1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,000 All across America and around the world, this is Veterans Radio. 2 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:20,000 And now, your host for today's program, Dale Throneberry. 3 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,520 Hey, welcome to Veterans Radio. 4 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:29,960 My name is Dale Throneberry, CW-2 helicopter pilot, United States Army, 1969. 5 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:30,960 Welcome to the program. 6 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,560 We're really excited today. 7 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,680 We're going to be talking about educational benefits for all of you out there that maybe 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:41,880 are transitioning out of the military or even if you've been out of the military for a while. 9 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,760 You're still maybe eligible to utilize those educational benefits. 10 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:50,480 We've got some experts here that are going to be talking about that. 11 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:54,520 And I'm going to give out the phone number here just in case. 12 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:59,520 If you want to ask a question of our guest, the number is 734-822-7232. 13 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:00,520 734-822-1600. 14 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:10,160 Before we get into that, I did have one quick little announcement I wanted to make. 15 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:15,360 And that's one of our board members here for Veterans Radio America. 16 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,520 Dad is not doing well and he needs blood. 17 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,280 And we need to get people out there to help him out. 18 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,160 This is for Joe Melcher. 19 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:29,400 He's an Air Force veteran and he needs blood and platelets, especially B positive. 20 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:36,320 And so I want you to go right, wait an hour and then go to RedCross.org, set an appointment, 21 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:37,320 see if you can help out there. 22 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,360 He really, I think it'd be really beneficial for all of us. 23 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:41,520 And for you, it always feels good. 24 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,200 Plus they give you cookies when you donate blood. 25 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:45,680 So go ahead. 26 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:47,560 All right. 27 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,120 That's the unofficial business. 28 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:50,120 All right. 29 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,240 Before we get into the program, I need to thank our sponsors. 30 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,160 We can never do this program without their support. 31 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:02,200 Coming off with legal help for veterans, legal help for veterans specializes in disability 32 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:11,720 claims, give legal help for veterans a call at 800-693-4800 or go to their website, legalhelpforveterans.com. 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:17,160 The National Veterans Business Development Council, better known as NVBDC, is the nation's 34 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,440 leading third party authority for certification of veteran-owned businesses. 35 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:27,560 For more information, go to their website, NVBDC.org, or give them a call. 36 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,440 800-888-237-8433. 37 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:37,000 888-237-8433. 38 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,920 PuroClean is known as the paramedics of property damage. 39 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:45,600 And the nice thing about PuroClean is that each of their offices is independently owned 40 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:46,600 and operated. 41 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:51,400 In fact, PuroClean is one of the nation's leading restoration franchise networks and 42 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,240 is made up of entrepreneurs just like you. 43 00:02:54,240 --> 00:03:00,520 And veterans, listen up, you get 25% off, 25% off the franchise fee. 44 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,320 That's pretty cool, I think. 45 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,920 Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 46 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:08,920 For more information, go to va.gov. 47 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:11,280 Slash Ann Arbor Healthcare. 48 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:15,360 And then finally, the Irwin Press Corps in American Legion Post-46. 49 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:21,000 And the Charles S. Kettles Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 310, both of Ann Arbor, 50 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:22,000 Michigan. 51 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,720 If you'd like to support Veterans Radio, please go to our website, veteransradio.org, and 52 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:28,560 click on the donate button. 53 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:29,560 Thank you in advance. 54 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,320 And now, I'm going to introduce the folks going to be on our show. 55 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,760 So we're kind of doing something a little bit different today. 56 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:43,800 We are going to be talking, as I mentioned, about educational benefits for veterans. 57 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,400 And I've got a co-host today. 58 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,760 And my co-host today is our board member from the Veterans Radio America. 59 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:51,760 That is Lydia Pinkham. 60 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,560 And Lydia is a Coast Guard veteran. 61 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,880 She was a petty officer, second class. 62 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,920 And Lydia, welcome to On the Air. 63 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:01,280 Thanks, Dale. 64 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:03,080 Happy to be here. 65 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:08,680 As Dale said, I was a petty officer in the Coast Guard, did everything from machinery 66 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:14,520 work on board engineer to search and rescue and law enforcement, and after I got out, 67 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:19,600 I went straight back to school and used my education benefits right away at the University 68 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:25,240 of Michigan and then continued on to grad school at the University of Colorado. 69 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:30,320 So a lot of my experience with education benefits come from using them myself and asking a lot 70 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:35,040 of questions and really pestering the people at my certifying office. 71 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:40,280 But now I serve as an academic advisor for not military students, but I do have a lot 72 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,400 of military students in my position. 73 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,280 So I'm in the university circle. 74 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:48,280 Can usually help point students in the right direction. 75 00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:52,040 But since I live in that world, this is a kind of an important subject to me. 76 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,160 I have a lot of students that are using these benefits right now. 77 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:03,200 Also with us today, joining us from Southeast Michigan as well, we have Mike Wise, who was 78 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:08,480 a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, served as an officer for more than 20 years, specializing 79 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:13,440 in command and leadership, communications, project management, really, really diverse 80 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:18,040 background and retired from the military as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving as a professor 81 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,240 of military science and leadership at Eastern Michigan University. 82 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,120 And Mike currently serves as the assistant director of military and veteran services 83 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,520 at Eastern Michigan and works as the school's certifying official. 84 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:36,520 So I think we've got a good background of information and we're hoping to, as most of 85 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,960 our listeners are aware, we have a monthly benefits hour and we usually talk about a 86 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:45,360 lot of health benefits, but we'd like to make a recurring episode talking just about education 87 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,520 benefits because a younger generation of vets is getting out and using these benefits and 88 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:50,520 it's pretty important. 