OC/EMC
New Member
FYI,
I got this email from my units supply Chief. It opens the door for MGIB use while in the STA-21 program. There are some restrictions though. I hope this will help relieve some of the financial burden faced by STA-21 folks at private universities.
/R
OC/EMC
Subj: OFFICIAL MAIL MESSAGE #066-09 ABILITY OF SERVICE MEMBERS TO
SIMULTANEOUSLY USE TITLE 10 AND MGIB FUNDS FOR EDUCATIONAL COURSES
1. The purpose of this OPMIS is to pass on the legal opinion on a service
member's ability to use both Navy and Veterans Affairs (VA) educational
benefits at the same time, but only for different courses not covered by
military service educational funds.
2. The Navy's Seaman to Admiral 21 (STA-21) Program pays selected enlisted
service members up to $10,000 annually to attend college full time and earn
a degree, on the condition that they will then serve the Navy for an agreed
upon period of time. Unfortunately, this Navy scholarship is not always
sufficient to pay for all courses needed to fulfill degree requirements.
The question then arises as to whether the service member can use Montgomery
GI Bill (MGIB) benefits from the VA (Chapter 30 of Title 38) to pay for
courses after the service member's STA-21 funds are exhausted.
3. The VA's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) has answered this question
in the affirmative. It has issued a legal opinion authorizing use of both
types of funds so long as payment is for different courses and not combined
to pay for the same course. The VA concluded that while 38 U.S.C §
3681(a)(1) bars concurrent use of funds from both the MGIB and DoD programs
like STA-21 to pay for the same course, it does not bar concurrent payment
from both sources for different courses that are part of a program of
education.
4. Should units have any further questions concerning this or any other
matter concerning the coordination of benefits under our respective
organizations, feel free to contact NSTC Code OD4, specifically Major James
Stanley directly at (850) 452-4962 or e-mail james.l.stanley2@navy.mil.
/s/
C. J. STEIN
NROTC
Program Manager
I got this email from my units supply Chief. It opens the door for MGIB use while in the STA-21 program. There are some restrictions though. I hope this will help relieve some of the financial burden faced by STA-21 folks at private universities.
/R
OC/EMC
Subj: OFFICIAL MAIL MESSAGE #066-09 ABILITY OF SERVICE MEMBERS TO
SIMULTANEOUSLY USE TITLE 10 AND MGIB FUNDS FOR EDUCATIONAL COURSES
1. The purpose of this OPMIS is to pass on the legal opinion on a service
member's ability to use both Navy and Veterans Affairs (VA) educational
benefits at the same time, but only for different courses not covered by
military service educational funds.
2. The Navy's Seaman to Admiral 21 (STA-21) Program pays selected enlisted
service members up to $10,000 annually to attend college full time and earn
a degree, on the condition that they will then serve the Navy for an agreed
upon period of time. Unfortunately, this Navy scholarship is not always
sufficient to pay for all courses needed to fulfill degree requirements.
The question then arises as to whether the service member can use Montgomery
GI Bill (MGIB) benefits from the VA (Chapter 30 of Title 38) to pay for
courses after the service member's STA-21 funds are exhausted.
3. The VA's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) has answered this question
in the affirmative. It has issued a legal opinion authorizing use of both
types of funds so long as payment is for different courses and not combined
to pay for the same course. The VA concluded that while 38 U.S.C §
3681(a)(1) bars concurrent use of funds from both the MGIB and DoD programs
like STA-21 to pay for the same course, it does not bar concurrent payment
from both sources for different courses that are part of a program of
education.
4. Should units have any further questions concerning this or any other
matter concerning the coordination of benefits under our respective
organizations, feel free to contact NSTC Code OD4, specifically Major James
Stanley directly at (850) 452-4962 or e-mail james.l.stanley2@navy.mil.
/s/
C. J. STEIN
NROTC
Program Manager