Update: Just to touch up the whole Webster university thailand thing, the reason one cannot receive the full overseas stipend is due to the home campus' location. In Thailand, to be considered a true foreign school, in must be based in Thailand. At least be the VA's definition.
You are absolutely correct!
And that's what I've been bitchin' about for these last two years - trying to get the VA to fix this messed up, piss-poor, pathetic overseas subsidy "deal" on the Post 9/11 GI Bill for overseas schools.
The REGULAR, overseas stipend rate is based on the US National average of stipend rates for the USA.
It's NOT based on how much it really costs to live in London and attend a US University.
It would be like trying to live and attend school in New York City on the Stipend rate allowed for St. Louis, MO!
It can't be done - unless you can rent a dumpster by the week and leave right before the truck pulls up to empty it.
US Government workers - on the lowest wage rungs/levels - who work overseas in these areas - their housing subsidy is based on the actual, physical location of the country's cost-of-living area they are working at. It's not based on some weird and arbitrary US averaging of subsidy housing rates!
Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands - all the US Territories - the VA pays the OVERSEAS HOUSING ALLOWANCE for their respective locations (2013ish rate dollars). The Territories AREN'T thrown into this Mainland stipend average for their GI Bill subsistence rates.
WHY? Because the cost-of-living higher there!
This lame-brained computation of averaging US cost-of-living stipend rates to arrive at an overseas cost-of-living stipend rate creates only ONE winner.
And that's the FINANCIAL INSTITUTION that the Veteran goes to in order to take out Student Loans to pay for his rent in London, Vienna, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Helsinki, Stockholm - or wherever else in Europe there might be a school he/she gets accepted to.
And remember, there are NINE countries in Europe that offer FREE or NEARLY FREE tuition to US citizens. And although these schools are NOT USA schools, they are that nation's MAJOR public colleges and universities. And many of them are top world ranked! And many of them teach and speak English in the classroom!
This means that the VA pays next to nothing out-of-their-pocket for your tuition and fees if you attend many European public schools!
Or, in some countries, it's such a small, token sum for tuition and fees as to be under 2,000 dollars a year for tuition and fees paid by the VA for your top-shelf education.
But that "un-BIG" and "un-LIVABLE" GI Bill overseas stipend rate is pathetic!
This NON-LIVABLE, NON-SUSTAINABLE, sub-existence subsidy rate forces you to have to talk to the Banksters and mortgage your future away with student loans just to be able to pay the rent over there. The VA saves TONS of money while you're mortgaging your future away just to pay the rent to get educated.
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Now, if you do decide to attend a USA school in Europe, well, USA schools DO charge the VA tuition for you to attend. And often-times, the tuition and fees to attend a USA school in Europe is already at or ABOVE the MAXIMUM annual ceiling that can be paid to that USA school by the VA.
And many USA schools have limited housing or NO housing, and you are forced to rent on the local economy.
So, in many cases, your GI Bill leaves you with a tuition and fees shortfall. You still owe out-of-pocket tuition and fees.
And no campus housing.
And having to rent on the open economy.
And you get a non-sustainable, overseas subsistence rate to boot.
"How many loans can I get?", I ask.
"The more, the merrier for me!", says the Bankster.
And the VA and Congress stand idly by, while the Veteran's future gets fleeced before it's even begun.
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This is why I mentioned that USA school that has their "Brick-and-Mortar" Main campus located in New York City.
They have "branch" campuses in several locations around the world.
And because their Main branch is in NYC, the VA is able to pay the Veteran the NYC subsidy rate of that main school's NYC zip code.
And the VA pays to the Veteran the NYC subsidy rate when that Veteran attends ANY of that schools overseas locations.
The NYC subsidy rate is ALMOST a "living subsidy" rate for Paris or Berlin. And, for most of Europe - not all - but most.
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BLUF: The VA needs to STOP using the "US zip codes averaging" subsidy rate for overseas schools and GET REAL!
START using the already established, tried-and-true OHA rates for overseas schools - OHA rates just like everyone else does in the Gov't.
A Student Veteran has to live in that country and pay the same prices to eat and rent just like everyone else stationed or posted by our Government over there.
So why not give the Veteran-Student the same standard of basic living?
An E-5 w/dependant OHA rate is NOT anywhere near capable of producing a "Top-Shelf" lifestyle.
Good Grief! That's still well below average OHA rates.
The Gov't will recoup this educational investment back many times over through income taxation from a lifetime of increased earnings generated by the educated Veteran.
The Banksters don't need to be into the pockets and fleecing the Student Veterans so soon.
There's plenty of lifetime left for that with car loans, 30-year mortgages and kids.
Give the Student-Vet some financial breathing room please!
Haven't they paid enough for this benefit at this point in their lives?
nwlivewire