89 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,800 So we can get started. 90 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,880 I have some questions if we're ready to move on. 91 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,080 Mike, do you have anything else you want to say? 92 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,840 Now, I just wanted to thank you for that introduction. 93 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:08,280 I've been at Eastern now for about 11 years. 94 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:13,880 It's hard to believe that time flies as a civilian. 95 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,600 So it's been 11 years as a civilian. 96 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,800 So I'm really, really happy to have this position. 97 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:26,680 It's been a great opportunity in a kind of military retirement type gig. 98 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,680 I get to deal with a lot of veterans. 99 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:37,280 I'm talking 300 some per semester and it's quite a job, but it's also a pretty rewarding. 100 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:44,520 So I'm open to any questions you have about anything that has to do with the GI bill. 101 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,080 And so I'm open and I'm ready to go. 102 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:48,080 All right. 103 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:49,080 Sounds good. 104 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,120 And Dale, if you let us know if any calls come in, we'll take those. 105 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:57,280 But in the meantime, I got some good places to start talking to Mike. 106 00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:01,120 So let me give out that phone number one more time. 107 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,120 Number 734-822-1600. 108 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,120 734-822-1600. 109 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:07,120 Go. 110 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,000 All right. 111 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,680 So I think it makes sense to start kind of from the beginning. 112 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:22,080 Say we have a veteran who's either getting out or has been out for a while and they're 113 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:27,240 interested in going back to school, but they have no idea what sort of benefits they've 114 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:28,240 got. 115 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,480 If they have the post 9-11, if they have the Montgomery, if they paid in the Montgomery 116 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:38,280 GI bill, where should that person go as their first stop to even see how many months of 117 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:41,320 benefits they have or what chapter benefits they have? 118 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:43,080 What's the best resource? 119 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:49,840 There's two things and I hate to say it because you hate to say it's on the website, but that's 120 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,120 the way the VA is today. 121 00:07:53,120 --> 00:08:03,000 The best place to start because the VA is the absolute determiner, they determine eligibility 122 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,160 benefits for education. 123 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:14,200 So if someone wants to find out what benefits they have, they have to visit va.gov and they 124 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:16,360 have to apply. 125 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,800 That is the number one way to do it. 126 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:23,920 The other way that is secondary, which isn't the most pleasant, is to call into the GI 127 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:32,640 bill hotline, which is 888-GI-BILL-1. 128 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:38,720 I think it's 888-442-GI-BILL-1. 129 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:40,480 That's the GI bill hotline. 130 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:45,240 So that's the best way to figure out if you're eligible for benefits. 131 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,800 That includes dependents. 132 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:55,600 So I get a lot of students who have given their GI bill, on the Post-911 GI bill, for 133 00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:02,920 example, a lot of veterans have given that benefit to their children or to their spouses. 134 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:09,040 And so what people sometimes understand is that person who's been given that benefit 135 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,040 has to apply for that benefit also. 136 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:13,320 It's not just automatic. 137 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:18,840 They have to actually go up to the VA and pull that benefit down. 138 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,040 And it becomes theirs legally. 139 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,040 So it's no longer the service member's bill. 140 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:31,440 I'm talking specifically about the Post-911 GI bill. 141 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,440 And so any questions on that one? 142 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:35,440 Yeah. 143 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,440 Yeah, I guess. 144 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:37,440 I'm sorry. 145 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:45,480 But both questions, hypothetically, if a person, while their active duty, gives part 146 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:50,160 of their GI bill to a dependent and then that dependent no longer needs it, is it possible 147 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:55,960 to get that benefit back to a full 100% for the original person? 148 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:56,960 Yes. 149 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:05,240 A few years ago, they changed the name of this whole business to, I believe it was the 150 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:07,760 forever GI bill. 151 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,320 And then a little bit later, it kind of became the Henry Comery GI bill. 152 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:17,200 So it gets a little confusing because it just seems like different administrations change 153 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,400 the names of these things. 154 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:24,160 But they're all pretty much the same thing. 155 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:31,920 So like I said, if a veteran wants to use their GI bill, they're on active duty and 156 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,120 they're trying to figure out what they want to do with their GI. 157 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:42,000 They can, as long as they transfer that benefit to a dependent before they leave active duty, 158 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:48,320 they can go back in any time and they can change the delegation of that beneficiary. 159 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:56,680 And the one thing to keep in mind is that normally the spouse and the service member 160 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,760 will never lose that benefit. 161 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:08,920 So as long as the veteran delegated that benefit to the spouse prior to leaving active duty 162 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:16,360 or the child, they can go back in and move those months around any time they want to. 163 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,760 And we run into that a lot. 164 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:23,180 Sometimes it'll be at the detriment of the student because the service member will split 165 00:11:23,180 --> 00:11:25,880 up the GI bill amongst three kids. 166 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,040 Everybody gets 12 months. 167 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:33,520 And then all of a sudden one student is running out of benefits, so dad's got to go in or 168 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,360 mom's got to go in and reallocate a few months here and there. 169 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:47,960 So it does take a little bit of work on the front end from the veteran prior to leaving 170 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:49,440 active duty. 171 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:50,440 Okay. 172 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:51,440 Yep. 173 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:52,440 All right. 174 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,720 Dale, you also had a question. 175 00:11:55,720 --> 00:12:02,840 I am naive about this because when I used the GI bill 100 years ago, I mean it didn't 176 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:08,880 pay for everything, but it did pay for a graduate degree and so forth, which I'm obviously 177 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,440 very grateful for. 178 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:17,040 Is there a, under the newest version of the GI bill, is this a set amount that's there 179 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:24,400 or is it that can be divided up because you're talking about being able to give it to dependence, 180 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,000 which is really an awesome thing. 