Military transition to Civilian

JOMO

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Currently Active duty AF since 2008 and my enlistment is coming up and I am separating june 2013. I am moving back to NY and have been through my pre separation briefings and have learned alot how to use my GI bill and the VA ect.. But us Mil know that sometime the people doing the briefings are more clue-less about what they are teaching than the people in class.

So, I have been emailing schools in figuring the way to deal with their VA reps but am still waiting on some answers on how long it will take for the GI bill to take affect once I am dialed in with my classes.

Im going to be going to school full time and use my post 911 GI bill and use the living stipend while I am taking classes. Now I just would like to hear some real life stories from some people here that have gone through this and if their is anything I should be looking to do now and maybe somethings they forget to tell you to take care of before you get out. Thanks.
 

ken Sass

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just some advise make sure all your medical problems are documented frequently in your med records. better if you are taking meds for them on exit.you need 30% v.a. disability for retraining money. back history is 10% automatically. any problem you have had you need to make the doctor aware of when you go for your v.a. physical
 

DJ21

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just some advise make sure all your medical problems are documented frequently in your med records. better if you are taking meds for them on exit.you need 30% v.a. disability for retraining money. back history is 10% automatically. any problem you have had you need to make the doctor aware of when you go for your v.a. physical

Yeah take advantage of that and make sure everything is taken care of before you ETS. What ken mentioned is VRAP which you will be hearing a lot in the briefings. Which is a really good program if you're all fucked up and need more benefits, you get a lot more schooling with it too.

What living stipend are you talking about? Because I only get BAH and a book stipend each semester which is a little over five hundred bucks with my 9/11 Bill, but the monthly BAH payment is a little over 2k.

Really it all depends on your VA rep. My VA rep actually gives a shit and takes care of all of us, but I have heard a lot of horror stories from other vets from different schools about receiving delayed payments.

You should be focusing on your major, what the fuck you actually want to do with your life, and start saving money. Lets see advice wise, make sure you look for veteran friendly schools, like those that participate in the yellow ribbon programs and shit like that (you end up with more benefits). But really schools like that will treat you better.

I can't give you any other advice, cause I need to know if you have a degree already, since you're mentioning that you have already attempted to talk to schools, you are looking to go to a 4-year school i'm assuming? Because for me I decided to go to a Junior College which is a lot easier to get into and they help you transfer to a 4-year school, even possibly on a scholarship depending how well you do to help save you your GI Bill. Another reason is because I got stupid dumb in the Army and needed a lot of refresher courses and didn't feel ready for a 4-year.

O and remember, if you fail a class, you gotta pay that shit back. <---Important. Hasn't happened yet to me but this semester is sucking so far.

Good luck man, i'll check back if you have any other questions.
 

beasto

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Sounds good with that post 9/11 in NY you should get decent BAH w/Dependents rate.
 

JOMO

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Thanks DJ. I have 52 college credits that I had before I joined. I will be looking to go right into my BS or BA. Just hope that they are still valid since they are from 2004-2008. And they have been calling your monthly BAH "living stipend". Thats what I have been told. And I believe for NY it is about 2700 a month.

I have to get on the phone and actually speak with the VA reps for the schools I am looking at. Thanks Fellas!
 

JOMO

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just some advise make sure all your medical problems are documented frequently in your med records. better if you are taking meds for them on exit.you need 30% v.a. disability for retraining money. back history is 10% automatically. any problem you have had you need to make the doctor aware of when you go for your v.a. physical

I have everything Documented and will be having my V.A. physical sometime after jan. Thats when I am closer to my DOS and when they will let me set up my appointment.
 

DJ21

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Thanks DJ. I have 52 college credits that I had before I joined. I will be looking to go right into my BS or BA. Just hope that they are still valid since they are from 2004-2008. And they have been calling your monthly BAH "living stipend". Thats what I have been told. And I believe for NY it is about 2700 a month.

I have to get on the phone and actually speak with the VA reps for the schools I am looking at. Thanks Fellas!

Oh ok, confusing cause in the military they have living stipend and BAH. That's weird. Well anyways you seem to be on the right track as long as your credits are from a accredited college/institution.
 

63Vette

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Welcome back to the world brother. Be patient with yourself. The transition is a bit of a roller coaster. One day you think your okay, the next day you are still a little fucked up.

USAF 75-81, respect and well wishes bro,

Vette

By the way, got my Bachelor's on the GI bill and my Masters on scholarship. You got this kid... and the VA home loan is the best benefit I ever used from the VA.
 

Yaya

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thanks to all you men for your service
 

JOMO

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Welcome back to the world brother. Be patient with yourself. The transition is a bit of a roller coaster. One day you think your okay, the next day you are still a little fucked up.

USAF 75-81, respect and well wishes bro,

Vette

By the way, got my Bachelor's on the GI bill and my Masters on scholarship. You got this kid... and the VA home loan is the best benefit I ever used from the VA.

