Tuition Covered Under Chapter 35? Child Of Deceased 100% Vet.

[Quint7]

As so many posts start off, Berta seems like the expert on this and I hope she has the time to answer.

Step-dad was 100% P&T, died of service connected issue. His widow (my mom) and daughter get Survivors comp from VA. She is graduating from high school in June. She has been accepted at Michigan State University (she is a NY resident) as a pre-med student.

My mom and I had been under the impression that Chapter 35 pays the entire tuition for widows/dependents of deceased 100% vets. What we are being told by VA's Education side is, no, you (she) get $957 a month while enrolled in approved schooling and that is all. I have read on here about people (Berta, you specifically I remember) getting tuition paid. This post contains posts showing that:

Her (my) mom is 62, lives off survivors VA and Social Security payments and can't afford community college, let alone out-of-state tuition at a school like M.S.U. and she also gets $200 a month less after her daughter leaves fro school since she is no longer under 18 and in high school. Someone please tell me I'm getting bad info from VA and a million web sites. My poor step-dad had been convinced by his vet buddies that his entire VA comp transferred right over to my mom and when he died and her income was cut to below 1/3 of what he was getting she damn near had a breakdown. My niece got accepted as a pre-med student and it seems like nobody from VA or the school can give any answer other than "you get the $957 a month from VA period and tuition, books, fees, etc are all on you to pay with loans, etc if that amount doesn't cover your it ($40,000 freshman year, $20,000 the other 3 years). I'm hoping that she has just repeatedly spoken to misinformed or lazy people at VA.

Thanks in advance.

[jvretiredvet]

Someone please tell me I'm getting bad info from VA and a million web sites. Sorry, can't do that.

I am sorry that your step-dad - and thus you mother and her daughter - were misinformed by barracks lawyers.

As so many posts start off, Berta seems like the expert on this and I hope she has the time to answer.

Step-dad was 100% P&T, died of service connected issue. His widow (my mom) and daughter get Survivors comp from VA. She is graduating from high school in June. She has been accepted at Michigan State University (she is a NY resident) as a pre-med student.

My mom and I had been under the impression that Chapter 35 pays the entire tuition for widows/dependents of deceased 100% vets. What we are being told by VA's Education side is, no, you (she) get $957 a month while enrolled in approved schooling and that is all. I have read on here about people (Berta, you specifically I remember) getting tuition paid. This post contains posts showing that:

Her (my) mom is 62, lives off survivors VA and Social Security payments and can't afford community college, let alone out-of-state tuition at a school like M.S.U. and she also gets $200 a month less after her daughter leaves fro school since she is no longer under 18 and in high school. Someone please tell me I'm getting bad info from VA and a million web sites. My poor step-dad had been convinced by his vet buddies that his entire VA comp transferred right over to my mom and when he died and her income was cut to below 1/3 of what he was getting she damn near had a breakdown. My niece got accepted as a pre-med student and it seems like nobody from VA or the school can give any answer other than "you get the $957 a month from VA period and tuition, books, fees, etc are all on you to pay with loans, etc if that amount doesn't cover your it ($40,000 freshman year, $20,000 the other 3 years). I'm hoping that she has just repeatedly spoken to misinformed or lazy people at VA.

Thanks in advance.

[tmoe]

The 100% is for certain war vets you have to have been in certain wars

[Quint7]

He was a Viet Nam combat vet with 100% due to PTSD and effects of Agent Orange (death ruled due to complications of Diabetes /Agent Orange but I've never heard that certain times of service meant certain levels of survivor benefits other than which GI Bill the actual veteran was eligible for and that effects only the vet).

I must have misinterpreted Berta's meaning of reimbursing her to mean for the actual tuition she paid when what she meant was the amount of the then current rate of monthly 'stipend' available to all under Chapter 35 regardless of where you went to school.

[tmoe]

go to your STATE for education benefits for veteran. My state has this for war time vets and all tutions paid if serve in these wars. Chapter 35 for the other states just check state benefits schooling at hadit also has to do with years you have been 100% and if its sc for ten years Other will chime in good luck i hope it gets better for you

Wartime Service:

Gulf War 08-02-90 To Present

Vietnam 02-28-61 08-04-64 *

*Must have served "In Country" Vietnam to be a wartime veteran during this period.

Vietnam 08-05-64 05-07-75

Korea 06-27-50 01-31-55

WWII 12-07-41 12-31-46

WWI 04-06-17 11-11-18

Edited January 23, 2012 by tmoe

[Quint7]

Yeah I know about that, but those benefits are for the veteran. I can get tuition paid for at a state school if I choose. This is a survivor (former dependent) of a deceased veteran who was service connected at 100% at time of death and who died of service connected health problems. Since she is going to school out of state the state tuition rate won't apply (at least for the first year) nor would I think Michigan will allow her to go to school for free as a New Yorker if they offer a program for survivors nor would NY pay for her to go to school in Michigan. I was under the impression that survivor children under 26 received tuition paid for as part of Chapter 35 along with the stipend to use for living expenses. I've found more than a few generic 'veteran help' type sites that list that as a benefit and I'm assuming they are wrong as I find no mention of tuition coverage anywhere on VA's site, just payment of a stipend if the survivor is participating in one of the approved types of higher education.

Edited January 23, 2012 by Quint7

[Berta]

"I must have misinterpreted Berta's meaning of reimbursing her to mean for the actual tuition she paid when what she meant was the amount of the then current rate of monthly 'stipend' available to all under Chapter 35 regardless of where you went to school. "

Right-I would pay the semester tuition (usually abut 750) and then contact my VA liason officer at the VA with proof of my paid tuition,and then I would receive the stipend -which was usually almost the tuition amount.

The stipend ( I called it a reimbursement) depended on a daily rate they ( VA Educational Dept ) figures out.

I got a book grant from the US Marine Corps and she should check into any potential book grants that could be available at her school.

Someone told me (I think a hadit member) that I also could have applied for a Pell Grant but I never did.

They said it could be awarded in addition to the Chapter 35 stipend with no financial offset.

There is a lot of financial aid available with different criteria for these programs but it takes getting to a school financial aid officer to see what might be available.

Did this child's mother ever receive Social Security Parents survivors benefits that were stopped when the daughter receached 16 years of age?

If so she might be eligible for the REPS Beneit. (Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors)

When I got my AO death award last year ( maybe it was 2 years ago) I was then eligible for the REPS benefit.

Neither the VA nor any vet rep I knew ever advised me on it. I found out about it from reading the VBM.I received almost $20,000 under the Restored Entitlement Program and there is no time limit to apply.

I have posted additional info here at hadit on the REPS program available under a search.

The application is at the back of all DIC applications.

Even if it was never filled out when the DIC app was sent, if the survivor qualifiies (or in many case the chid ,as survivor ,might qualify instead) the actual REPS program division of VA ,upon receipt of the documents they need, can move quickly to send the money.

I cant tell here if this widow or the dagter is eligible for the REPS benefit but if so it could sure help with college needs.