181 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,080 I wasn't even aware that you could do that. 182 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,560 So that's a thing, Dale. 183 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:43,320 That's a new GI bill that came out in 2009, eight years after, eight years after 9-11. 184 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:47,280 And that's when they, that's when they use the, basically what I remember is they were 185 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:56,480 using the post 9-11 GI bill and allowing you to transfer it to your, to your dependents 186 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:02,080 because it was kind of a retention tool for Army personnel because people were getting 187 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:05,280 out after all these deployments are sick of it. 188 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,840 Being deployed for six years, seven years, eight years. 189 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:13,840 And so a lot of people were getting out and they didn't really talk about it much, but 190 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,000 I kind of watched as it developed. 191 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:21,440 And that's where they started allowing the service member to give that benefit to the 192 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,880 dependent for three more years of service. 193 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,280 It's along those lines. 194 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:33,400 So the post 9-11 GI bill is different than what you used, which was probably called the 195 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:40,080 chapter 30 active duty Montgomery, there's five GI bills. 196 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:41,760 So they're all a little bit different. 197 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:46,920 And I can talk about those all day or we can stick with just two of them because there's 198 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:48,400 two that are kind of confused. 199 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:55,400 I know that in Lydia's questions, she's talking about VR and E and post 9-11, which I think 200 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,440 is where we should probably focus our efforts today. 201 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:04,360 Because there's other, there's other GI bills for dependents and National Guard and Reserves 202 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:09,320 that are, that were belong to the VA, but they get a little bit, they get a little bit 203 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:10,320 confusing. 204 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,120 So I want to, I think if we stick to just those main two that you're asking about, I 205 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,680 think we'll be good for today. 206 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,080 But of course it's open to quite, you're open, you're welcome to ask me any questions about 207 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:29,000 anything, but those are the two that most often get confused. 208 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:34,280 Yeah, I think that's a great segue. 209 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:40,440 If we, if we're ready to move on, I think a basic explanation of the difference between 210 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:47,720 the post 9-11 GI bill and the, what's, what's called VR and E, the vocational, I believe 211 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,360 chapter 20, chapter 31 and chapter 33 are those two. 212 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,680 Could you explain, explain the difference between those two? 213 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:55,680 Yeah. 214 00:14:55,680 --> 00:15:00,880 The way I understand it, and I certify, you know, every student that comes through Eastern 215 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:09,000 Michigan University, the, the one distinction that's very important to keep in mind, although 216 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:15,680 it's treated like a GI bill, is the VR and E program, which is a VA program, you have 217 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:19,000 to be 10% disabled, even qualified for it. 218 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,880 I'm talking service connected. 219 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:28,400 And everyone understands what service connection means, I think, on this net. 220 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:35,880 That means you are injured in, in the service and your percentage of your claim must be 221 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:36,880 10%. 222 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:40,000 And it's got to be service connected. 223 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:47,400 So if you, if you are, if you do have that, that designation, then you qualify for VR 224 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:51,760 and E, it's an edge, it's not an education benefit. 225 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:54,120 It's not, it's not considered an educational benefit. 226 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,160 It's considered an employment benefit. 227 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:04,960 So for example, a student who enters the VR and E program is not there to actually go 228 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,280 to college per se, you can go to college, that's one way to do it. 229 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,200 But you can also go to barber school. 230 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,280 You can go to bartender school. 231 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,040 You can go to motorcycle repair school. 232 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:28,080 It depends on whether or not those businesses or those trade schools have applied to actually 233 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,160 accept the GI bill. 234 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:36,360 So let's say somebody wants to go to barber college instead of a four year university, 235 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:46,960 then that barber college has to have been approved to accept the VA's GI bill process. 236 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:48,280 Okay. 237 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:53,560 But then they can use, a student can use the, the VR and E benefit for that. 238 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:59,920 I have about 70 or 80 VR and E students at Eastern Michigan. 239 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:06,760 And they all have a VR and E counselor who's part of, is a social worker usually, that's 240 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,760 a part of the VA system. 241 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:15,320 And those, those counselors are located all over the United States. 242 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:19,560 Our students primarily have their counselors from Michigan. 243 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:20,560 There's a few from Ohio. 244 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:25,520 I've got a couple from Wisconsin have, I actually have one from North Carolina, I believe. 245 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:32,760 So we, we communicate with the social work folks who are, you know, the counselors for 246 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:38,960 the disabled veterans who have been accepted into the VR and E program. 247 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,400 Not everybody's accepted into the VR and E program. 248 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,200 You know, some students already have bachelor's degrees. 249 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:55,200 And the intent of the VR and E program is to find them suitable employment following 250 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,640 active duty service. 251 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,920 And you know, like I said, if they're, if they have a service connected disability that 252 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:08,520 makes them even more eligible or more likely to be selected to be in this program. 253 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:09,520 Okay. 254 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:12,920 What questions do you have on that? 255 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:20,000 Is, I mean, I guess if a student is interested in pursuing, say they have the, at least 10% 256 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,880 service connected disability. 257 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:26,840 Is there a first person that they should reach out to to find out to start the process of 258 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:28,640 applying to the VR and E program? 259 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,000 Who's the best contact for them to reach out to? 260 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,160 Again it's VA.gov. 261 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:38,840 If you're out there, if you're out there and you're not going to, let's say, I'll just 262 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,960 give our, I'll give Eastern Michigan a plug in U of M and Washington Community College 263 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,960 also have an asset from the VA. 264 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:53,200 This is a social worker who's actually assigned three or four schools normally in an area. 265 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:58,920 So I have, I have one social worker who's on campus comes once a week. 266 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,360 They can always reach out to him. 267 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:04,240 And if they're going to U of M or they're going to Washington, all they can find them. 268 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,960 His name is John Cagini. 