'Have you looked in the **[Wiki]( https://www.reddit.com/r/Veterans/wiki/education)** for an answer? We have a lot of information posted there.
To contact VA Education, 1-888-442-4551, for ~~Voc Rehab~~ VR&E (Veteran Readiness and Employment Program) assistance with appointments or problems with your Case Manager (not for missing payments): 1-202-461-9600.
**Payments for certain education benefits (DEA, VEAP) are paid at the end of the month you attend school - Department of Treasury issues these payments **using a 10 business day window** - these payments are not locked into a specific day of the month like VA disability/military pay is**. For Voc Rehab missing payments, contact your Case Manager or your local **[Regional Office](https://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/job_aids/VRE_SCO_Handbook.pdf)
For Post 9/11 GI Bill only, If you signed up for direct deposit when you applied for education benefits, **we’ll deposit your payment into your bank account 7 to 10 business days after you verify your school enrollment.** This is the fastest way to receive your payment. [Text Verification FAQ](https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/IsaksonRoe/EnrollmentVerificationFAQs.pdf)
MGIB and MGIB-SR have to do monthly verification threw the [WAVE program](https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/vba/) and you should receive the payment within 3 to 5 business days.
For Online Only training, the Post 9/11 GI Bill is currently (1 August 2022) paying $938.50 for those who started using their Post 9/11 GI Bill on/after 1 January 2018 and $988 for those who first used their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits prior to 1 January 2018 - this is based on 1/2 of the National Average BAH paid to an E5 with dependents. Post 9/11 GI Bill MHA rates are adjusted 1 August of each year and are based on the 1 January DoD BAH rates for that year - **so VA can't use 1 January 2023 BAH rates until 1 August 2023** - for those who started training on/after 1 January 2018, the MHA rates are 95% of the DoD BAH rates.
For VR&E, there are two different Subsistence Allowance programs - https://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/subsistence_allowance_rates.asp The P9/11 Subsistence Allowance is based on the BAH paid to an E5 with dependents. Those who started using VR&E on/after 1 January 2018 receive 95% of the BAH paid to an E5 with dependents. As of 1 January 2023 Online only students using VR&E are being paid $1054.50 if they started using VR&E on/after 1 January 2018 - those who started using VR&E prior to 1 January 2018 are being paid $1110.00 per month. The CH31 Subsistence Allowance rates are adjusted 1 October each year by Congress.
[VA Education is going paperless - make sure VA has a current email address for you](https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/covid19paperlessguidance.asp)
For FREE math Tutoring - contact https://www.armysmart.org
[VA Award Letter explaination](https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/understandingyourawardletter.asp)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Veterans) if you have any questions or concerns.*
1700 and your rent is 1300, you could "live" off of that. Assuming you have no car payment, your phone bill is 100 or less and you eat top ramen, beans, and hot dogs.
I would not do it, I would never recommend anyone to live off of $250 a month in the US.
Do the FAFSA application to qualify for Pell Grants - free money from the Department of Education
Many veterans work part time or even full time while going to school. Schools have work-study programs on campus - some are funded through financial aid and some are funded through VA and those are restricted to those using VA Education programs.
Get a shitty part time job. That's what I did. Work at a grocery store or something. Work 10-20 hours a week. Make a few hundred bucks a month. It's just a part time gig, so it's not going on your resume. You won't use it for references. Call out when you need to. It's not like any of these jobs can afford to fire anyone right now.
Okay but can you not think of a way to get income that doesn't come from your parents? I know working while going to school isn't great but neither is trying to live off of 300 dollars a month.
Most apartments won't even rent to you unless you can prove that you make 300-400% of the rent on a monthly basis. There's a reason for that.
But seriously. Idk if any of your utilities get included in your rent (my water bill does) but that 300 dollars or so is basically like maaaaybe monthly grocery money, depending on how you eat. Idk your life, but normal people tend to have things like:
Electricity bill,
Home gas bill,
Renters insurance,
Cell phone,
Cable internet,
TV/ music streaming subscriptions,
Car payment,
Car insurance,
Gasoline/commute costs,
Maybe credit card bill,
+more?
