education & incentives q1 fy13 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Education & Incentives Q1 FY13 NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
M I N N E S O T A N A T I O N A L G U A R D
Branch Staff
SGM Courts
Education/Incentives
Services NCOIC
SSG Doan
Incentives NCOIC
SFC Gauwitz
GI BILL Manager
SFC Major
FTA Manager
Ms. Manke
Education Services Specialist
PHONE
651-282-4589
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coming soon. Your AKO email is changing from @us.army.mil to @mail.mil. If your preferred email in GoArmEd is your AKO, you will need to change it.
The deadline for transferring your Post 9-11 GI Bill without automatically incurring a 4 year service obligation is 01 August 2013, regardless of how many years in service a Soldier has.
Coming soon: J-1 Education/Incentives Facebook page.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Page 2—School of the Quarter: Southwest Minnesota State University (MNSU)
Page 3—Federal Tuition Assistance: Changes and Issues
Page 4—GI Bill Programs: What can I use my GI Bill for?
Page 5—State Tuition Reimbursement is More Than You Think
Page 6—Select Reserve Re-enlistment Bonus
Page 7—Troops to Teachers
Page 8—Career and Employment Information and the Pat Tillman Foundation
Page 9—Helpful Links & Resources
Education News BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE
If you have ideas on how to make this newsletter even better, or useful
information you want to spread, email us at: [email protected]
Page 2
About SMSU
Southwest Minnesota State University is a four-year public university offer-
ing a high quality education in the liberal arts and professions to prepare
you for a life that is successful both personally and professionally. SMSU has
grown into a university of choice with high national rankings, producing
scholars who become the leaders, thinkers, and entrepreneurs of the future.
Students and faculty alike come here to engage in the rich "Southwest Ex-
perience," which starts with strong academics, fulfilling social opportunities
and support from fellow Mustangs. We invite you to visit SMSU and to ex-
perience for yourself all that it has to offer.
Undergraduate Programs
SMSU offers a wide variety of undergraduate programs including: Business,
Education, Agronomy, Culinology, and Mass Media.
Graduate Programs
If you’re looking into an advanced degree SMSU specializes in the Educa-
tion field by offering MS degrees in: Education, Physical Education, and
Special Education as well as many different licensures.
Left: Sweetland Hall is the
newest residential hall on the
SMSU campus. The building
can house up to 250 students.
PRESIDENT
Ronald A. Wood, Ph.D.
DHEVP
Regional Coordinator:
Justin Guggisberg
Phone: 507-537-7213
Visit the SMSU Veterans Resource Center
SMSU
1501 State Street
Marshall, MN 56258
Phone: 1-800-642-0684
To schedule a visit:
CLICK HERE
For a virtual tour:
CLICK HERE
School of the Quarter
Page 2
Page 3
Go Army Ed and Federal Tuition Assistance Changes and Issues with FTA
If you have a prior recoupment, and would like to clear it up, contact our main line at: 651-282-4589.
For further information related to Educational benefits, including TA, STR, GI Bill and the MN GI Bill., follow the links below:
www.minnesotanationalguard.org/education/
Or
https://www.goarmyed.com
Sharepoint resources are available for FTS to assist Soldiers with GAE processes on the J1/Education page.
For questions or assistance contact the MN Army National Guard Education Office
[email protected] / 651-282-4589
1. You may need to upload a new degree plan depending on your current classes. Review your degree plan to ensure that your new classes are listed.
2. If your preferred email in GoArmyEd is your AKO, you will need to change it once the DoD email migration has started.
3. If you need to upload a new SOU, you must upload all three pages of the most current version dated September 2012.
4. Recoupment for failed or withdrawals from prior courses must be cleared before future TA can be approved.
5. We STRONGLY recommend that you request TA up 60 days before the start of your class.
6. Remember to READ AND UNDERSTAND all e-mail correspondence received from GAE/ACES. Soldiers can enter a helpdesk ticket if there are questions or issues or contact the MNARNG Education Office.
7. The maximum allowed credits for TA is now 39 Semester Credits for Graduate courses and 130 Semester Credits for Undergraduate courses.
8. First Professional Degrees which were not started by March 2012 can no longer be funded. There are a few exceptions to this rule. Contact the MNARNG Education office for more.
9. Soldiers with a college degree cannot pursue another degree at the same or lower level using TA. Only a higher degree level can be funded.
10. Enlisted Soldiers are required to request TA before they are authorized STR.
11. IF A TA REQUEST IS REJECTED, DON'T PANIC. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU CHECK YOUR EMAIL AND READ ALL EMAILS RECEIVED FROM GOARMYED. Normally, a TA request status can be changed back to "pending" and reviewed a second time after any missing documents or issues are resolved.
Did you Know:
The Minnesota National Guard uses over 10% of Army Tuition Assistance funds. Good job Red Bulls!
Page 4
Plus-up and Buy-up:
Am I getting the most bang for my buck?
If you qualify for either R.E.A.P. of the Montgomery
Active Duty GI Bill you can increase you monthly rate.
Maximize your payment in one of these two programs:
Buy-up: R.E.A.P. (Chapter 1607)
Top-up: Montgomery Active-Duty (Chapter 30)
An extra $600 investment can increase your GI Bill
payment by $150 per month. Over the course of your
36 month program, that’s an increase of $5400! A
900% return on your investment.
For every minimum investment of $20, you monthly
payment increases by $5.
For more information, contact your state GI Bill
Manager (lower right).
Helpful links and additional information:
https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/faces
http://www.gibill.va.gov/
https://iperms.hrc.army.mil/rms/login.jsp
http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gpg.cfm?pageid=1803
For more information, contact your state GI Bill Manager at:
Or call 651-282-4590
Important Announcements:
The VA is currently about 6-8 weeks
behind in making GI Bill Payments. If
you have not received your monthly
housing stipend or VA payment
DON’T PANIC.