269 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:13,400 And we can certainly post his information anywhere, you know, if you want it later. 270 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,320 But he, he comes and he can answer. 271 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,920 He can, he's the guy that can be on site once a week to answer questions. 272 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,120 But when it comes to actually applying for the VR and E program is just like the post 273 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:27,000 911, you have to go to VA.gov. 274 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:31,120 And you have to find the VR and E application. 275 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:35,320 And that's where you, that's where you submit it. 276 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:40,080 They kind of streamlined all that stuff on the VA.gov website now. 277 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,080 So you just have to go. 278 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:47,560 They have to go out to the website and there's, you know, the VA is trying to get away from 279 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,880 paper applications and things like that. 280 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,280 So they put it all on VA.gov. 281 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:58,480 I would tell you that it's, it's pretty robust now and it's pretty easy to find. 282 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:03,680 Got a lot of big buttons on there with big text letters and pictures, which makes it 283 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,240 nice and easy to navigate. 284 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:12,600 So, but yeah, definitely two distinctions between the VR and E program and the post 911 285 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:13,600 GI bill. 286 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:15,520 They're, they're two separate things. 287 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:22,680 Post 911 is an educational benefit and the VR and E program is a employment benefit. 288 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,080 It's an employment seeking program. 289 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:32,920 Whereas they all are, they're all, they're all employment seeking, but I mean, that's 290 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,040 in the end, that's what we want as a job, right? 291 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:42,640 The VR and E program is specifically designed for that social worker and that student to 292 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:49,800 get through school or get through the training and find a job immediately. 293 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,800 That's the VR and E. 294 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:57,120 Mike, can you tell us what some of these benefits are? 295 00:20:57,120 --> 00:21:03,680 I mean, the idea, you know, from what I've heard is in addition to paying tuition, there's 296 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:09,720 also a housing allowance and there's some other things that are, that are included with 297 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,680 these benefits these days. 298 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:13,640 Sure. 299 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:22,560 The post 911 and the VR and E program specifically have, well, let me just start with the post 300 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:23,560 911. 301 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:33,440 Post 911, depending on the, the soldier's time and service can range from 40% to 100%, 302 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:40,640 which means you have to serve at least three years on active duty to get the 100% level, 303 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,360 which is, you know, that's, that's the GI bill, the post 911 that's going to pay for 304 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:51,720 100% of your tuition and fees, a housing allowance and a, and a $1,000 a year book stipend. 305 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,200 That's the 100% rate. 306 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,080 So students that are at the 50% rate, they haven't served quite long enough on active 307 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:05,560 duty, then the VA is going to get the 50% rate would pay half of their, their tuition 308 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:10,200 and fees and would give them half of the housing allowance that's authorized for whatever 309 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:15,080 zip code their university is in, and it would be half of the $1,000 book stipend. 310 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:18,320 So it'd be $500 versus $1,000. 311 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:25,880 So and it's very nice because in the Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti area, the housing allowance 312 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,920 is pretty good. 313 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:31,240 It's about $2,300 a month. 314 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,680 And so that's, you know, of course, that's not a lot to live on, but it certainly eases 315 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:40,880 the stress of having to have a full time job while you're trying to go to school. 316 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:47,000 So so post again, just to summarize that the post 911 pays for tuition and fees, pays 317 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:53,760 a housing allowance and it pays a monthly or a, I shouldn't say monthly, a book stipend, 318 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:59,560 which usually is paid twice per year, the book stipend, like in the two main semesters. 319 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:05,560 On the Vogue, the VR&E program, which stands for Veterans Readiness and Employment, I should 320 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,400 have said that earlier. 321 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,320 They get a book stipend, they get the VA pays for their books. 322 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:20,480 So their tuition and fees is 100% covered and at a four year university, for example, 323 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:26,200 their books and supplies are completely paid for by the VA. 324 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:33,360 And their housing allowance is a little bit less and less they still have some post 911 325 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:43,440 GI bill left and then they get the same rate that the rest of the post 911 folks get. 326 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:49,720 So they put they all three of them cover down on pretty much everything they need for school. 327 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:53,640 Does that help answer that question, Bill? 328 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:58,680 Yeah, I mean, it's it's it's such a good deal for these, you know, for these veterans 329 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:02,360 that are coming out of their service these days. 330 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:08,560 And when you say it pays 100%, so that means that whether you're going to, you know, a 331 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:13,840 lower cost college or a higher cost college, or is there a limit on that? 332 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:22,960 There is a limit, there is a limit, and I'm not I'm not really not 100% perfect on this 333 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:23,960 yet. 334 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:34,560 But what I do know, what I do understand is that the post 911 GI Bill has a cap per year. 335 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:41,840 And so let's say, for example, someone got admitted and accepted to, let's say, Stanford. 336 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,440 Good tuition and fees are off the charts. 337 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:45,440 Right. 338 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:46,440 Okay. 339 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:50,920 So the so the VA has this program called the yellow ribbon program, you probably heard 340 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:52,920 of that. 341 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,040 It gets confused very often. 342 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,360 A lot of folks think it's an extra benefit. 343 00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:03,720 But the yellow ribbon program is essentially an agreement between the university and the 344 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,360 VA. 345 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:10,920 Any particular university that accepts the GI Bill. 346 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:18,040 It's an agreement where the VA pays half of the of the overage. 347 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:19,400 So there's a there's a limit. 348 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:20,400 There is a limit. 