Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Quarterly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security
Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/284019
Scholarships – how to fnd them? Researching scholarships' web sites can be overwhelming – develop an organized strategy for searching and applying for scholarships. TIP: When searching for scholarships, look for the ones others are unlikely to find or be eligible for. Your odds of being selected to receive a scholarship are better when you are one of only a few people applying for it. The scholarships that are the easiest to find will almost certainly have the most applicants, which may lower your chances of being successful. You can learn about scholarships in several ways, including contacting your ESO, CG SUPRT, Financial Aid Office at the school you plan to attend and checking information in a public library or online. But be careful. Make sure scholarship information and offers you receive are legitimate. Remember that you do not have to pay to find scholarships or other financial aid. Check out our information on how to avoid scams via Federal Trade Commission web site (below link). Federal Trade Commission: Scholarship & Financial Aid Information www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0082-scholarship-and-financial- aid-scams FREE scholarship resources: • ESO • CG SUPRT (Work-Life) • Financial aid office at a college or career school • U.S. Department of Labor's Free Scholarship Search Tool http://careerinfonet.org/scholarshipsearch/ ScholarshipCategory.asp?searchtype=category&nodeid;=22 • U.S. Dept of Education Federal Student Aid http://studentaid.ed.gov/node/4/#aid-from-the-federal- government • U.S. Dept of Education State Grant Agency http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/org_list. cfm?category_cd=SGT • Library's reference section • Foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, or civic groups • Organizations (including professional associations) related to your field of interest • Ethnicity-based organizations • Employer or your parents' employers GI Bill The GI Bill is a short-hand way of referring to a collection of education and other benefits provided to service members and veterans, the first of which was enacted by Congress in 1944. Today, there are four GI Bill education programs. In the order in which they were created, they are the: • Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty (MGIB-AD or Chapter 30) • Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR or Chapter 1606) • Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP or Chapter 1607) • Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (the new GI Bill or Chapter 33). Members of the Coast Guard Reserve are or may become eligible for benefits under all four programs. No matter which program you are under, you start out with a 36-month entitlement to benefits. The "36 months" is a way of keeping track of how much of the benefit you have left; it is completely unrelated to the amount of time you have in which to use your entitlement. When transposed into college semester hours, it equates roughly to a 4 year degree. (http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/) Expiration of GI Bill Eligibility MGIB-AD Those eligible for the MGIB-AD can use their benefit for a decade after they leave active duty. The 10-year timer starts ticking the minute you leave active duty. Once it goes off, you can no longer use your GI Bill benefit. However, if you return to active duty some time later (for 90 consecutive days or more), that 10-year timer will stop and reset to 10 years the next time you leave active duty. MGIB-AD – Eligibility - Reservists must be serving on long-term EAD orders (two-years or longer) and make election upon reporting to unit with a $1200 buy-in. MGIB-SR Reservists can use their MGIB-SR benefits for as long as they are in the Coast Guard Reserve. MGIB-SR - Eligibility - Reservists (in good standing) can use this benefit ($356/mo for 36 months for full-time students) ~ $12,816 to help pay for college. REAP The Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP) offers nearly $40,000 in education benefits for reservists who served on active duty at least 90 consecutive days on or after Sept. 1, 2001, in support of a contingency operation. REAP benefits cannot be used with other Veterans Affairs education benefits. Reservists must make an irrevocable election choosing which program they want their qualifying military service to count toward. The situation for Reservists under REAP is more complicated. In general, you have ten years after being honorably discharged from the Selected Reserve to use your REAP benefits. But if eligible for REAP, check with the Department of Veteran Affairs to determine exactly how long you have to use your benefits. Post-9/11 (New) GI Bill Post-9/11 is a no cost program for members of the Armed Forces (active duty and Reserve) who have served at least 90 aggregate days of qualifying active duty on or after 11 Sep 2001. You are automatically eligible upon meeting the active duty requirements. If you were discharged due to a service-connected disability with at least 30 continuous days, please contact DVA for further information. This program began 1 August 2009. Benefits may include tuition and fees, a housing allowance, and a book/supplies stipend. If you are eligible for other education programs, you will have to make an irrevocable decision to relinquish one of them for Post-9/11 GI Bill. Those who elect to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans' Educational Assistance Act (commonly referred to as the GI Bill) have 15 years from the date they leave active duty (Honorable Discharge). The 15-year timer starts ticking the minute you leave active duty. Once it goes off, you cannot use your GI Bill benefit. However, if you return to active duty some time later (for 90 consecutive days or more), that 15-year timer will stop and reset to 15 years the next time you leave active duty. Qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill: Reservists need to maintain qualifications and participation standards and pursue active duty opportunities via long-term orders (T10, EAD, ADOS). The Post-9/11 GI Bill has greater monetary value (even at a lower qualifying percentage) than other DVA's education programs. Issue 1 • 2014 � RESERVIST 47