As of 1 August 2013 EVERYONE,
regardless of time in service, will have to
serve four additional years if they
transfer their Post 9-11 GI Bill to their
dependents. If you’re considering
transferring, do it NOW!!
The new GI Bill rates are out for Fiscal
Year 2013. They took effect 1 October
2012. See the GI Bill link below for
current rates.
More money for
school! GET SOME!
GI Bill Information
Page 5
STR for Spouses Your spouse can use your STR to reimburse up to 12 semester credits or 17 quarter credits annually. To qualify you must:
Hold one of the following pay grades: E-6, E-7, W-2, O-2, O-3, O-4. (Only ARNG for W-2 and O-4. )
Have accumulated at least 8 years of qualifying service in the MN National Guard.
Contact your unit and fill out the STR paperwork.
Any credits your spouse uses, are taken from your STR lifetime amount of 144 semester credits.
Extended STR Payments are the same as regular STR and the credits are taken from the Service member’s credit pool of 144 se-
mester credits or 208 quarter credits.
The Service member must have deployed with the Minnesota National Guard (Army or Air).
Service Members can use the extended STR program for the time they deployed plus 2 years after ETS.
Contact Phyllis Lindstrand at: 651-282-4118 to begin the process.
Need more Money for tuition? The MN GI Bill can fund $1,000 per semester and $3,000 annually towards tuition. See the link below for information and an application for the MN GI Bill.
http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gpg.cfm?pageid=1803
AWF Legacy Scholarship Deadline is February 1, 2013! The Army Women’s Foundation (AWF) recognizes the value of education and is committed to helping Army women and their children achieve their educa-tional goals and aspirations. The Foundation’s Legacy Scholarship Program is available to all Army women – Active Duty, Retired, National Guard, Reserve and their children. This is our small way to thank them for their service! The Legacy Scholarships are available at either the community college level, including certificate programs, or at four year colleges and universities. Click here for more information on this important program!
Now Hear This! The Army Women’s Foundation
State Tuition Reimbursement is More Than You Think
Page 6
YOU CAN NOW RE-ENLIST FOR A BONUS WITH UP TO
13 YEARS TIME IN SERVICE
REB Extension
Eligibility Period
Extend 365-91
Days Before ETS
Extend 90-1 Day
(s) Before ETS
REB Extension
Eligibility Period
Extend 365-91
Days Before ETS
Extend 90-1 Day
(s) Before ETS
Less than 13 Years
Time in Service $10,000 Not Eligible $0
Less than 13
Years Time in
Service
$5,000 Not Eligible $0
Six Year Re-enlistment Bonus (REB) Rate Three Year Re-enlistment Bonus (REB) Rate
New re-enlistment bonus contract changes effective 01 October 2012: Soldiers may now re-enlist for a
3 or 6 year bonus. Soldiers MUST have no more than 13 years time in service at the time of current
ETS. See your Retention NCO or Full Time Staff for more information.
Page 7
Page 8
Pat’s Legacy Continues
Family and friends created the Pat Tillman Foundation in 2004 to honor Pat’s legacy and pay tribute to his commitment to leadership and service.
The mission of the Pat Tillman Foundation is to invest in military veterans and their spouses through educa-tional scholarships; building a diverse community of leaders committed to service to others.
To date, 230 Tillman Military Scholars representing 34 states and attending 71 academic institutions na-
tionwide have been awarded over $3.2 million in scholarship support. Be a part of the 5th class of Tillman
Scholars!
Uncle Sam’s Intel
Upcoming Job and Career Fairs
31 Jan - Veteran Contracting Workshops at the Highway
Federal Credit Union, St Paul
27 Feb - Eagle Group Networking Event at the Ft Snelling
Officers Club
For information on these and other job fairs, or to sub-
mit your resume, go to:
http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/Calendar_of_Events
SAT and ACT test season is here
Need help?
eKnowledge donates SAT and ACT PowerPrep programs to Veterans and
their families
Programs include:
11 hours of video instruction.
Practice tests.
To get your hands on some ACT or SAT help go to:
www.eKnowledge.com/DANTES
Become a Tillman Military Scholar. The application for the 2013-2014 aca-demic year will open on January 14, 2013 and will close on February 15, 2013. For more information or to apply go to www.pattillmanfoundation.org.
Page 9
Financial Aid for Veterans Military Personnel and Their Families
The new directory is hot off the press! This handy resource is a Department of Defense approved list of scholarships and financial aid options just for veterans military and families. Download a free copy at:
http://www.rspfunding.com/f/VeteransIntro.PDF
Every year there are many scholarships that are never paid to students. This resource contains over 1400 scholarships specifically targeted for Service Members
and their families.
Links and Resources
GAE—https://www.goarmyed.com—Web Portal for Federal Tuition Assistance.
MNARNG Education— http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/education/ — Contains
many useful documents about education benefits
Scholarships—http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/education/scholarships/index.php
—Check out what is available!
My Military Education—www.mymilitaryeducation.org —A great resource to have in your
cargo pocket. Sponsored by the Higher Education Veterans Program, for current military
members and veterans, and their families.
The Pat Tillman Foundation—http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/tillman-military-scholars/apply/
“The Pat Tillman Foundation is a national leader in providing resources and educational scholarship support to veterans, active Service Members and their spouses. The Tillman Military Scholars program aids all veterans, specifically the ever-growing population of veter-ans of Post-9/11 conflicts.”—www.pattillmanfoundation.org/
Minnesota Association of County Veteran Service Officers—http://www.macvso.org/
Your Point of contact for Federal, State, and Local Veterans benefits. Go to the website to find out who you County Veteran Service Officer is today.