349 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:25,880 I think it's 26,000 a year, 29,000 years, something along those lines for a student 350 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,360 to use. 351 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:34,360 So if those tuition and fee amounts are above and beyond, you know, the 29,000 a year figure, 352 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:42,000 and the yellow ribbon program comes into play to help offset that over that overage of tuition 353 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:47,840 that is not, you know, over 29,000 a year. 354 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:53,320 And so again, the university pitches in 50% and the VA pitches in the other 50%. 355 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,200 That's kind of the agreement of the yellow ribbon program. 356 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:03,280 So for example, at Eastern Michigan, to answer your question, even further Dale, we don't 357 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:07,160 accept our students don't exceed that 29,000. 358 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:12,720 And so we don't even though we're a yellow ribbon school on paper, we don't actually 359 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:16,240 participate in the yellow ribbon program. 360 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:20,640 That's kind of saved for some of the more Ivy League type schools and maybe even University 361 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,640 of Michigan where the tuition is a little bit higher. 362 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:30,640 Yeah, if I recall, University of Michigan was a had the yellow ribbon program and that 363 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:37,680 was when I started there, I received a financial aid offer that included assistance from the 364 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:44,160 yellow ribbon program or I could use solely only use my GI bill benefits. 365 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,400 So there's sometimes at the beginning of the semester, a couple of those options that 366 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:48,960 students have to weigh. 367 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:53,640 And the best advice is to talk to one of the financial aid people or in the veteran services 368 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:58,680 office and see which one of those offers is better to take because for me personally, 369 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:03,600 the yellow ribbon financial aid package that side of it would not have come with a monthly 370 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:09,080 housing allowance whereas using my GI bill did come with a housing allowance and that 371 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:13,200 was part of the decision and it may have changed over the years, but they're the best people 372 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,040 to explain that when it comes through. 373 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:20,000 Yeah, that's pretty, yeah, you're very accurate on that Lydia, it's right on. 374 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,000 Yeah. 375 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,440 All right, how we look at Dale. 376 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:29,240 Now is this going to say we're going to take a break and about 10 seconds, I think, so 377 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,360 I can warn Derek of that. 378 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:36,880 We're talking with Lydia Pinkham and with Mike Wise on educational benefits. 379 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:41,960 So anybody out there who would like to know more about what benefits are available to 380 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:47,960 the veterans, today's veterans, you can give us a call here at 734-822-1600. 381 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:53,160 We're going to go to a break with our Medal of Honor segment when we come back, we'll answer 382 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,600 more questions and I've got a few. 383 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,680 You're listening to Veterans Radio and we will be right back. 384 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,200 The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in combat given a member of the Armed 385 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:06,960 Forces of the United States. 386 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:11,440 There have been over 3,400 recipients of the nation's highest award. 387 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:13,040 This is one of them. 388 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:17,800 Captain Lewis Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation. 389 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,760 Details after this. 390 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,640 If you have a VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, contact Legal Help for 391 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,880 Veterans at 1-800-693-4800. 392 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:32,880 There are experts in handling cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 393 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:37,000 Their number again, 1-800-693-4800. 394 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,960 While personally leading his company in an attack against a strongly held Korean position, 395 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:47,360 Millett noted that the first platoon was pinned down by small arms, automatic, and anti-tank 396 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:48,880 fire. 397 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:53,680 Millett ordered the third platoon forward, placed himself at the head of the two platoons, 398 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,720 and with fixed bayonet led the assault up the fire-swept hill. 399 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:02,840 In the fierce charge, he bayoneted two enemy soldiers and boldly continued on throwing 400 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:09,800 grenades, clubbing and bayonetting the enemy while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement. 401 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:14,520 Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest 402 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:15,880 of the hill. 403 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:20,680 His leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile 404 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:25,760 position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild 405 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:27,440 disorder. 406 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:32,600 During this fierce onslaught, Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation 407 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,520 until the objective was taken and firmly secured. 408 00:29:36,520 --> 00:30:02,740 The 409 00:30:02,740 --> 00:30:09,740 veteranscrisisline.net, a message from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. 410 00:30:09,740 --> 00:30:18,660 And we're back here on Veterans Radio and we're talking all about educational benefits 411 00:30:18,660 --> 00:30:19,660 for veterans. 412 00:30:19,660 --> 00:30:23,300 So I'm going to turn it back over to Lydia Pinkham. 413 00:30:23,300 --> 00:30:24,740 All right. 414 00:30:24,740 --> 00:30:25,740 Thanks, Dale. 415 00:30:25,740 --> 00:30:32,220 So we talked a little bit about the differences between the Post-911 GI Bill and the VR&E version 416 00:30:32,220 --> 00:30:34,020 of the benefits. 417 00:30:34,020 --> 00:30:37,940 So while we're on that thread talking about some of these finances and what's covered, 418 00:30:37,940 --> 00:30:40,900 I do have a question about things like fees that students pay. 419 00:30:40,900 --> 00:30:45,940 So at most public universities, students start out, they enroll, they generate a tuition 420 00:30:45,940 --> 00:30:51,580 bill, but there are also a lot of mandatory student fees like the rec center at the University 421 00:30:51,580 --> 00:30:52,580 of Colorado. 422 00:30:52,580 --> 00:30:58,020 We have a fee for using the bike path and bike repair stations. 423 00:30:58,020 --> 00:31:02,300 There's the student government fee, a lot of these fees that accrue that are anywhere 424 00:31:02,300 --> 00:31:04,780 from 70 cents to $30. 425 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:08,260 So usually a couple hundred bucks worth of student fees. 426 00:31:08,260 --> 00:31:13,220 And then some universities that have the availability of providing medical insurance to their students 427 00:31:13,220 --> 00:31:18,540 will also charge a health insurance fee with a premium per semester. 428 00:31:18,540 --> 00:31:23,940 So Mike, would you be able to talk a little bit about what sorts of fees are covered by 429 00:31:23,940 --> 00:31:29,380 these benefits and what sorts of fees students might expect to pay out of pocket? 430 00:31:29,380 --> 00:31:36,940 I can specifically talk to Eastern more than anything, but I don't believe that there's 431 00:31:36,940 --> 00:31:41,460 a health insurance benefit payment. 432 00:31:41,460 --> 00:31:44,260 That's not something that I've ever heard of. 433 00:31:44,260 --> 00:31:52,700 However, when you talk about fees, and when I say tuition and fees, I'm talking about 434 00:31:52,700 --> 00:32:00,460 online fees, I'm talking about bookstore fees for online books, things like that that come 435 00:32:00,460 --> 00:32:01,460 along. 436 00:32:01,460 --> 00:32:08,820 Most of the 11 GI Bill students, I personally at Eastern and myself, I certify those because 437 00:32:08,820 --> 00:32:11,580 they're the same fees that any student would get. 438 00:32:11,580 --> 00:32:19,820 And if the GI Bill is paying for that tuition and those fees, then those are covered by 439 00:32:19,820 --> 00:32:20,820 the GI Bill. 440 00:32:20,820 --> 00:32:25,460 As long as they're specifically part of that curriculum. 441 00:32:25,460 --> 00:32:28,660 And registration fees are authorized. 442 00:32:28,660 --> 00:32:31,980 At Eastern, they're non-refundable, so if a student drops all their classes, they still 443 00:32:31,980 --> 00:32:36,020 got to have the 50 bucks that's going to remain on their account. 