a time.

That being said, I could easily attend two or three colleges at the same time and draw less than part-time tuition from the VA.

It's when we start mixing in flight schools with college with OJT, etc, that they get a little concerned.

But yes, the best place to get an answer is to actually call the 1800 #.

Regarding your reply....the VA does not like to pay one disbursement, I can't imagine how hard it would be to try and get two from them!

I don't see them 'overpaying' too many people. I'd imagine the workload at the VA is high and pretty stressful, but trying to get reimbursement back from them is like pulling teeth. They have never overpaid me and consistently forget to pay or underpay me.

So far for my CSEL program I have spent 18k, and I have only received 2,300 back from them.

The VA is a great program but sometimes I just get irritated having to keep up with them. I have them on speed dial on my cell phone. I call them a couple times a month because a problem with the pay system.

Now the whole reason I ask this is because like I said above, I received 2300 for January's flight training. Obviously that is more than the 1,300 a month the G.I. bill will send for traditional schooling. They just subtract a month of entitlements for every 1300 they send me. But I would like to take a couple classes while finishing my flight training but I'm not sure they will send me the regular check for traditional school based on part time/full time.

Thanks for the response Surreal. Anyone else that has info, I'm all ears

 

[surreal1221]

Well, I never have had any problems with them sending my money for my college course work.

Now, my flight traing was a little different but . . . I won't really go there. I eventually got my 19k.

 

[IslandFlyer]

Well, I never have had any problems with them sending my money for my college course work.

Now, my flight traing was a little different but . . . I won't really go there. I eventually got my 19k.

Sounds about right. Sounds like you probably had the same problems I had/am having. I hate explaining to people what I go through with the VA trying to get reimbursement from them. This emoticon explains it all-:banghead:

 

[surreal1221]

Yup.

Paper vs. Online. . .Paper vs. Online.

We didn't get your monthly verification of enrollment with your flight times and costs, etc.

Whatever. They act like it's not YOUR money to use when it's anything else other than college.

 

[juan valdez]

Sounds about right. Sounds like you probably had the same problems I had/am having. I hate explaining to people what I go through with the VA trying to get reimbursement from them. This emoticon explains it all-:banghead:

Oh man this does not give me high hopes at all. From what I had heard it takes a while to get your first month and then after that they should come in smoothly. I hope it gets figured out for you and quick!!

My .02 is that the VA will not pay for both at the same time. Now if you went to a college that was cheap enough and you still got your benefits at full time rate, like for me would be 1471/mo, and your school only costs 1000/semester then you would make out and could use that extra money for flying.
But I could be wrong and will have to wait for your answer that you hopefully post after you call the 800 #

 

[IslandFlyer]

Oh man this does not give me high hopes at all. From what I had heard it takes a while to get your first month and then after that they should come in smoothly. I hope it gets figured out for you and quick!!

My .02 is that the VA will not pay for both at the same time. Now if you went to a college that was cheap enough and you still got your benefits at full time rate, like for me would be 1471/mo, and your school only costs 1000/semester then you would make out and could use that extra money for flying.
But I could be wrong and will have to wait for your answer that you hopefully post after you call the 800 #

Juan-I have been using the VA for flight training oh for about nine months now at 2 different schools.

Here's what you're going to see when you try and use your benefits. Once all the paperwork has been straightened out between you and the school (this can sometimes be a long process) you will begin receiving your reimbursements one of two ways...

1-The monthly certification goes through without a hitch and you receive your reimbursement two weeks into the following month (i.e. your school sends March's summary sheet on April 1st) you can receive it as quickly as, oh about the 14th of April (very unlikely)

2-The monthly certification gets sent by your school directly to the VA (usually the schools I've worked with have done a good job at doing this in an expeditious manner) and the VA throws it into the "do not ever look in this stack of papers, especially for paperwork that is extremely late or missing".

Now option 2 is usually what's going to happen and you have to track everything down yourself. Latest instance, I started training with a school here in Texas. I just finished up my PPL and instrument at a school in Hawaii. Upon completion of the course and knowing that I was going to have to send the VA paperwork about the school change I took the initiative to figure out what paperwork they would need and submit it online. Did that back in Dec 08. Got my new school all the paperwork they needed and all that and they sent it to the VA. Jan 8th I started training.
VA sends me something saying something that the paperwork is messed up and that I'm still enrolled in Hawaii. Get that figured out somehow. Now mid-end February rolls around....no payment. Call the VA....ummmmm sorry sir we dont have paperwork xyz. Get my school to resubmit xyz. Mid march rolls around still no payment, call VA. Okay sir ummm well it's going to be approximately 16 weeks for your payment (what? are you kidding me...that will be 7 months after the first month I started training). Talk to supervisors and whatnot....get my January reimbursment right about the 1st of April.

