By Bradley Hood
Contributor, In Military Education

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays out on a system slightly differently than the Montgomery GI Bill, a topic I have previously discussed on this blog. Because I have already gone over this topic, if you have interest in how the system payment works, I recommend you check my earlier post, or go to a site like military.com, a repository of a great deal of up to date information on the GI Bill. To summarize: With enough service, a service member or veteran can have up to 100% of their public school tuition paid for them by the VA, in addition to living expenses.

With the amplified effect of multiple sequestration cuts and downsizing corresponding to the scaling down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many service members have found themselves in a tough spot. Early outs, delayed and decreased opportunities for promotion and in some cases even forced separations.

By Debra Wales
Education Coordinator, American Military University

In addition to using Tuition Assistance (TA) or your GI Bill to fund your education, you have the option of using a Pell Grant. It’s a Federal Grant usually awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or a professional degree and unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid.

By Debra Wales
Education Coordinator, American Military University

If you are like many senior NCO’s, just the thought of going back to school can be overwhelming. You decided a decade or more ago, after high school, that you were done with the classroom.  You volunteered for the Army, to serve you country and you never wanted to look at a book again.  If you ever had any of these feelings, you’re not alone.  Many of your fellow soldiers, sailors and Marines have these same thoughts and struggle with the idea of going back to school.

by Bradley Hood
Contributor, In Military Education

I have not yet been married for a year, and have not even begun to consider the possibility of starting a family with my wife. However, when I started my Master’s Degree with Norwich University, my wife was jealous. She completed my Bachelor’s Degree before I did, and has wanted to return for her Master’s for a long time.

Years ago when I was accepted into graduate school I was first overcome with excitement—followed by panic. How was I going to pay for it all? I knew I had to leave my gainful employment to move to Southern California in order to focus and get fully immersed in my studies. But living and going to school in a big city like Los Angeles was going to leave me broke and in debt. Despite having saved money and put in for financial aid, the numbers weren’t adding up.

Associated Press
Special to InMilitaryEducation.com

Conn. Sen. Blumenthal to offer bill removing time limits on GI Bill eligibility for veterans

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal is proposing new federal legislation that would repeal what he calls unfair and arbitrary time limits under the GI Bill.

by Kirk R GrayInMilitaryEducation.com Contributor

Today in my Google Alerts, I got an interesting alert. It’s for a report published by the Gov’t Accounting Office (GAO) and their findings of the VA’s administration of Education Benefits. Veteran education benefits came to the forefront of the media in the past couple of months, so the GAO publishing this report is very timely indeed.

by Martin Rand, III, The Brunswick News
special to InMilitaryEducation.com

Forrest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

But for Bill Smith, life is a bunch of projects.

One project after another has kept his life moving forward.

After Smith, a Navy veteran, was done fighting in World War II, he received a GI Bill grant to attend veterinarian school. He graduated in the early 1950s.