Cheapest Approved Course to receive Chapter 35 benefits

[Joanne]

Hi. I have received a certificate of eligibility for Chapter 35 Benefits, a monthly allowance of around $1000 while I am in school. Great. Unfortunately I can't find anything to make use of this benefit. I already have a masters degree that I paid for myself while my husband and I were just dating. He is now going to school in New York and it's cripplingly expensive here and the amount of caregiving I have to provide for him means I can only really work after I have dropped him off and before I go and collect him (we do not receive caregivers despite the bulk of my time revolving around caregiving).There are so many courses that would massively benefit me as a professional and allow me to develop my business and myself from advanced mindfulness teacher training to public speaking but literally nothing that would benefit me is available under Chapter 35. As my husband had his accident having just made E6 I cannot access anything under MyCAA which is more flexible and allows a whole host of personal development and vocational qualifications. The WEAMS school search has some random schools on there such as a comedy school and a reflexologist. I have no idea people managed to get that approved and it gave me hope that I could get something of benefit to me approved, but it seems not. I considered taking another degree course at my local university so that I could maybe take some electives that were beneficial, even a language or something but as Chapter 35 only provides $9k a year, it would barely cover half of the cost.

So the only other option I can think of is to try and find the cheapest possible course approved by WEAMS. If it were cheap enough, I would have enough money left over to pay for courses that would actually benefit me while also having some extra money each month while my husband is in school to live on, clear debts and in the hope I can build up a good enough part time business to be able to support us financially when he is finished. 

If anyone knows of any low cost courses in anything, preferably available online or in New York City that last at least a year and are classed as a minimum as half time then please let me know. The WEAMS search only allows you to search via state and then brings up the schools, i've already trawled through hundreds and gotten nowhere and I can't seem to get any advice on it from anyone, especially the GI Bill phone number.

[broncovet]

I really can not answer that for you, but I may have a suggestion.  

First, you probably need to file a fafsa to get other aid for your education.  Its pretty much all about income and assets.   You can do that online.  https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa

The two colleges, nationwide, that I attended and are low cost are:

Mesa State College  now called Colorado Mesa University.  Grand Junction, Colorado.

Sinclair College Dayton Ohio

      However, its probably not the best idea to "shop for a college" based just on price.  Pick the career choice you want to persue first.  Location second.  Price last.  

     It may mean you have to move.  That may/may not be doable for you.   

     I think its a common myth that VA wont pay for a higher level degree.  Ben Kraus will probably dispute that myth.  

     Here is my suggestion:  Go study law.  Get a law degree, and help Veterans.  You can do that from anywhere.  I have hired 3 lawyers now, to help me, and I did not personally meet with any of them prior to engagement.  

     Why 3?   Lawyer number 1 was with NVLSP.  He won a remand which did not result in additional benefits, so I moved on.    Lawyer 2 ALSO won a remand..resulting in additional benefits this time.  

However, Lawyer 2 was not interested in helping me persue an earlier effective date.    Lawyer 3 is for an earlier effective date.    VA loooooves  to "chop up" my claim into literally dozens of parts:  I had to fight VA on service connection for each issue, then disability percenatage, then fight them again for effective date.  Then I had to fight them again for TDIU, and, you guessed it, fight them again for an earlier effective date.  Oh, and they are fighting me on SMC S, so its back to the races.  Out of 15 denied claims, I have eventually won all that I asked for except for tdiu effective date and SMC S, both of which are currently in seperate appeals.  

[Berta]

I think you are misunderstanding Chapter 35.

I am a Chapter 35er.

I had to pay my tuition first and then after 1-2 months in a course, the VA reimbursed me for the tuition-

Also I had a Book Grant from USMC....saving me lots of money there- because Chap 35 does not cover book fees,unless that has significantly changed..

However, there was no additional money to gain after my tuition was reimbursed.