Now I'm waiting on February and March and I have spent my "allotted" money for my training (17k) and now I have to start using my savings account because I haven't gotten any of the payments I planned on dumping back into the training.

Good luck Juan. Sometimes the payments are painless and quick, but if the paperwork goes into that aforementioned stack of papers...you'll be waiting a while.

My instructor said he got too fed up with the VA and stopped using his benefits for flight training. I on the otherhand realize how expensive training is, and even though it's a pain in the ass the work is well worth it. Any help is better than no help.

 

[juan valdez]

Now I'm waiting on February and March and I have spent my "allotted" money for my training (17k) and now I have to start using my savings account because I haven't gotten any of the payments I planned on dumping back into the training.

.

Wow! Good luck with getting the money quick. That is horrible, hope it all works itself out and soon.
Thanks for the well wishes. Def keep us posted on what the VA says tomorow.

 

[Clearblue]

Will the VA reimburse you for college even if you apply for FAFSA? If they do, maybe you can use the financial aid for the classes so you don't have to dip even more into your savings.

Where you planing on going, Lonestar?

 

[IslandFlyer]

Will the VA reimburse you for college even if you apply for FAFSA? If they do, maybe you can use the financial aid for the classes so you don't have to dip even more into your savings.

Where you planing on going, Lonestar?

Yeah Lonestar for now. Went to the Kingwood campus but the courses I'm looking at taking will be at the North Harris Campus.

Clearblue check PM for info on Houston M&G

 

[IslandFlyer]

Wow! Good luck with getting the money quick. That is horrible, hope it all works itself out and soon.
Thanks for the well wishes. Def keep us posted on what the VA says tomorow.

No-go on taking classes ICW flight training. Guess that'll be coming out of pocket too.

 

[skidz]

IslandFlyer, if you're not getting the money back for a while, make sure the school is indeed VA approved and that each aircraft/certification program is VA approved. I went through the whole instrument just to find out that school is not VA approved, and when they finally got VA approval I got reimbursed for that. Now, I'm doing commercial - I started flying 152's and C-172 RG which were on part 141 and program was VA approved, but then I moved on to Seneca which is still not on part 141. Just make sure every aircraft you fly is on part 141 and the programs are approved. As for the college and flight training, I don't think VA pays for both. Every time you change the place of training or education, they only look at that place. And don't wait for VA to notify you of things, in my case they were sitting on a pile of papers for months before I finally called them to see what's wrong and it only took dayes to fix it.

 

[IslandFlyer]

IslandFlyer, if you're not getting the money back for a while, make sure the school is indeed VA approved and that each aircraft/certification program is VA approved. I went through the whole instrument just to find out that school is not VA approved, and when they finally got VA approval I got reimbursed for that. Now, I'm doing commercial - I started flying 152's and C-172 RG which were on part 141 and program was VA approved, but then I moved on to Seneca which is still not on part 141. Just make sure every aircraft you fly is on part 141 and the programs are approved. As for the college and flight training, I don't think VA pays for both. Every time you change the place of training or education, they only look at that place. And don't wait for VA to notify you of things, in my case they were sitting on a pile of papers for months before I finally called them to see what's wrong and it only took dayes to fix it.

Thanks for the info.

I just got off the phone with them and they paid me February's payment before January's and January's is still in the works.

The school is 141 as is the CSEL course I'm taking right now. However, the Multi course in the Seneca at our school right now is not approved, but the Chief Flight Instructor just needs to take a 'checkride' so to speak with the FAA to get that program 141 approved.

Get this though, the lady initially said when I called her up "sir, the reason you are not getting your full payment is because we have not received your DD214 showing us that you are no longer on active duty"

me: "really, well okay I'll send you that DD214 but could you please explain to me why it makes a difference whether I'm active duty or not, after all I was receiving reimbursement while on active duty. I don't see how me being on active duty has anything to do with it. The payment rate is still the same active or seperated"

her: ***thinking to herself, shiza...what other excuse can I give this kid*****

"well let's look at this again"

:banghead: