New GI Bill and Flight Training

FightingFalconInstructor said:
A school must be Part 141 to be VA, but not all Part 141 are VA approved. A school that initially gets 141 approval is a "Provisional" school for 2 years. If they meet certain requirements, they can after 2 years apply for renewal as a full school. The VA cannot approve "Provisional" schools for veterans benefits. About the Private, if the Private course is part of a credit hour course at a IHL, you can get paid for it. The FBO cap is $10,000 per academic year, 1 Aug to 31 Jul. so you could spend $10K May-Jul, then another $10K Aug to Jul, for $20K in a calender year.
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The only caviat to that is that if the training is part of a degree program, it doesn't matter if the school is 141 or 61. At that point, the flight instruction becomes a College "class" and it's just part of the degree program. That's what the lady at the VA told me a couple weeks ago when I had them on the phone.

However, they are still unable to explain to me how my BAH is going to be paid to me if I am attending flight training in Long Beach and taking classes by correspondence at Mountain State in West Virginia. Their best guess was that I would receive West Virginia BAH, even though I will have never set foot on the campus. That doesn't seem right to me... :concern:

Anyone have any idea how that is going to work?
 
I believe that when you take distance learning courses the VA pays a national average rate. I have not researched this though...just remember coming across this before. Hoping someone else can confirm or deny this.
 
subpilot said:
I believe that when you take distance learning courses the VA pays a national average rate. I have not researched this though...just remember coming across this before. Hoping someone else can confirm or deny this.
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True, but that's only if 100% of the coursework you are performing is by distance learning. If you are enrolled in "in-residence" courses (ie; flying with an FBO) as part of your degree, then it should be based on the zip code of the school you are attending. That's where the problem comes into play for me; I would be attending classes at ATP in Long Beach but the degree program is managed through Mountain State University in West Virginia. MSU is already VA approved but ATP is not a VA approved school. So the money would have to be distributed to MSU, then sent (by MSU) to ATP. I called ATP and they have no idea how this is going to work. Mountain state says I am free to apply but they have no idea how much BAH I will get. The VA didn't really know either; their educated guess would be that I would get West Virginia BAH, despite the fact I will never set foot on the campus. It honestly sounds to me like no one really knows how to answer this question.

My understanding was that the distance learning BAH was 1/2 the national average. Taken from military.com:
6. Question: Will online or distance learners get the housing stipend?
Answer: Yes. The housing allowance will be payable to students enrolled solely in distance learning [This Includes Online Education], the housing allowance is half the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents (the rate will be $673.50 for 2011). This is also subject to prorating based on the number of credits being taken.
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http://www.military.com/education/content/gi-bill/20-top-faqs-for-the-new-gi-bill.html#7
 
Interesting. I'm attnding SIU which is public IHL in illinois. Can i attend ATP's CRJ course after i graduate with my ratings ratings next year using CH 33? Thanks.
 
I know of a certain community college in Kansas right now that is pretty much in full swing with a flight school (VA-approved, done)...and even though you are taking all of your collegiate classes online, it is set up so that the student receives BAH by way of the zip code that the COLLEGE is in. That whole situation appears to be very unique, but after seeing how the VA handles a lot of its business, there is a rule of sorts that I'm sure they are following.

So, for Flush: my best guess is that one of two things will happen; 1) You get the national average of BAH for completing classes online, 2) You'll see the BAH rate of the distant college/university. Nothing that I have ever seen would lead to you getting the BAH away from one of these two options.

So ILL: After reading this "Flight programs: Per academic year, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees assessed by the school or $10,000, whichever is less." This is of course as of October 1, 2011...and my guess is that in order to utilize this $10,000 per academic year, you would need to have at least 9 full months of benefit remaining. The VA may require 12 give that the word "year" is used, but an academic year is generally only 9 months. If this stipulation is met, it looks as though this would fall under "FBO flight"...and I don't see why you couldn't. If you have less than 9 months left, I'd bet the VA doesn't give it to you.
 
