Please don't get me started on our broken promises to our veterans.

I'm probably against broken promises as much as the next guy. But I'll also say that the benefits and perks I netted over a full military career far exceed those that were on the table when I signed up in the 90s. I'll definitely take what we evolved to over what I thought I'd get for 20 years of service.

A friend's daughter recently used his transferred GI benefits toward five years (four undergrad, one grad) of college, out of state to the University of Michigan. He figures he got $350k out of that benefit alone... although he's surely still ticked off about rising Tricare premiums.

Not to diminish the Post 9-11 GI Bill, but it seems your buddy may have had a bit of bravado. It's worth 36months of tuition (which is 4yrs taking summers off, or three straight years)/E5 BAH at the highest instate rate only or $25K/yr. Some colleges will waive the out of state tuition under the "yellow ribbon provision" but that is their choice to attract veterans from out of state. Again, a very generous benefit meant to attract highly qualified youth into the military in an all-volunteer force. I guess if/when we start just forgiving $50K of student debt per person throughout the country for everyone, then it'll just be easier to go straight to school without serving first.

BTW, starting Tricare Standard premiums is step one, just give it awhile and it will be the same as every other insurance premium.

U of Michigan uses only 7 months of credit per school year, which left her enough GI bill credit to cover a year of grad school after four undergrad years. They are (or were) an unlimited/ unlimited yellow ribbon school program (unlimited top-off of funds above what the GIB covers, for an unlimited number of veteran students per year), so those out of state what-if numbers are what he calculated the value of his own benefit to have been. Certainly that's an exception to the rule, and I didn't run his numbers through any analysis myself.

That is a good deal, I joined in '57, no G.I. bill of any kind till '66, by then I was slogging around in a 440.

I imagine back in '57 it would have been hard to spend $350K on a degree from a state university, even one that has trouble winning football games of late....

I don't think anything cost $350K in '57. If I remember correctly, a semester course was about $150. An hour in a Cub in '64 was $11.50. Beer was $.45. In real life you didn't need the G.I. bill.

As a retiree with Tricare select I thought we can't have an FSA, am I totally out to lunch on that one? I've got a child with ongoing medical costs in the neighborhood of $10k a year which I'm stuck paying out of pocket, it sure would be nice to use pretax money for those bills.

I’ll preface this by saying I really don’t know but....... I thought military retirees were not eligible for an HSA if using Tricare. I don’t know about an FSA. If I was you I’d probably call up and/or check the open enrollment page on DeltaNet to make sure you are right.

Denny

GI Transferrability has generally been a good thing.. What has annoyed me about it, is that by the time having kids was on the table, I couldn't transfer benefits. They won't let you add on "for future children' and since they allowed transfer for 6 years of service, I continuously have been within the "too close to High Year Tenure" to transfer.

Even if I promoted NOW (like POTUS walked into my unit right now, and said BOOM, you are a O5, I'm still within 6 years of mando retirement for Commander)

I think "I have earned 36 months of benefits, I should be able to use them however and for whoever I want"

I have friends who are dual mil, no kids, unable to have kids. But they can't use it to put their niece they raised through college.