Thanks for your service also Vette. I guess I am just alittle anxious and want to have everything lined up perfectly when I get out. I dont want to get out and have to sit on the VA or school because of something I forgot when I was in and it could have been done faster.
 

j2048b

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A few other items:

MAKE UR OWN COPIES OF MED RECORDS!!! ( i failed to do this and counted on them and wow its cool when u got 250 pages and the last 50 is the same damn thing!!! And u know u had more!)

Start looking for schools and get the va paperwork filled out and submitted a few months prior! It takes up to 6 weeks to get it all approved

APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT!!!! U worked all those years! Us it! Its urs! It will help offset any fees, or car registration or somehing like that,

Stay on the DAV's and VA's asses! It took me a year to get my rating, and still fighting fo more like 6 years later!!

Apply for the va free healthcare, i dont know what the real name is but they have a healthcare plan u can get on!

Make sure the school u go to accepts ur transfer credits both from past college and military!

Start cleping or dantes classes now! So u can test out of certain classes and not have to take them!!

Take courses on dau.gov for future federal jobs, these will def help out!

And thats my .02 for now!
 

Tilltheend

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That will probably be a tough transition, just make sure you train and you will ease into it.
 

JOMO

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A few other items:

MAKE UR OWN COPIES OF MED RECORDS!!! ( i failed to do this and counted on them and wow its cool when u got 250 pages and the last 50 is the same damn thing!!! And u know u had more!)

Start looking for schools and get the va paperwork filled out and submitted a few months prior! It takes up to 6 weeks to get it all approved

APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT!!!! U worked all those years! Us it! Its urs! It will help offset any fees, or car registration or somehing like that,

Stay on the DAV's and VA's asses! It took me a year to get my rating, and still fighting fo more like 6 years later!!

Apply for the va free healthcare, i dont know what the real name is but they have a healthcare plan u can get on!

Make sure the school u go to accepts ur transfer credits both from past college and military!

Start cleping or dantes classes now! So u can test out of certain classes and not have to take them!!

Take courses on dau.gov for future federal jobs, these will def help out!

And thats my .02 for now!

Thank you! Can I ask for a copy of my medical records when I am outprocessing? Or is that a whole ordeal of having them doing it for me?

And I have clep'd a few classes already and am taking one face to face t/th nights. And am goingt to clep one more before I get out.
 

JOMO

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That will probably be a tough transition, just make sure you train and you will ease into it.

I dont think it will be that bad at all. Just alittle under 5yrs I will have served. Not like some that do this after 20+yrs after retirement. Just need to get everything lined up. Hope it will go smooth.
 

j2048b

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Thank you! Can I ask for a copy of my medical records when I am outprocessing? Or is that a whole ordeal of having them doing it for me?

And I have clep'd a few classes already and am taking one face to face t/th nights. And am goingt to clep one more before I get out.

u can go to the hospital and ask them for a cop and for u to see them yourself, which is what i would do, not sure if they r still paper copies or if they transitioned to computers totally?

MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS DOCUMENTED! from both on base physicians and off base physicians, get copies of all exrays and shot records as well, and ANY HAZMAT you have come in contact with thru ur job!! always good to have that in there as well.

i used my voc rehab because i have 40% and u only need 20% in order to get voc rehab, i finished my bsba in april of 2010 and it is the biggest piece of toilet paper i have ever owned!


i used voc rehab to get my bs and am going to use my post 911 gi bill for my mba within the next year or so!
 

j2048b

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you can also start applying for positions on usajobs.gov NOW especially if school does not pan out, because it can take anywhere from 6-12 months to get a job off of there!!
 

JOMO

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Nice, I will make sure about the documentation of off and on base. What I came in contact on deployments and the hazmat I come in contact daily with. Thanks J. Im not planning to get a government job after this, just sticking with school right now.
 

j2048b

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Nice, I will make sure about the documentation of off and on base. What I came in contact on deployments and the hazmat I come in contact daily with. Thanks J. Im not planning to get a government job after this, just sticking with school right now.

no prob man, im dod, got out of the usaf in 2006, 2a551j (c-130's)

thats what i said, yeah things change and so does life, always good to have your foot in the door, you could even do summer hire jobs, and temp, intern, and a few more, copper cap comes to mind as well, great way to go because u go to school while ur working,
 

JOMO

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Ahh, fellow maintainer. Crew Chief right? Im a weapons troop. Been on the a-10 and now the f-15.

You have alot more jobs available with that afsc..could have got your A&P license, just working with the things you have is better than my afsc. Literally like nothing available on USA jobs ect..with my experience.
 

j2048b

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Ahh, fellow maintainer. Crew Chief right? Im a weapons troop. Been on the a-10 and now the f-15.

You have alot more jobs available with that afsc..could have got your A&P license, just working with the things you have is better than my afsc. Literally like nothing available on USA jobs ect..with my experience.

i wasnt in long enough for them to cover my a&p and besides in dod u dont need it! most of our weapons troops are crew chiefs now, so they do both, yeah it was not glamorous and wish i would have gone medical, but oh well, im now paying for my decisions haha!

its odd, but in the military and government the things we learn all take on different meaning, take nasa for example an aerospace engineer=crew chief, its all about the wording

remember this link:

http://www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/

type in ur afsc and it spits out a ton of info on what skills u have obtained!!
 

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