richpac Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I'm curious if anyone here has used or considered using the CH 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation) option to cover the costs of PA school beyond what CH 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bil)l pays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAdamsPAC Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Voc ReHab is the way to go! #1 ALL school expenses paid including all required tools and supplies lab coats, otoscope, stethascope, books, pens, paper EVERYTHING!!!! #2 Stipend paid on top of all school expenses #3 PANCE exam will be paid for ! #4 As an incentive to get you hired,up to six months of your first years salary may be repaid to the practice that hires you!! #5 Your GI Bill is still available to you after completing VocRehab!! #6 You earned it the hard way with physical pain and injury while serving this country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Voc ReHab is the way to go!#1 ALL school expenses paid including all required tools and supplies lab coats, otoscope, stethascope, books, pens, paper EVERYTHING!!!! #2 Stipend paid on top of all school expenses #3 PANCE exam will be paid for ! #4 As an incentive to get you hired,up to six months of your first years salary may be repaid to the practice that hires you!! #5 Your GI Bill is still available to you after completing VocRehab!! #6 You earned it the hard way with physical pain and injury while serving this country! CAdamsPAC, Thanks! I just dropped off my Voc Rehab paperwork and the counselor says should get a call in about two weeks to set up the needs assessment. I still have 29 months of my Post 9/11 GIB benefits to use but am weighing all my options. Since my wife has a really great job, we trying not to take out any student loans for school. Were you able to use Voc Rehab for a master's degree as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAdamsPAC Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 VocRehab will pay the cost of "PA School" regardless of level of education.Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 VocRehab will pay the cost of "PA School" regardless of level of education.Good luck Thanks again! I'm hoping that our military members (like us) will see this thread can take advantage of this (well deserved) benefit. I will certainly put the word out for those in my program. Here is a link to the VA VocRehab site: http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/ Active Duty Service Members are eligible if they: Expect to receive an honorable discharge upon separation from active duty Obtain a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the VA Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) VetSuccess services Veterans are eligible if they: Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) VetSuccess services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoompl Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Start my program in May. Just had my Voc Rehab/Chap 31 "sit down" assessment; my dude said I was good to go, just needed final approval from the benefits signature-authority guy, but that it shouldn't be a problem. When he told me what would be covered, I was in shock. Eligible Vets need to know about (and use) this program. Amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I'm curious as to how difficult(or not) it is to get this benefit and if many vets get denied and have to just use the post-911 GI Bill. What Happens after Eligibility is Established?The Veteran is scheduled to meet with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) for a comprehensive evaluation to determine if he / she is entitled for services. A comprehensive evaluation includes: An assessment of the Veteran's interests, aptitudes, and abilities An assessment of whether service connected disabilities impair the Veteran's ability to find and / or hold a job using the occupational skills he or she has already developed Vocational exploration and goal development leading to employment and / or maximum independence at home and in the Veteran's community I'm sure many with a 20% or greater disability rating aren't impaired when it comes to "finding and/or holding a job using the occupational skills he or she has already developed." Would having a job(and having no trouble holding one) really disqualify someone from this benefit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted February 10, 2012 Moderator Share Posted February 10, 2012 Thanks again! I'm hoping that our military members (like us) will see this thread can take advantage of this (well deserved) benefit. I will certainly put the word out for those in my program. Here is a link to the VA VocRehab site: http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/ Active Duty Service Members are eligible if they: Expect to receive an honorable discharge upon separation from active duty Obtain a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the VA Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) VetSuccess services Veterans are eligible if they: Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) VetSuccess services think this goes backwards? I seperated in 1998 and disabled (pending application but between 10-30% is my guess) used up my GI bill years ago but still have about 20k in student loans.... think i could use this to pay off loans???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 Ventana- I'd say schedule a meeting with your closest VA center that has a Voc-Rehab department. If that is not practical you can always call but I personally believe the magic happens most commonly when they see a face (in-person). Another great, and often untapped resource is your local VFW. The VFW has for some time provided (free of charge) counseling and disability filing with the VA on behalf of our veterans. On another note, if you find yourself standing around the clinic saying to yourself "damn, that hard parachute landing in '87 really hurts my knee now," you may want to seek help from the VFW to file a claim for a possible service-connected disability. You wont get retroactive reimbursement but if you can get your injuries validated, you can move forward knowing that 1) you can get cost-free treatment of conditions deemed service-connected and 2) you will receive tax free compensation for your disabilities. Once your injuries are deemed service-connected you can then move forward in getting help with paying off some of those loans you took out to become vocationally rehabilitated. I can make one guarantee, if you don't ask for help, you can expect what you have right now.....nothing. My hope is that collectively we can help each other move forward. If you have cracked the nut on something that others can benefit from, please share that here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa6 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Voc ReHab is the way to go!you!! #5 Your GI Bill is still available to you after completing VocRehab!! The vocational rehab people told me last year that if I wanted to switch to vocrehab I would have to sign away all benefits to my post 911 GI Bill, since double dipping is not allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 think this goes backwards? I seperated in 1998 and disabled (pending application but between 10-30% is my guess) used up my GI bill years ago but still have about 20k in student loans.... think i could use this to pay off loans???? Ventana- I'll ask about your situation when I go in tomorrow, pretty sure they wont be able