Chapter 35 schools have to be VA Approved.I understand the WEAMS schools are VA approved-

They pay Chapter 35 on this schedule:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/resources/benefits_resources/rates/ch35/ch35rates100115.asp

I assume your husband is in Voc Rehab which, unless that has changed, provided my husband his tuition and books at Corning College and also a monthly stipend in addition to his SC compensation.

I also assume you husband  is 100% P & T service connected, for you to receive Chapter 35 eligibility....

but I do not know how any Chapter 35 payment  would involve any leftover money to you-

On line schools also require certain PC requirements. I bought a new PC before I started at AMU-on line-because of those requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Berta
added more

[Joanne]

Thanks  @BertaI guess I am misunderstanding Chapter 35. According to the GI bill advice number I called listed on the Chapter 35/DEA Benefit’s brochure, I would receive a monthly allowance of $1,100 for the months I was at school and the only requirement was that the school confirmed I was attending. I would be responsible for paying all the tuition costs etc myself. That’s why I was trying to find somewhere with really low tuition costs in the hope that if it worked out at say $2500 a semester and DEA gave me $1,100 x 4 for the semester then I’d be doing well. But you say they only cover the tuition costs. So if my school only charged me $2,500 then DEA would only give me $2,500? 

How disappointing.

 

Thanks @broncovet My first degree and first 5 years of my career was in law when I lived in the UK. It was a lot of work and money for me to make the change to be a psychologist and I have no desire to go back to that even if I could. I do not want to spend 5 years and a tonne of money getting my doctorates (you only need a masters to practice in the UK) here in the US plus with my caring responsibilities and my husband never likely to earn any money again that wouldn’t be an option for me. I already did a FAFSA application and I am not entitled to anything because I already have a masters, only student loans, something my husband and I couldn’t afford to risk me taking out. I think perhaps I was unclear, I am not in any way looking for higher degrees. What would be of interest and benefit to me are more holistic courses that are not valued by the VA. That’s why I was looking for something cheap. If I am being forced to study something useless in order to use my benefits then I may as well do it as cheaply as possible. But like @berta has just told me, it looks like my DEA would only pay the cheap tuition anywhy, not the full monthly allowance they advertise. Also moving is not an option. New York is where my husband goes to school and feels safe for now. When he is done we may move abroad where the cost of living is cheaper but for now we are here in New York.

[broncovet]

I have a rare disagreement with Berta.  Yes, you have it right.  Ch 35 pays a monthly stipend..you pay the tuition.  You are right, if you can find an inexpensive college approved by VA, it might work.  VA, however, seems to want to you to go for a degree or goal, and not just take classes to get the stipend.  

Its been a while, but taking classes in bowling, and badmitton, unless they are part of a degree program, probably wont work.

You could do a vo tech kind of thing..such as HVAC or something, but most of those are hands on and not online courses.  This va website has a place where you can choose a school:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/

[Berta]

Joanne, you would also be eligible for Certificate courses-

I Have 3 Certificates, but VA only paid for one- Certificate in Military Studies, that I earned along with my degree.

The courses I took were very hard and I think that is why they awarded the Cert plus the degree.

I live in NY and someone here when I was at AMU said I could apply for a receive a Pell Grant as well.I never did apply but every option is of worth looking into.

[Joanne]

Thanks @Berta for thinking of different options, alas the Pell grants are only for people who don’t have a degree.

thanks @broncovet that link is the one I was referring to having searched, they call it WEAMS school search. It only allows you to search via State and institution, even if you select certificate programs, most of them when I laboriously went into each school, Google’d if it was anywhere near me and ran through their list of courses, they were nearly all just things like HVAC repair, welding or healthcare. I think maybe that’s my only option to look into nursing assistant qualifications as they should be relatively inexpensive and hope I can find one that doesn’t have too crazy a commute.

Its such a shame that there aren’t any experienced counsellors who know about these benefits that could help people navigate and maximise them.