Plugging a benefit loophole p1 - GI Bill Benefits - Tuition Assistance for the Military - Military Times EDGE

First, the bad news: If you are one of the thousands of National Guardsmen who have served solely on domestic missions under control of the state since Sept. 11, 2001, it may be months before you qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, if you ever do.

Some lawmakers are trying to close a loophole in the legislation that excludes homeland security and emergency response missions from counting toward the new education benefit. But it takes a law to fix a law, and the National Guard Education Equality Act, which would allow all Title 32 duties except annual training to count toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility, is still working its way through congressional committees.

And the high price tag of the fix — an estimated $2.3 billion over 10 years, according to the Office of the Secretary of Defense — jeopardizes the bill’s passage, said Maj. Jeremy Serafin, GI Bill program manager for the Guard.

The good news? Forty-seven states and territories offer some type of education incentive over and above any federally funded education program you might qualify for, and these programs are available only to Guard members.

State by state

Eligibility requirements and programs vary significantly, from state-funded tuition assistance and tuition waivers to education loan repayments and scholarships. A state’s legislature or general assembly controls whether a program will be offered and what that program will be, Serafin said. Only California, Idaho, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and Guam have no programs at this time.

Programs are used primarily as recruiting and retention tools, Serafin said, with incentives usually offered in return for a service commitment with that state’s Guard.

In Virginia, where Serafin served as education services officer for the state Army National Guard office for four years, the Virginia National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program funds 100 percent of tuition costs — up to $6,000 per year — remaining after federal tuition assistance benefits are applied, at any public or private school. Virginia guardsmen also are offered in-state tuition rates as long as they are receiving state tuition assistance. Finally, VaNGSTAP recipients can receive up to $350 per semester for textbooks.

In Texas, the State Tuition Reimbursement Program will reimburse the cost of tuition and fees for up to 12 hours per semester for up to five years. STRP pays public schools up to 100 percent of their in-state rates for tuition and fees. Private schools receive $170 per semester hour for undergraduate tuition and $200 per semester hour for graduate tuition, with fees paid at a rate of $100 per semester hour for undergraduate and graduate levels.

A list of all state-funded programs can be found at VirtualArmory.com.

Filling a need

Guardsmen who are using other federal education benefits, such as federal tuition assistance, Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve and the Reserve Education Assistance Program, also can benefit from state funds, because these programs may not cover all education costs. For example, Serafin said, federal tuition assistance currently has a cap of $4,500 per fiscal year.

“The $4,500 per year will today pay for an associate degree — that’s it,” he said. “Standard colleges are $6,000 a year at least. There is a need to have additional programs to help offset that.”

The Air Guard depends on state tuition programs, he added, because they don’t have a federal tuition assistance program.

Unfortunately, Serafin said, Active Guard/Reserve personnel— who are also on Title 32 orders — typically do not qualify for state education program incentives.

“They’ve been omitted, because they normally don’t have a retention problem,” Serafin said.

Serafin still sees the need for state education programs, even if Title 32 Guard members someday are eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“I looked across the board at our National Guard soldiers,” he said. “The average soldier qualifies for 60 percent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. They are going to need something else to make up that extra 40 percent.”

In the meantime, while they wait in Post-9/11 GI Bill limbo, guardsmen should contact their state education service office to discuss their options, Serafin said.

For more information

• VirtualArmory.com maintains a listing of state-funded programs at http://www.virtualarmory.com/education/statebenefits/findstate.aspx.

• Army National Guard members also can contact their state education services officer. A listing of state ARNG education points of contact may be found at http://www.virtualarmory.com/education/ArngPOC.

• Information on all ARNG education programs also is available 12 hours a day at (866) 628-5999 or esc@pec.ngb.army.mil.

• Finally, the National Guard Bureau has launched a new website, http://www.education.ng.mil, which highlights education, incentives and employment opportunities for the Guard.

• Air National Guard benefits may be found at http://www.goang.com/benefits.