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.

[Berta]

Here is one of the links regarding REPS:

Children who attend college might be eligible instead of their parent for this benefit.

I bumped it up here when the new AO presumptives came out as any service connected death could make the survivors eligible for REPs depending on their Social Security status as a survivor.

The regs have to be read carefully to determine ones eligibility -= a google search for REPS brings up a lot more info.

[Quint7]

Berta, as always, you are a saint. If this site ever was to have paid staff I would think that after TBird you would be employee #1! LOL

As I said, looking back with a different view on what you posted in the topic I quoted it does make sense that you were getting the stipend, especially when I re-read the part where they gave your daughter the stipend and not the GI Bill amounts that she rated as being a vet herself.

I am going to be doing some investigating on the other topic (REPS) that you were nice enough to rustle up. I don't know if she ever got that and I would tend to think not because there really was nobody to help her when he died other than me and I was thankful enough to have had HadIt as a resource. (we both know the pathetic state reps that she and my step-dad had been working with).

Thanks again!!!!!!

Also, Philip Rogers, I saw your reply to the topic in my email but don't see it here. I hope that you don't think it would offend me and took it down or that a moderator did the same. I agree that many, many people want something for nothing and I hope that I didn't cone off like that myself. As was said earlier, the 'barracks lawyers' got my family thinking so and so and as we all know, the truth can be not only a let down, but a huge reality check.

[Berta]

OH - Carlie would be employee Number One to Tbird in my book!

But every single person here helps someone else and you helped others by asking these questions Quint!

I am glad you brought up my daughter's benefit- it gives me a chance to remind all here that Military service is added to the eligibility dates for Chapter 35 for dependents.

She paid for the GI bill and is eligible for Chapter 35 too with an extended eligibility date due to the AO death award I got but so far she has paid for her entire BS degree herself and is saving either GI Bill or Chapter 35 for her masters degree.

Hopefully she will get her Masters from my school-AMU as their Intelligence curriculum is fabulous.

The error VA made on her Eligibility Certificate is they forgot to give her 7 years additional credit for her military service although she was about to turn 26.

I can still hear her cursing when she called me up in utter disbelief that the VA could make such a ridiculous error.

I said "Honey, welcome to my world'.

[Philip Rogers]

Quint7 - Yes, I deleted it cuz I thought it may be, either by you or someone else, interpreted wrong. You did not come off as someone wanting something for nothing but as someone who was just, unfortunately, misinformed, as many are. Sometimes I need to think a little before I press post!

pr

Berta, as always, you are a saint. If this site ever was to have paid staff I would think that after TBird you would be employee #1! LOL

As I said, looking back with a different view on what you posted in the topic I quoted it does make sense that you were getting the stipend, especially when I re-read the part where they gave your daughter the stipend and not the GI Bill amounts that she rated as being a vet herself.

I am going to be doing some investigating on the other topic (REPS) that you were nice enough to rustle up. I don't know if she ever got that and I would tend to think not because there really was nobody to help her when he died other than me and I was thankful enough to have had HadIt as a resource. (we both know the pathetic state reps that she and my step-dad had been working with).

Thanks again!!!!!!

Also, Philip Rogers, I saw your reply to the topic in my email but don't see it here. I hope that you don't think it would offend me and took it down or that a moderator did the same. I agree that many, many people want something for nothing and I hope that I didn't cone off like that myself. As was said earlier, the 'barracks lawyers' got my family thinking so and so and as we all know, the truth can be not only a let down, but a huge reality check.

[broncovet]

I am providing the most recent link to Chapter 35...DEA. You can read it for yourself to see if you are eligible:

http://www.gibill.va...ograms/dea.html

I also appreciate Berta letting people know about the little known "REPS" program. This is likely one of those

"hidden" VA benefits that the VA tells almost no one about, as I have never seen anything about the "Reps" program on the VA website ever.

Edited January 23, 2012 by broncovet

[Quint7]

Again, thank you to all! This site has been a tremendous help and I did forget to give props to Carlie, along with others like you Bronco and John999, etc. Heck I wouldn't have SC for my spinal fusion were it not for the pain, suffering and time that was endured by rentalguy and his willingness to talk about it on here.

I tell young vets about this site anytime I talk to them and it truly is a place where WE come together to help each other!