FutrLftSeat82 said:
So, for Flush: my best guess is that one of two things will happen; 1) You get the national average of BAH for completing classes online, 2) You'll see the BAH rate of the distant college/university. Nothing that I have ever seen would lead to you getting the BAH away from one of these two options.
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I get the national average..? Meaning $1347...?

Or 1/2 the national average $673.50...? This is so confusing...
 
Yeah I would be in that 9 to 12 mo of remaining benefits category depending on how the year goes. And correction, i think id rather attend the citation transition course since its a jet and you get high performance and and altitude endorsements.
 
So ILL said:
Yeah I would be in that 9 to 12 mo of remaining benefits category depending on how the year goes. And correction, i think id rather attend the citation transition course since its a jet and you get high performance and and altitude endorsements.
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You could go either or...whichever is your liking. But get done and see what you have left remaining, and file the paperwork to see what they say. If you put in for "place of change of benefits" and they approve you, you're golden. What they send you back tells you exactly what they will pay for (just like the first Certificate of Eligibility did). Hope it works out for you...good luck!
 
FutrLftSeat82 said:
Yes, HALF (1/2)...swore I added that, my apologies.
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I'm really not sure. Honestly, it doesn't sound like anyone is, including the VA. Their best guess is that I will get the West Virginia BAH...

The 1/2 national average is for people who are doing their coursework 100% by correspondence. That wouldn't apply to my situation, so I'm not sure that's correct either. Ugh... What a mess...
 
Hey folks. Im ready to get in on this discussion. Ill be a vet in 4 months and im looking to utilize my post 9/11 2.0 in conjunction with my gen ed credits from my AA to get certified with the hopes of getting a job as an airline pilot.

So what im gathering here is that if I go to a public IHL ill be getting college classes and flight training at 100%? What public schools can get me where I want to go?
 
Flush,

I spoke with MSU yesterday. The admissions guy told me that so far, only 2 ATP schools in FL were on board with the VA for participating in MSU's Flight training degree. He said they may bring on more locations later. Personally, I need the one in Richmond, so I guess I will be waiting until I find out. There are no IHls with flight degrees anywhere near me.

I know that's bad news (for now), and it still doesnt answer the BAH question.
 
For the most (Multi-engine) bang for your buck check out Aviator College & Flight Academy: http://www.aviator.edu/FlightCollege It's a fully accredited 2-year College and is also qualified for Chapter 30 & 33 Benefits. P.M. me if you want to get in touch with any students using V.A. Benefits here.
 
dwe213 said:
For the most (Multi-engine) bang for your buck check out Aviator College & Flight Academy: http://www.aviator.edu/FlightCollege It's a fully accredited 2-year College and is also qualified for Chapter 30 & 33 Benefits. P.M. me if you want to get in touch with any students using V.A. Benefits here.
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The gi bill is free for the member so there is no such thing as a bang for the buck (time would be factor, not cost). There are some Community Colleges out there that can get you done in 12 months.
 
Really? You don't pay in at $100 a month for 12 months anymore?

I was thrilled when they raised it and I got $550 a month when I was in college (early 90's), to get flight training paid for would have been awesome!
 
jskibo said:
Really? You don't pay in at $100 a month for 12 months anymore?

I was thrilled when they raised it and I got $550 a month when I was in college (early 90's), to get flight training paid for would have been awesome!
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nope, that was the old gi bill.
 
OK folks, looking for some intel here. I have a PPL and looking to maximize the 10K/yr flight training provision. The kicker is that I will not be degree-seeking. I already have 3 AA, 1 BS and 1 MA degree, so no need for more "school". Any idea of any schools (VoTech, basically) in Texas that will have this option available. I imagine for the first "year" I could hook up the IR and commercial. Second "year" hook up the CFI/II/MEI. Any thoughts on this? Did I mention that I don't want yet another degree? :)
 
You don't have to finish the degree, just enroll in the college program, take all the flight courses and then drop the rest.
 
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