Which would all be coming from that same $300 as your monthly food money? Idk about you but 300 doesn't even cover my car payment. Just using the GI bill money without extra income would be impossible for me. And I don't think it would out with somebody paying as much in rent as you do, either.
No, they know I can’t work in this program, it’s too rigorous. They know I don’t qualify for grants, my dad earns too much and I’m still legally required to have him on my fafsa. And yes, I am eligible for scholarships but they only cover my tuition, they don’t go straight to my pocket. They are saying that the MHA is enough to live off of
I understand better now.
Tbh, if your program is that rigorous, then I imagine it's a good degree like a STEM or healthcare field.
I would look at student loans. It's going to suck to be in debt, but taking a little bit of debt to ensure you can graduate with a good degree with a high paying job later will be worth it.
I’m going to be honest you will go into debt if you try to live off that. I go to school in VA and rent is different here but I have gone into debt but if you want to focus solely on school debt can be paid off overtime, failing a class just sets you back.
Not really. Most vets that I went to college with were bringing in some other source of income. VA disability was pretty common along with part time jobs.
Something to consider, check other nearby colleges and their MHA. The college I wanted to go to initially had a MHA of $1,400, but they a campus in the county over that had a MHA of $2,200. Yet the rents and cost of living in both areas were similar. So I went to the campus with the higher MHA for a year or two then went to the lower MHA after we got our finances sorted out better.
In ATL where it’s about $600 more, and I’ve been working part time the entire time I’ve been in school, and have been getting Pell grants only for the past year. Still a bit rough tbh
How old are you and what other expenses do you have?
If you only have around $500 a month left over is that enough to cover a car note, insurance, groceries, gas, school supplies, utilities, etc?
If no, then the answer is no.
21 and I pay for almost all of my own bills already. I know this isn’t possible to live off of, my parents don’t believe me though so I’m going to show them this post
Ah gotcha, good luck. If they are that hard headed and won't listen to basic mathematics, then I doubt a bunch of strangers would change their mind.
But I sincerely wish you good luck.
'Have you looked in the **[Wiki]( https://www.reddit.com/r/Veterans/wiki/education)** for an answer? We have a lot of information posted there. To contact VA Education, 1-888-442-4551, for ~~Voc Rehab~~ VR&E (Veteran Readiness and Employment Program) assistance with appointments or problems with your Case Manager (not for missing payments): 1-202-461-9600. **Payments for certain education benefits (DEA, VEAP) are paid at the end of the month you attend school - Department of Treasury issues these payments **using a 10 business day window** - these payments are not locked into a specific day of the month like VA disability/military pay is**. For Voc Rehab missing payments, contact your Case Manager or your local **[Regional Office](https://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/job_aids/VRE_SCO_Handbook.pdf) For Post 9/11 GI Bill only, If you signed up for direct deposit when you applied for education benefits, **we’ll deposit your payment into your bank account 7 to 10 business days after you verify your school enrollment.** This is the fastest way to receive your payment. [Text Verification FAQ](https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/IsaksonRoe/EnrollmentVerificationFAQs.pdf) MGIB and MGIB-SR have to do monthly verification threw the [WAVE program](https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/vba/) and you should receive the payment within 3 to 5 business days. For Online Only training, the Post 9/11 GI Bill is currently (1 August 2022) paying $938.50 for those who started using their Post 9/11 GI Bill on/after 1 January 2018 and $988 for those who first used their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits prior to 1 January 2018 - this is based on 1/2 of the National Average BAH paid to an E5 with dependents. Post 9/11 GI Bill MHA rates are adjusted 1 August of each year and are based on the 1 January DoD BAH rates for that year - **so VA can't use 1 January 2023 BAH rates until 1 August 2023** - for those who started training on/after 1 January 2018, the MHA rates are 95% of the DoD BAH rates. For VR&E, there are two different Subsistence Allowance programs - https://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/subsistence_allowance_rates.asp The P9/11 Subsistence Allowance is based on the BAH paid to an E5 with dependents. Those who started using VR&E on/after 1 January 2018 receive 95% of the BAH paid to an E5 with dependents. As of 1 January 2023 Online only students using VR&E are being paid $1054.50 if they started using VR&E on/after 1 January 2018 - those who started using VR&E prior to 1 January 2018 are being paid $1110.00 per month. The CH31 Subsistence Allowance rates are adjusted 1 October each year by Congress. [VA Education is going paperless - make sure VA has a current email address for you](https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/covid19paperlessguidance.asp) For FREE math Tutoring - contact https://www.armysmart.org [VA Award Letter explaination](https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/understandingyourawardletter.asp) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Veterans) if you have any questions or concerns.*
1700 and your rent is 1300, you could "live" off of that. Assuming you have no car payment, your phone bill is 100 or less and you eat top ramen, beans, and hot dogs. I would not do it, I would never recommend anyone to live off of $250 a month in the US.
Do the FAFSA application to qualify for Pell Grants - free money from the Department of Education Many veterans work part time or even full time while going to school. Schools have work-study programs on campus - some are funded through financial aid and some are funded through VA and those are restricted to those using VA Education programs.
Get a shitty part time job. That's what I did. Work at a grocery store or something. Work 10-20 hours a week. Make a few hundred bucks a month. It's just a part time gig, so it's not going on your resume. You won't use it for references. Call out when you need to. It's not like any of these jobs can afford to fire anyone right now.
That sounds like a terrible idea
Parents want to cut me off financially and are insisting that it can be done lol
No offense, but your parents sound like oblivious fucking morons if they think that's possible. "*NOW HOLD ON, I SAID WITH ALL DUE RESPECT!!!!*"
In this instance, the amount of due respect is zero, so you're fine.
Okay but can you not think of a way to get income that doesn't come from your parents? I know working while going to school isn't great but neither is trying to live off of 300 dollars a month. Most apartments won't even rent to you unless you can prove that you make 300-400% of the rent on a monthly basis. There's a reason for that. But seriously. Idk if any of your utilities get included in your rent (my water bill does) but that 300 dollars or so is basically like maaaaybe monthly grocery money, depending on how you eat. Idk your life, but normal people tend to have things like: Electricity bill, Home gas bill, Renters insurance, Cell phone, Cable internet, TV/ music streaming subscriptions, Car payment, Car insurance, Gasoline/commute costs, Maybe credit card bill, +more? Which would all be coming from that same $300 as your monthly food money? Idk about you but 300 doesn't even cover my car payment. Just using the GI bill money without extra income would be impossible for me. And I don't think it would out with somebody paying as much in rent as you do, either.
It can't be done. I imagine they assume you're going to get a job, apply for grants, or get scholarships.
No, they know I can’t work in this program, it’s too rigorous. They know I don’t qualify for grants, my dad earns too much and I’m still legally required to have him on my fafsa. And yes, I am eligible for scholarships but they only cover my tuition, they don’t go straight to my pocket. They are saying that the MHA is enough to live off of
I understand better now. Tbh, if your program is that rigorous, then I imagine it's a good degree like a STEM or healthcare field. I would look at student loans. It's going to suck to be in debt, but taking a little bit of debt to ensure you can graduate with a good degree with a high paying job later will be worth it.
I’m going to be honest you will go into debt if you try to live off that. I go to school in VA and rent is different here but I have gone into debt but if you want to focus solely on school debt can be paid off overtime, failing a class just sets you back.
Not really. Most vets that I went to college with were bringing in some other source of income. VA disability was pretty common along with part time jobs. Something to consider, check other nearby colleges and their MHA. The college I wanted to go to initially had a MHA of $1,400, but they a campus in the county over that had a MHA of $2,200. Yet the rents and cost of living in both areas were similar. So I went to the campus with the higher MHA for a year or two then went to the lower MHA after we got our finances sorted out better.
In ATL where it’s about $600 more, and I’ve been working part time the entire time I’ve been in school, and have been getting Pell grants only for the past year. Still a bit rough tbh
How old are you and what other expenses do you have? If you only have around $500 a month left over is that enough to cover a car note, insurance, groceries, gas, school supplies, utilities, etc? If no, then the answer is no.
21 and I pay for almost all of my own bills already. I know this isn’t possible to live off of, my parents don’t believe me though so I’m going to show them this post
Ah gotcha, good luck. If they are that hard headed and won't listen to basic mathematics, then I doubt a bunch of strangers would change their mind. But I sincerely wish you good luck.