When Will Online Students Start Getting the Housing Allowance?
Will online students under Post 9/11 GI Bill be receiving BAH benefits any time soon or will they have to continue using the “Parent Program”?
For awhile, they will have to continue with the parent program. Senate Bill S. 3447 did pass both the House and Senate and the President did recently sign it, however, the implementation date for most of the provisions is August 2011 or later. In its final form, online-only students will get 50% of the full housing allowance.
I never understood the reasoning in the original Post 9/11 GI Bill as to why online students didn’t get the housing allowance. Granted, you don’t have commuting costs, but you still have to buy food to eat, need a roof over your head, and in many cases still need to buy textbooks, just like any other student. Yet somehow, online was perceived as being so different that you didn’t get (or need) a housing allowance.
And while 50% is not what it should be, it is better than what you had. As far as how the 50% provision will be implemented, we’ll have to wait and see. Some speculation says it will be based off of the student’s zip code. As you know right now, it is off of the zip code of the school. Those details will be released later. Keep watching this website for updated information.
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