444 00:32:36,020 --> 00:32:38,140 But that's apples and oranges. 445 00:32:38,140 --> 00:32:45,020 But the gym, that's covered. 446 00:32:45,020 --> 00:32:46,420 We cover it. 447 00:32:46,420 --> 00:32:51,980 Just because it's part of their college experience. 448 00:32:51,980 --> 00:32:59,660 We want our veterans to have the opportunity to use the gym and stay in shape as a part 449 00:32:59,660 --> 00:33:05,740 of their curriculum and part of their journey through college. 450 00:33:05,740 --> 00:33:07,900 So we do cover that fee. 451 00:33:07,900 --> 00:33:09,140 Okay. 452 00:33:09,140 --> 00:33:14,140 You might not know the answer to this one, too, but I know some universities, like Michigan, 453 00:33:14,140 --> 00:33:17,940 for instance, some students pay for a parking pass. 454 00:33:17,940 --> 00:33:22,780 If they're commuters and they don't live on campus, is there any chance of having something 455 00:33:22,780 --> 00:33:26,660 like a parking pass covered as well? 456 00:33:26,660 --> 00:33:33,860 VRE, Veterans Readiness and Employment, those students at Eastern, for example, have to 457 00:33:33,860 --> 00:33:35,660 pay for their own parking. 458 00:33:35,660 --> 00:33:42,660 Eastern Michigan's parking is privatized, which I think a lot of universities are now. 459 00:33:42,660 --> 00:33:48,220 And they don't participate in the VA's invoicing process. 460 00:33:48,220 --> 00:33:53,700 So the student has to pay for that benefit out of pocket and then request reimbursement 461 00:33:53,700 --> 00:34:00,500 from their social worker or their VRE counselor. 462 00:34:00,500 --> 00:34:06,500 Now post-911 students, they're not authorized parking. 463 00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:13,700 And they have to purchase their parking pass with their book stipend or whatever, maybe 464 00:34:13,700 --> 00:34:15,900 some of their housing allowance. 465 00:34:15,900 --> 00:34:19,540 But it is kind of a crappy deal. 466 00:34:19,540 --> 00:34:26,100 Parking's always at a premium on probably every university. 467 00:34:26,100 --> 00:34:29,580 Parking is the one thing that keeps everybody arguing. 468 00:34:29,580 --> 00:34:34,780 But it is kind of a challenge sometimes, but it's not covered. 469 00:34:34,780 --> 00:34:39,380 And I'd actually just say it's not covered at Eastern Michigan. 470 00:34:39,380 --> 00:34:40,380 Okay. 471 00:34:40,380 --> 00:34:41,380 Dale? 472 00:34:41,380 --> 00:34:48,340 No, I was just thinking you mentioned that they wouldn't pay it directly, but they might 473 00:34:48,340 --> 00:34:50,380 get reimbursed. 474 00:34:50,380 --> 00:34:57,180 Only VRE, only Veterans Readiness and Employment has that ability. 475 00:34:57,180 --> 00:35:03,820 The post-911 students have to use their stipends to purchase their own parking pass. 476 00:35:03,820 --> 00:35:04,820 And that's it. 477 00:35:04,820 --> 00:35:07,420 And like I said, Dale, that's kind of unique to Eastern. 478 00:35:07,420 --> 00:35:08,420 Right. 479 00:35:08,420 --> 00:35:16,340 So the VRE, that has replaced the post-911 GI Bill, is that correct? 480 00:35:16,340 --> 00:35:17,340 No. 481 00:35:17,340 --> 00:35:18,340 They're separate? 482 00:35:18,340 --> 00:35:22,420 Yeah, VRE is a completely separate program. 483 00:35:22,420 --> 00:35:23,420 Okay. 484 00:35:23,420 --> 00:35:27,500 It is handled like the GI Bill in terms of the way it's certified. 485 00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:32,820 But the pot of money that the tuition and fees comes out of, the housing allowance that 486 00:35:32,820 --> 00:35:38,100 comes out of it, those are all a different pot of money than the post-911. 487 00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:39,100 Okay. 488 00:35:39,100 --> 00:35:40,100 Yeah. 489 00:35:40,100 --> 00:35:47,940 So it's, so like I said, VRE is an employment program to find a veteran suitable employment 490 00:35:47,940 --> 00:35:49,620 following service. 491 00:35:49,620 --> 00:36:00,100 Whereas the post-911 GI Bill is an education benefit that can be transferred to a dependent. 492 00:36:00,100 --> 00:36:07,980 And it's mainly, mainly used for higher education at a four-year university. 493 00:36:07,980 --> 00:36:11,060 Not always, but sometimes, yeah. 494 00:36:11,060 --> 00:36:12,060 You can use it. 495 00:36:12,060 --> 00:36:13,620 My question is this. 496 00:36:13,620 --> 00:36:19,580 So the veteran that's getting out of service and wants to go to motorcycle repair school, 497 00:36:19,580 --> 00:36:22,460 do they get the same type of benefits? 498 00:36:22,460 --> 00:36:23,460 Yes, but it's... 499 00:36:23,460 --> 00:36:25,460 Do they get the same amount of housing than everything else? 500 00:36:25,460 --> 00:36:26,940 Yep, they do. 501 00:36:26,940 --> 00:36:32,180 The difference between some of those trades and a four-year university or a community 502 00:36:32,180 --> 00:36:37,380 college, the difference is that they go by clock hours. 503 00:36:37,380 --> 00:36:42,780 And so they're not measured again, they're not measured in credit hours like a university, 504 00:36:42,780 --> 00:36:45,540 but they're measured in clock hours. 505 00:36:45,540 --> 00:36:55,020 And so there's a different calculus for someone using a VR and E or even the post-911 at a 506 00:36:55,020 --> 00:36:57,140 trade school. 507 00:36:57,140 --> 00:36:58,820 Okay. 508 00:36:58,820 --> 00:36:59,820 Okay. 509 00:36:59,820 --> 00:37:01,420 All right. 510 00:37:01,420 --> 00:37:05,900 So Mike, you've mentioned a couple of times this process of certifying and your position 511 00:37:05,900 --> 00:37:08,460 at Eastern Michigan University. 512 00:37:08,460 --> 00:37:13,300 For students that are joining a university's program, they're going to hear this title, 513 00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:15,340 certifying official quite a lot. 514 00:37:15,340 --> 00:37:19,980 Can you explain what that entails and what that person is able to do and who that person 515 00:37:19,980 --> 00:37:21,660 serves as for the students? 516 00:37:21,660 --> 00:37:22,660 Okay. 517 00:37:22,660 --> 00:37:23,660 Yep, sure. 518 00:37:23,660 --> 00:37:28,220 So first off, I'd like to say the school certifying official, I've been a school certifying official 519 00:37:28,220 --> 00:37:29,860 now for 11 years. 520 00:37:29,860 --> 00:37:35,580 That's my primary function as the director of military and veteran services. 521 00:37:35,580 --> 00:37:37,740 It's school certifying official. 522 00:37:37,740 --> 00:37:46,580 There's only, so at a university, the school certifying official, it's an additional duty 523 00:37:46,580 --> 00:37:54,300 in some places like, I know at U of M, the school certifying official is in either the 524 00:37:54,300 --> 00:37:56,940 financial aid office or the registrar's office. 525 00:37:56,940 --> 00:38:00,380 It's like an additional duty. 526 00:38:00,380 --> 00:38:04,340 Whereas at Eastern, it's my primary duty. 527 00:38:04,340 --> 00:38:09,980 And I'm the one who's hired to do that, plus all the other stuff that goes on in a veteran 528 00:38:09,980 --> 00:38:12,060 center. 529 00:38:12,060 --> 00:38:20,660 But the school certifying official is the person who sends your tuition and fees or 530 00:38:20,660 --> 00:38:26,900 your numbers of credit hours or your clock hours to the VA. 531 00:38:26,900 --> 00:38:32,060 You're the person on the ground in the trench who reports to the VA, you're a trusted agent, 532 00:38:32,060 --> 00:38:40,260 that you're going to report your students credit hours, tuition and fees accurately and precisely 533 00:38:40,260 --> 00:38:42,140 to the VA. 534 00:38:42,140 --> 00:38:46,460 And that's what we do on the ground. 535 00:38:46,460 --> 00:38:51,740 From post-911 to VR&E to all the other GI bill benefits that are out there. 536 00:38:51,740 --> 00:38:53,340 Okay, awesome. 537 00:38:53,340 --> 00:38:54,340 Thank you. 538 00:38:54,340 --> 00:38:55,340 Yep. 539 00:38:55,340 --> 00:38:56,340 All right. 540 00:38:56,340 --> 00:39:01,180 We had one kind of specific question that was submitted through our social media channels 541 00:39:01,180 --> 00:39:03,260 through Instagram. 542 00:39:03,260 --> 00:39:07,580 This question is about an email that some students received a few months ago. 543 00:39:07,580 --> 00:39:10,140 I think it was a few months ago now. 544 00:39:10,140 --> 00:39:14,380 And a communication from the VA saying that they would receive an additional 12 months 545 00:39:14,380 --> 00:39:20,260 of benefits if they had paid into the Montgomery GI bill, I believe was the phrasing. 546 00:39:20,260 --> 00:39:24,700 Are you aware of an email to that effect of an additional 12 months? 547 00:39:24,700 --> 00:39:29,180 So going from 36 months to 48 months and how would students know? 548 00:39:29,180 --> 00:39:30,180 Yes, that's a very... 549 00:39:30,180 --> 00:39:32,300 That was something pertaining to them. 550 00:39:32,300 --> 00:39:37,420 I saw that message, Lydia, and got a few questions about it. 551 00:39:37,420 --> 00:39:43,060 I have questions about it myself because the message is not really clear. 552 00:39:43,060 --> 00:39:48,820 It does say that if you have two different times of service that you can still have these 553 00:39:48,820 --> 00:39:52,980 two different GI bills, what we're talking about is the one Dale used. 554 00:39:52,980 --> 00:39:56,460 It was called the Montgomery GI bill, Chapter 30. 555 00:39:56,460 --> 00:40:01,300 You paid into it while you were serving, and then you used it to go to school once you 556 00:40:01,300 --> 00:40:02,780 left the service. 557 00:40:02,780 --> 00:40:04,980 Or you could use it while you were in the service too. 558 00:40:04,980 --> 00:40:10,300 That's why it was called the active duty bill. 559 00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:15,060 The issue is that it's a little bit vague. 560 00:40:15,060 --> 00:40:20,380 So the answer that I always give the student is call the VA. 561 00:40:20,380 --> 00:40:25,980 The reason I say that is because I don't want to give you bad information about what benefits 562 00:40:25,980 --> 00:40:28,180 you have and don't have. 563 00:40:28,180 --> 00:40:30,940 That determination is done by the VA. 564 00:40:30,940 --> 00:40:40,700 And so if a student has questions about this particular message or this new rule, I tell 565 00:40:40,700 --> 00:40:47,300 them to call the VA the GI bill hotline and talk to an agent because they're going to 566 00:40:47,300 --> 00:40:51,500 be able to see all of their benefits clearly and easily. 