Effective June 2011, United States Army National Guard (ARNG) Soldiers will begin the transition to GoArmyEd, the Army's enterprise education system serving both components as a Virtual Gateway to Education-Anytime, Anywhere.

GoArmyEd currently supports Active Duty and Army Reservists as a one-stop Web site that allows Soldiers, Army Education Counselors, and schools to conduct business for all education needs in a seamless Soldier-centric environment. June's transition realizes the Army's vision for an enterprise system serving all Army components.

GoArmyEd will give you 24/7 online access to register for classes, access to your counselor, school, or the GoArmyEd Helpdesk, and many self-service features that put you in the driver's seat as you plan for and pursue your education goals. You will be able to identify courses that advance you toward your degree and view your tuition assistance (TA) balance for the year. You'll also be able to review your individual degree plan, student record, course history, grades, and other information necessary to reach your goals. In addition, the GoArmyEd portal will enable you to withdraw from classes or request military withdrawals, resolve recoupments and holds, and request reimbursements for courses not offered through the portal... all online.

So, what do you need to do? At this time, nothing is required of you other than reading this message, which is intended to give you advance notice of the exciting changes affecting the way you access your TA benefits. GoArmyEd will be sending out invitations for you to set-up an account in June 2011, which will include detailed directions to support your transition. Key milestone dates to be aware of are:

         4 June 2011-Schools with historical ARNG enrollments set-up in GoArmyEd; ARNG Soldiers begin setting up accounts in GoArmyEd; after completing their account set-ups, ARNG Soldiers will be restricted from requesting TA in GoArmyEd until 1 August 2011.

         1 August 2011-ARNG Soldiers begin requesting TA in GoArmyEd for courses that start on or after 1 October 2011. ARNG Soldiers will continue to use the current National Guard system to request courses that start prior to 1 October 2011.

         1 October 2011-All ARNG Soldiers and Army education personnel begin using GoArmyEd to manage TA for courses that start on or after 1 October 2011; schools using GoArmyEd receive TA requests, process grades, and submit invoices for courses that start on or after 1 October 2011; the current National Guard education system is used only for grade reporting, invoicing, and recoupment processing for courses that started prior to 1 October 2011.

If you currently have an active GoArmyEd account simply continue to use the system based on your current eligibility.

On April 14th, we will be host to a special event; Film maker Ron Osgood will be on campus to show his film "My Vietnam, Your Iraq".  This film follows eight families where the father served in Vietnam, and a child served in Iraq.  This is a truly moving film, and we are lucky to have this opportunity. 

   The Veterans Administration has recently announced several changes to the Post 9/11 GI bill that will affect many Veterans and active duty service members who are currently using the program and those planning to use itin the future.  Changes include:

  Effective March 5, 2011

 Active duty service members are limited to net cost of tuition and fees prorated based on eligibility tiers previously established for Veterans.

  Effective August 1, 2011

For Veterans and their transferees - simplifies the tuition and fee rates for those attending a public school and creates a national maximum for those enrolled in a private or foreign school

Pays all public school in-state tuition and fees;

Private and foreign school costs are capped at $17,500 annually;

The Yellow Ribbon Program still exists for out-of-state fees and costs above the cap.

For Active Duty Members and their transferees - creates a national rate for those active duty members enrolled in a private or foreign school pursuing a degree

Pays all public school in-state tuition and fees;

Private and foreign school costs are capped at $17,500 annually

Allows VA to pay MGIB (chapter 30) and MGIB-SR (chapter 1606) 'kickers', or college fund payments, on a monthly basis instead of a lump sum at the beginning of the term

Prorates housing allowance by the student's rate of pursuit (rounded to the nearest tenth)

A student training at a rate of pursuit of 75% would receive 80% of the BAH rate

Break or interval pay is no longer payable under any VA education benefit program unless under an Executive Order of the President or due to an emergency, such as a natural disaster or strike.

This means that when your semester ends (e.g. December 15th), your housing allowance is paid for the first 15 days of December only and begins again when your next semester begins (e.g. January 10th) and is paid for the remaining days of January.

Students using other VA education programs are included in this change. Monthly benefits will be pro-rated in the same manner.

Entitlement that previously would have been used for break pay will be available for use during a future enrollment.

Allows reimbursement for more than one "license or certification" test (previously only one test was allowed). However, entitlement is now charged.

Allows reimbursement of fees paid to take national exams used for admission to an institution of higher learning (e.g., SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT)

Allows those who are eligible for both Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (chapter 31) benefits and Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33) benefits to choose the Post-9/11 GI Bill's monthly housing allowance instead of the chapter 31 subsistence allowance.

NOAA and PHS personnel are now eligible to transfer their entitlement to eligible dependents.

Effective October 1, 2011

Allows students to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill for -

Non-college degree (NCD) programs:  Pays actual net cost for in-State tuition and fees at public NCD institutions.  At private and foreign institutions, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees or $17,500, whichever is less.  Also pays up to $83 per month for books and supplies.

On-the-job and apprenticeship training:  Pays a monthly benefit amount prorated based on time in program and up to $83 per month for books and supplies.

Flight programs: Per academic year, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees assessed by the school or $10,000, whichever is less. 

Correspondence training:  Per academic year, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees assessed by the school or $8,500, whichever is less.

Housing allowance is now payable to students (other than those on active duty) enrolled solely in distance learning.  The housing allowance payable is equal to ½ the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents.

The full-time rate for an individual eligible at the 100% eligibility tier would be $673.50 for 2011.

Allows students on active duty to receive a books and supplies stipend.

To find a full list of changes, go to: http://www.gibill.va.gov/post-911/post-911-gi-bill-summary/Post911_changes.html or contact your VA representative.