If I’m Enrolled for the Maximum Summer Session Credits, Why Is My Post 9/11 GI Bill Housing Allowance Low?
Q: To be considered a full-time student at my school for the summer, I need 4 credits for Session A, 6 credits for Session B and 4 credits for Session C. Session B overlaps Sessions A and C. I am enrolled with the maximum required credits to be considered full -time for all three sessions but BAH check was just slightly more than half of what it was for spring semester. What went wrong? Who should I contact to get the full rate of BAH for going full time?
A: The VA counts the number of credits you are taking on a daily basis. I’m guessing you only got paid for the 4 credits you were taking when Session A was in class and before Session B started. During the overlap, of Sessions A and B and Sessions B and C, you were getting paid for 10 credits. Once Session B ended, then your credits taken dropped down to 4 again.
During Sessions A and C pure, you were more than likely only getting paid a percentage of the full-time rate (a part-time student) because you were not taking enough credits to show a full-time rate of pursuit. This would affect your Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance in the manner you describe.
You most likely did have enough credits to qualify as a full-time student over the course of the whole semester, however because they were broken down into three sessions, you didn’t have enough at the beginning or the end.
Without having more precise numbers, such as the number of credits you school uses during the Summer Session to qualify as a full-time student, it is hard to make a better determination.
If you do want to pursue getting your full Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance next summer, schedule an appointment with your school’s VA Certifying Official before registering for the sessions in that semester. In retrospect, that would have been something you should have done before the Summer Sessions started, so you would have knew better what to expect.
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