567 00:40:51,500 --> 00:40:59,620 I don't have visibility of what GI bill benefits students have other than a date. 568 00:40:59,620 --> 00:41:04,820 It's like a month in a day thing, which isn't always accurate. 569 00:41:04,820 --> 00:41:10,380 In the certifying system that I use, it'll give me a little indication how many benefits 570 00:41:10,380 --> 00:41:12,740 are remaining for this particular student. 571 00:41:12,740 --> 00:41:14,340 However, it's limited. 572 00:41:14,340 --> 00:41:16,100 I can't see everything. 573 00:41:16,100 --> 00:41:22,420 And so that's why I turn them around to the GI bill hotline, although I hate to do it. 574 00:41:22,420 --> 00:41:29,580 I like to be able to answer questions on the ground here, but there's just some information 575 00:41:29,580 --> 00:41:33,940 that the student's just going to have to contact the VA. 576 00:41:33,940 --> 00:41:40,820 They can do it also through an online chat portal called askva.gov. 577 00:41:40,820 --> 00:41:46,060 But then I always, most of the time, I just tell them to call and talk to an agent, a 578 00:41:46,060 --> 00:41:47,060 live agent. 579 00:41:47,060 --> 00:41:48,060 Okay. 580 00:41:48,060 --> 00:41:50,060 That's a good place to start. 581 00:41:50,060 --> 00:41:51,740 Yeah, it's a good place to start. 582 00:41:51,740 --> 00:41:56,220 And I think that's a recurring theme here is that a lot of times the VA, because they 583 00:41:56,220 --> 00:42:02,220 can see all the benefits that a particular person has is the best first stop, checking 584 00:42:02,220 --> 00:42:07,700 with the portal online or talking to a live agent is the good first step for someone to 585 00:42:07,700 --> 00:42:08,700 take. 586 00:42:08,700 --> 00:42:09,700 Exactly. 587 00:42:09,700 --> 00:42:16,860 And then they know they're talking to the VA and not some lowly certifying school official 588 00:42:16,860 --> 00:42:21,820 that's hanging out at a university who's trying to help. 589 00:42:21,820 --> 00:42:24,100 But I'm not from the government anymore. 590 00:42:24,100 --> 00:42:25,100 Not anymore. 591 00:42:25,100 --> 00:42:26,100 Okay. 592 00:42:26,100 --> 00:42:34,860 One other question that we had received was asking about how final semesters work. 593 00:42:34,860 --> 00:42:39,460 So I know we talked a lot about the beginning, how students get started. 594 00:42:39,460 --> 00:42:43,100 A lot of students feel like they're kind of in a cruising zone for the couple years that 595 00:42:43,100 --> 00:42:44,100 they're using. 596 00:42:44,100 --> 00:42:49,180 They get into the routine of submitting the same forms at the beginning of each semester. 597 00:42:49,180 --> 00:42:51,220 But then they start getting closer to graduation. 598 00:42:51,220 --> 00:42:55,900 I know a lot of students have questions about how the last semester can work. 599 00:42:55,900 --> 00:43:02,060 So for example, if a student only has one or two months of their benefits remaining, 600 00:43:02,060 --> 00:43:06,500 but the semester is four months long and it's their final semester, so they're enrolled 601 00:43:06,500 --> 00:43:09,580 in at least one class that they need to graduate. 602 00:43:09,580 --> 00:43:14,260 How does that final semester work for a student when they don't have enough to make it through 603 00:43:14,260 --> 00:43:16,780 the whole semester? 604 00:43:16,780 --> 00:43:17,780 That's a great question. 605 00:43:17,780 --> 00:43:18,780 It happens a lot. 606 00:43:18,780 --> 00:43:22,540 I have kind of a vague answer. 607 00:43:22,540 --> 00:43:33,340 And I hate to say vague, however, there have been times when a student runs out of benefits 608 00:43:33,340 --> 00:43:40,180 primarily with students like the dependents who got transferred to entitlement from a 609 00:43:40,180 --> 00:43:41,180 veteran. 610 00:43:41,180 --> 00:43:45,100 They'll run out of benefits in the middle of the semester and the VA will not send 611 00:43:45,100 --> 00:43:46,900 all of the tuition and fee money. 612 00:43:46,900 --> 00:43:50,020 They'll prorate it. 613 00:43:50,020 --> 00:43:58,420 In some other cases, I've had where I advise the student to contact the VA prior to that 614 00:43:58,420 --> 00:44:02,980 semester starting to ask that very same question that you asked. 615 00:44:02,980 --> 00:44:08,060 And many times, and I'm not saying that this is the way it always is. 616 00:44:08,060 --> 00:44:16,860 This is the way it's been sometimes, is that the education, the education that I've 617 00:44:16,860 --> 00:44:21,180 had with the student, the education department will extend those benefits for entire semester 618 00:44:21,180 --> 00:44:23,700 to the end of the semester to cover it. 619 00:44:23,700 --> 00:44:29,740 But the student has to call in advance and talk about that process and ask for that extension. 620 00:44:29,740 --> 00:44:32,780 I've heard that happen before. 621 00:44:32,780 --> 00:44:36,300 And then in other cases, they won't send it. 622 00:44:36,300 --> 00:44:42,060 They'll just cut it off and prorate it for a particular time of the, you know, however, 623 00:44:42,060 --> 00:44:44,900 whatever their benefit runs out during that semester. 624 00:44:44,900 --> 00:44:51,100 So like I said, it's kind of a vague gray area. 625 00:44:51,100 --> 00:44:52,420 Okay. 626 00:44:52,420 --> 00:44:53,420 Roundout. 627 00:44:53,420 --> 00:44:56,900 Now, there's another thing called roundout. 628 00:44:56,900 --> 00:45:04,140 And that's where, let's say, for example, you're taking, you have, you've taken all your 629 00:45:04,140 --> 00:45:06,780 program requirements. 630 00:45:06,780 --> 00:45:14,460 And in the last semester of your school, right before you graduate, you only need two classes 631 00:45:14,460 --> 00:45:16,420 to graduate. 632 00:45:16,420 --> 00:45:21,340 But oh, by the way, you want that housing allowance and you have to be full time to get 633 00:45:21,340 --> 00:45:26,900 that housing allowance, which is, you know, in Arbor and Ypsilani, it's 2,200 bucks or 634 00:45:26,900 --> 00:45:29,180 2,300 roughly. 635 00:45:29,180 --> 00:45:33,660 And so if you're not full time, you don't get that whole housing allowance. 636 00:45:33,660 --> 00:45:36,980 It gets, you know, it gets, it gets prorated. 637 00:45:36,980 --> 00:45:44,860 So the roundout rule is if you're in your last semester of your program, you can take 638 00:45:44,860 --> 00:45:51,660 classes that are aligned with your major that bring you to full time so that you can have 639 00:45:51,660 --> 00:45:55,700 that, so that you can have, still have that full housing allowance while you're going 640 00:45:55,700 --> 00:45:57,900 to school your last semester. 641 00:45:57,900 --> 00:45:58,900 Okay. 642 00:45:58,900 --> 00:46:00,700 And that's called the roundout. 643 00:46:00,700 --> 00:46:01,700 Yeah. 644 00:46:01,700 --> 00:46:06,540 I think the roundout is the, that's the verbiage I've heard multiple times from students. 645 00:46:06,540 --> 00:46:08,580 I'm glad you, I'm glad you brought that term up. 646 00:46:08,580 --> 00:46:09,580 Stan? 647 00:46:09,580 --> 00:46:12,660 Sounds like you take a lot of electives that last semester. 648 00:46:12,660 --> 00:46:13,660 Oh yeah. 649 00:46:13,660 --> 00:46:17,660 Underwater basket weaving and archery. 650 00:46:17,660 --> 00:46:23,700 My last semester at U of M, I took a class called Woody Plants where we went on hikes 651 00:46:23,700 --> 00:46:28,060 and we memorized identifying characteristics of trees and it was amazing. 652 00:46:28,060 --> 00:46:30,620 So that's what you do. 653 00:46:30,620 --> 00:46:32,580 A broadening experience. 654 00:46:32,580 --> 00:46:33,580 Yep. 655 00:46:33,580 --> 00:46:34,580 All right. 656 00:46:34,580 --> 00:46:35,580 Awesome. 657 00:46:35,580 --> 00:46:40,580 So I think, I mean that was, that was a really good answer for some of our submitted questions 658 00:46:40,580 --> 00:46:44,860 that we received online through social media which anyone who's listening when we have 659 00:46:44,860 --> 00:46:50,500 these programs in the future submitting questions either through our Instagram or Facebook messages 660 00:46:50,500 --> 00:46:54,660 is a great way if you don't want to call into the show, I can make sure that some of those 661 00:46:54,660 --> 00:46:55,900 questions get on air. 662 00:46:55,900 --> 00:46:59,860 So that's something that we'll try to keep doing in the future. 663 00:46:59,860 --> 00:47:03,500 I have one more question and this is kind of, this isn't about the end of school but 664 00:47:03,500 --> 00:47:07,500 sometimes this happens for students while they're in between fall and spring semesters 665 00:47:07,500 --> 00:47:15,860 but over the summer term, a lot of universities instead of full time being defined as 12 credits, 666 00:47:15,860 --> 00:47:21,580 they define full time as six credits or a student is only taking one class over the 667 00:47:21,580 --> 00:47:24,380 summer so they're only going to be at three credits. 668 00:47:24,380 --> 00:47:29,340 Can you talk just a little bit of general information about how benefits might be used 669 00:47:29,340 --> 00:47:32,420 over the summer and if it's worth it? 670 00:47:32,420 --> 00:47:37,500 I guess the question students have sometimes if it's worth it to use to tap into their 671 00:47:37,500 --> 00:47:40,580 GI bill over the summer just for one class. 672 00:47:40,580 --> 00:47:43,180 Yeah, we have it every year. 673 00:47:43,180 --> 00:47:48,740 We have several of our students take summer classes and the way I describe it to them 674 00:47:48,740 --> 00:47:59,700 is at Eastern for example, we have two main summer term parts called term parts. 675 00:47:59,700 --> 00:48:03,620 The entire summer semester is just like a fall and winter semester. 676 00:48:03,620 --> 00:48:07,940 However, the fall and winter aren't broken up into term parts. 677 00:48:07,940 --> 00:48:12,580 And so I look at the first half of summer and I look at it like the second half of 678 00:48:12,580 --> 00:48:18,980 summer and we try to get students to take undergraduate students to get to the full 679 00:48:18,980 --> 00:48:19,980 12 hours. 680 00:48:19,980 --> 00:48:25,780 They have to take six in the first half of summer and six in the second half of summer. 681 00:48:25,780 --> 00:48:33,420 Five students, their full time is eight so they have to take essentially two classes 682 00:48:33,420 --> 00:48:38,340 in the first part of summer and two in the second half. 683 00:48:38,340 --> 00:48:48,340 So I usually try to draw a bar graph to show students visually how those two semesters 684 00:48:48,340 --> 00:48:53,500 collide and how they keep them getting that full time housing allowance. 