to do anything for you in this program until you get your disability rated officially. I feel your pain though, the first time I came off active duty was in 1990 (with a separated shoulder and an ACL tear) and there was no discharge physical or anything....just ok, see ya and thanks for your service. I did transfer into the reserves and being mobilized for three years I discharged from AD again in 2007, but this time they had a VA rep come talk to us and we had exit physicals. When I asked whether I would get retroactive pay for my injuries which I could prove occurred back in the 80's and 90's they said I could only get paid from the time my disability was rated......that totally sucks but after getting into the system, things have been pretty okay. I do think there is an effort to try and do the right thing for us but there needs to be a more streamlined process (especially for veterans trying to pay for PA school). In your case, I would highly recommend calling your local VFW and getting the ball rolling, can't hurt and you don't even need to be a member of the VFW. They have a veteran there who will walk you through the paperwork and file it for you right there (which really accelerates the process). You will only need a copy of your DD 214 for this part, when you go for your physical evaluation it would be good to have copies of any medical records you might have. BTW, as a veteran you have a right to a copy of your personal medical records anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 The vocational rehab people told me last year that if I wanted to switch to vocrehab I would have to sign away all benefits to my post 911 GI Bill, since double dipping is not allowed. Tomorrow I will be going in the the VA to do the needs assessment (takes about 2-3 hours) and I'll ask them about that while I am there. If anyone else has a burning question they'd like me to ask them directly, send it today and I'll try and get an answer for it directly. The senior NCO in me wants to make sure that us veterans get access to every benefit we've earned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Perhaps we can get the PA Forum admin to add a forum tab "Veterans" just as there are tabs for Professional PA, PA Students and Pre-PA. In this way, veterans visiting the site (often as Pre-PA) could get valuable information for things such as "which schools are veteran-friendly" and "options to pay for PA school." This would direct eligible veterans toward funding sources open only to them leaving other opportunities such as the NHSC and various other grant programs open for those who do not have access to the GI Bill or VocRehab. My point in this is, there is a finite amount of funding available for some programs (such as the NHSC) and we as veterans often have better options. Personally, I feel blessed (not lucky) to have taken many of my classes while on active duty so with about 156 quarter hours behind me I still have 28.5 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill remaining and with my disabilities am eligible for VocRehab, translates to: I will have enough funding available to complete PA school with my masters degree, which favors my goal to get through PA school without incurring additional debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLDR73 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 What is the average monthly stipend look like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAdamsPAC Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I believe it would be based on your marital status and number of children if any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 What is the average monthly stipend look like? You also have the option to use the BAH from your GI Bill if you still have eligibility left, that's quite a bit more. I was accepted to MEDEX NW and will start classes this fall, the Voc Rehab stipend is roughly $800 but the BAH from my post-9/11 GIB puts me closer to $1400/month. I've been approved for full tuition and costs to cover me through my masters degree so this is a huge benefit......don't miss out, ask questions when you see the Voc Rehab folks. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 You also have the option to use the BAH from your GI Bill if you still have eligibility left, that's quite a bit more. I was accepted to MEDEX NW and will start classes this fall, the Voc Rehab stipend is roughly $800 but the BAH from my post-9/11 GIB puts me closer to $1400/month. I've been approved for full tuition and costs to cover me through my masters degree so this is a huge benefit......don't miss out, ask questions when you see the Voc Rehab folks. Good luck! Wait as second.......you can receive the Voc Rehab to cover the tuition + stipend; plus still get the BAH from the post 9/11? This sounds too good to be true.....please prove me wrong. I cannot see the Voc-Rehab folks as I am stationed overseas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 What is the average monthly stipend look like? IIRC, it's based on the BAH for an E5 in the zip you will be attending school if you also qualify for the post-9/11. Otherwise it's like 50-60% of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Wait as second.......you can receive the Voc Rehab to cover the tuition + stipend; plus still get the BAH from the post 9/11? This sounds too good to be true.....please prove me wrong. I cannot see the Voc-Rehab folks as I am stationed overseas. No, you can't double dip on the housing allowance. You get the post-9/11 BAH rate from voc rehab if you qualify for that benefit as well. Otherwise you get the regular chp 31 rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 No, you can't double dip on the housing allowance. You get the post-9/11 BAH rate from voc rehab if you qualify for that benefit as well. Otherwise you get the regular chp 31 rate. Exactly :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 No, you can't double dip on the housing allowance. You get the post-9/11 BAH rate from voc rehab if you qualify for that benefit as well. Otherwise you get the regular chp 31 rate. Exactly :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richpac Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 No, you can't double dip on the housing allowance. You get the post-9/11 BAH rate from voc rehab if you qualify for that benefit as well. Otherwise you get the regular chp 31 rate. Exactly :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 This sounds awesome & should definitely be taken advantage of by anyone that can. To the poster that said they would have to sign away their GI bill, don't do it. There are folks whose job it is to try & trick vets out of their benefits. Do not go along with anything like this without proper verification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 This sounds awesome & should definitely be taken advantage of by anyone that can. To the poster that said they would have to sign away their GI bill, don't do it. There are folks whose job it is to try & trick vets out of their benefits. Do not go along with anything like this without proper verification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 This sounds awesome & should definitely be taken advantage of by anyone that can. To the poster that said they would have to sign away their GI bill, don't do it. There are folks whose job it is to try & trick vets out of their benefits. Do not go along with anything like this without proper verification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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