685 00:48:53,500 --> 00:48:56,940 And we help students pick those classes a lot. 686 00:48:56,940 --> 00:49:03,260 My friend and colleague at the university, we sit down with those students and really 687 00:49:03,260 --> 00:49:09,940 make sure that they get that full time stipend and that they navigate between online and 688 00:49:09,940 --> 00:49:16,780 resident classes because there is a difference between the amount of housing allowance if 689 00:49:16,780 --> 00:49:20,980 you're all online versus resident, there's a difference. 690 00:49:20,980 --> 00:49:25,340 And so we try to make sure that they take those summer classes. 691 00:49:25,340 --> 00:49:31,940 We try to get them at least one resident each term part. 692 00:49:31,940 --> 00:49:36,740 But to answer your question, it's absolutely awesome to use your benefits over the summer. 693 00:49:36,740 --> 00:49:40,940 And it keeps that housing allowance going and it keeps your, you know, you're on track 694 00:49:40,940 --> 00:49:44,380 to graduate a little bit earlier. 695 00:49:44,380 --> 00:49:50,020 One of my colleague always tries to get the students to save their electives until summer 696 00:49:50,020 --> 00:49:55,220 because a lot of their major classes aren't offered in the summer. 697 00:49:55,220 --> 00:50:03,660 So they want to try to, let's save those gen eds like English 100 or writing 102 or 201, 698 00:50:03,660 --> 00:50:10,420 save those for the summer because that's, those are more widely offered. 699 00:50:10,420 --> 00:50:11,420 Okay. 700 00:50:11,420 --> 00:50:12,420 Yeah. 701 00:50:12,420 --> 00:50:13,420 Awesome. 702 00:50:13,420 --> 00:50:17,060 Yeah, summer was a, that was a tough question for me to figure out when I was at University 703 00:50:17,060 --> 00:50:18,060 of Michigan. 704 00:50:18,060 --> 00:50:23,540 So I think the, again, with the recurring themes that we have going during this hour 705 00:50:23,540 --> 00:50:29,340 is talk to your advisor and your certifying official at the school, make sure that you're 706 00:50:29,340 --> 00:50:33,140 adhering to the university standards for what's considered full-time or what you're supposed 707 00:50:33,140 --> 00:50:37,140 to be taking and see how that can be used in tandem with your benefits to get you the 708 00:50:37,140 --> 00:50:39,340 best possible return. 709 00:50:39,340 --> 00:50:40,700 So what it sounds like. 710 00:50:40,700 --> 00:50:47,940 And summer is the, summer is the absolute worst semester to certify as a school certifying 711 00:50:47,940 --> 00:50:48,940 official. 712 00:50:48,940 --> 00:50:54,100 There's so many changes and drop dates and I mean, it just makes it, makes it very challenging 713 00:50:54,100 --> 00:50:56,620 because you have to pay really close attention in the summer. 714 00:50:56,620 --> 00:50:57,620 Okay. 715 00:50:57,620 --> 00:50:59,100 That's good to know too. 716 00:50:59,100 --> 00:51:00,100 All right. 717 00:51:00,100 --> 00:51:06,340 Well, we had one last question that was submitted that I think, Mike and I can both try to answer 718 00:51:06,340 --> 00:51:11,380 this one with a short tip, but the question was about transitioning from the military 719 00:51:11,380 --> 00:51:17,140 life to the student life and what resources students have to help them with that transition. 720 00:51:17,140 --> 00:51:23,180 So specifically thinking, you know, we, a lot of members in the military go from having 721 00:51:23,180 --> 00:51:26,980 a really exciting job or doing something every day that they feel like they're giving back 722 00:51:26,980 --> 00:51:29,780 to the community, they're serving a purpose. 723 00:51:29,780 --> 00:51:32,940 And then all of a sudden you're sending an electric call with 200 other students learning 724 00:51:32,940 --> 00:51:35,100 about biology 101. 725 00:51:35,100 --> 00:51:40,660 And for a lot of military members, that transition to student life is really tough. 726 00:51:40,660 --> 00:51:45,260 And another part of that is being an older student on campus and a lot of us that leave 727 00:51:45,260 --> 00:51:50,220 the military and go back to school, we're in our mid to late twenties surrounded by students 728 00:51:50,220 --> 00:51:53,300 who are much younger and it's a totally different environment. 729 00:51:53,300 --> 00:51:58,500 And the question was about resources on campus that students have, that veteran students 730 00:51:58,500 --> 00:52:01,860 have to help them with this transition to student life. 731 00:52:01,860 --> 00:52:07,860 So I'll give my 30 second answer and then Mike can give his 30 second answer. 732 00:52:07,860 --> 00:52:11,460 Mine is to know about your, your student groups and resources. 733 00:52:11,460 --> 00:52:15,740 Many of these student veteran organization and the peer advising for veterans and education 734 00:52:15,740 --> 00:52:21,500 offices, those two places for me are what changed my experience at University of Michigan. 735 00:52:21,500 --> 00:52:27,860 But most schools that have a decent size veteran population have a student group of some sort 736 00:52:27,860 --> 00:52:31,180 that is for veteran students. 737 00:52:31,180 --> 00:52:35,980 And those guys, for example, helped me pass calculus and it was life changing. 738 00:52:35,980 --> 00:52:40,900 But having a community of people and reaching out and knowing what your resources were was 739 00:52:40,900 --> 00:52:42,460 really important for me. 740 00:52:42,460 --> 00:52:47,140 Mike, do you have any, any alibis to that for a last word? 741 00:52:47,140 --> 00:52:50,900 Yeah, well Eastern Michigan put all their money where their mouth is and they opened 742 00:52:50,900 --> 00:53:00,500 up a, a, a veteran center where veterans can come and hang out in our lounge and get a 743 00:53:00,500 --> 00:53:01,500 computer lab. 744 00:53:01,500 --> 00:53:03,380 We got snacks and things like that. 745 00:53:03,380 --> 00:53:11,740 I find that having that welcome USO flavor environment, new veterans command, we sit 746 00:53:11,740 --> 00:53:12,740 down and talk. 747 00:53:12,740 --> 00:53:14,380 We don't even talk about school sometimes. 748 00:53:14,380 --> 00:53:18,260 We just talk about where you're from, you know, what'd you do? 749 00:53:18,260 --> 00:53:19,940 Why are you here? 750 00:53:19,940 --> 00:53:23,220 Break the ice and then start talking business. 751 00:53:23,220 --> 00:53:24,500 Start getting into the checklist. 752 00:53:24,500 --> 00:53:25,500 Did you do this? 753 00:53:25,500 --> 00:53:26,500 Did you do that? 754 00:53:26,500 --> 00:53:28,020 Did you, have you registered for classes? 755 00:53:28,020 --> 00:53:29,940 Do you need help finding your classrooms? 756 00:53:29,940 --> 00:53:30,940 Do you know where? 757 00:53:30,940 --> 00:53:38,780 So we help them do those, those initial walk around campus things because it, it just makes 758 00:53:38,780 --> 00:53:42,660 them feel comfortable and it makes them feel safe and they, you know, they feel like they're 759 00:53:42,660 --> 00:53:43,660 welcome. 760 00:53:43,660 --> 00:53:47,860 You know, a lot of times I think if they were to go to a big campus and there's no, there's 761 00:53:47,860 --> 00:53:55,460 no lounge or there's no, there's no liaison, you know, whose military has a military mindset. 762 00:53:55,460 --> 00:53:59,140 Then they kind of get lost and maybe frustrated. 763 00:53:59,140 --> 00:54:02,100 We try to eliminate that, that whole thing. 764 00:54:02,100 --> 00:54:03,980 It's not about a party. 765 00:54:03,980 --> 00:54:10,340 It's about sitting down, caring about people and to, and showing them how to get there, 766 00:54:10,340 --> 00:54:13,940 you know, showing them how to, to get through school, helping them register for classes, 767 00:54:13,940 --> 00:54:19,740 making sure that, you know, we send out targeted emails with, with, with regard to those important 768 00:54:19,740 --> 00:54:24,460 things that are coming out of the registrar's office that they're not going to totally understand. 769 00:54:24,460 --> 00:54:30,460 We put it in veteran, we put it in military language so they can understand it and, and 770 00:54:30,460 --> 00:54:35,180 we put a precedence on it so they understand, you know, how you're at training and they 771 00:54:35,180 --> 00:54:40,500 stopped their foot three times, you know, remember that point when they stopped their 772 00:54:40,500 --> 00:54:41,500 foot. 773 00:54:41,500 --> 00:54:42,500 I got to jump in here, Mike. 774 00:54:42,500 --> 00:54:43,500 Go ahead. 775 00:54:43,500 --> 00:54:44,500 Thank you. 776 00:54:44,500 --> 00:54:46,300 We're coming up to the end of our program today. 777 00:54:46,300 --> 00:54:50,140 Lydia, thank you very much for putting this educational program together. 778 00:54:50,140 --> 00:54:52,900 Mike Weiss from Eastern Michigan University. 779 00:54:52,900 --> 00:54:56,580 If you have any questions, I'm sure that, you know, if you want to contact us, we'll 780 00:54:56,580 --> 00:54:59,620 point you in the right direction here on Veterans Radio. 781 00:54:59,620 --> 00:55:02,780 So I appreciate both of you and the effort that you put into this. 782 00:55:02,780 --> 00:55:08,180 Again, I want to remind people to donate blood, you know, go over there and mention Joe Meltzer's 783 00:55:08,180 --> 00:55:10,700 name wherever you are, Air Force Veteran. 784 00:55:10,700 --> 00:55:16,460 Go to RedCross.org and schedule an appointment to help him out. 785 00:55:16,460 --> 00:55:21,620 We're going out on the God bless America again, our favorite tune, of course, and I want to 786 00:55:21,620 --> 00:55:25,660 thank everybody for listening today and I'm getting ready for my 10 second countdown. 787 00:55:25,660 --> 00:55:28,220 I can see he's getting all fired up here. 788 00:55:28,220 --> 00:55:30,860 So thank you very much for listening to Veterans Radio. 789 00:55:30,860 --> 00:55:33,860 We'll be back again next week until then. 790 00:55:33,860 --> 00:55:42,660 You are dismissed. 791 00:55:42,660 --> 00:56:01,100 God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her through the night 792 00:56:01,100 --> 00:56:14,860 with a light from above, from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans, white with 793 00:56:14,860 --> 00:56:17,860 foam. 794 00:56:17,860 --> 00:56:29,700 God bless America, my home sweet home. 795 00:56:29,700 --> 00:56:45,460 God bless America, my home sweet home.