E D U C A T I O N A N D I N C E N T I V E S N E W S L E T T E R

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1 S U M M E R I S S U E Q U A R T E R 3, F Y 1 8 E D U C A T I O N A N D I N C E N T I V E S N E W S L E T T E R S E C T I O N S T A F F M R. F A L N E S S E D U C A T I O N S E R V I C E S O F F I C E R ( E S O ) S F C F O X I N C E N T I V E S N C O I C T E A M A N N O U N C E M E N T S : Our GI Bill manager Mr. Eric Rasmussen is being deployed. His last day in the office will be 7Jun18. Let s all wish Eric a safe and successful deployment! Follow us on Facebook: I N T H I S I S S U E : S F C A N T H O N Y E D U C A T I O N N C O I C M R. R A S M U S S E N G I B I L L M A N A G E R M S. M A N K E F T A M A N A G E R M S. L A U R I E L I L L I S T R M A N A G E R M S. E M I L Y W E I S S S T A T E I N C E N T I V E S M A N A G E R Page 2 Reenlistment Incentives Page 3 State Medic Recertification Bonus Page 4 State Medic Recertification Bonus (cont) Page 5 GI Bill Kicker Page 6 Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) Page 7 State Tuition Reimbursement (STR) Page 8 Joint Service Transcript (JST) Page 9 Troops To Teachers (TTT) If you have any questions about your education benefits contact our office at: ng.mn.mnarng.mbx.assets-education@mail.mil

2 Page 2 R E E N L I S T M E N T I N C E N T I VES THE FEDERAL REENLISTMENT BONUS HAS BEEN INCREASED!! $20, for a 6 year obligation!! See this and other retention incentive opportunities below. Criteria State Reclassification Bonus Federal Reenlistment Bonus Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) Position Requirement Same grade or one down as position In a valid reclass vacancy DMOSQ as a primary position holder In an MTOE, Cyber or Medical TDA unit DMOSQ as a primary position holder In an MTOE or Medical TDA unit Rank Requirements Time in Service (TIS) Incentive Amount E4 E7 E3-E7 E7 or below 16 or less years Less than 13 years Less than 16 years on contract start date at time of contracting 2yr : $4,000 $10,000 6 yr: $20,000 6 yr: Up to $50,000 Incentive Payments Lump sum upon Becoming DMOSQ 2 yr: Lump Sum at contract Start 6 yr: 50% at contract start and 50% at year 4 anniversary date Annual payment 15% or $500, whichever is greater Yearly max $7,500

3 Page 3 M E D I C R E C E R T I F I C A T I O N B O N U S If you are a medic who recertified with the NREMT this year but haven t applied for your Medic Bonus, you will miss out on $1000! The Medic Bonus Addendum and a copy of the NREMT card must be signed and turned in to your unit admin for upload to the database NLT 30 June the year that you renew your NREMT certification. W H O Q U A L I F I E S F O R T H E M E D I C B O N U S? The Medic Recertification Bonus is authorized for current members of the Minnesota National Guard who: Have successfully completed basic training (BT) or basic military training (BMT) Have successfully completed medic MOS- or AFSC-producing advanced training Are serving satisfactorily (no AWOLS, no more than 4 excused absences, not flagged, passing APFT and HT/WT) Are currently serving in a duty position that requires EMT or higher certification (secondary MOS and civilian positions do not qualify for the Medic Recertification Bonus. ) Have a current NREMT Card (EMT or higher) Agree to serve for a period of two years starting the day after NREMT recertification. Must reenlist if this requirement is not met. Airmen in the AFSCs 4N0X1/X4N0X1 may qualify for this bonus. I T I S A S S I M P L E A S :

4 Page 4 M E D I C B O N U S T I M E L I N E : H O W T O A P P L Y F O R T H E M E D I C B O N U S : To receive your payment, you must first submit the appropriate documents to your unit to prove eligibility. Annex C-1 Medic Recertification Bonus Form NREMT card with EMT or higher level certification Annex D-1 with W-9 You must extend to your NREMT expiration date The Initial payment of $500 will be paid one year after NREMT recertification date. The subsequent payment of $500 will be paid two years after NREMT recertification date. The Medic Bonus requires medics to have enough time remaining on their contract to meet their NREMT expiration date. This means you may have to extend. Medics whose NREMT cards expire in 2018 must complete the Medic Bonus paperwork no later than June 30th of If you pass this date without submitting the correct paperwork to your unit, you will not be eligible for payment. Payments will be processed on March 31st of 2019 and If you pass June 30th of your recertification year without submitting paperwork, you will not be eligible for payment. F I N A L T H O U G H T S O N T H E M E D I C B O N U S Remember as a medic it is your responsibility to maintain your civilian NREMT certification and to do the work required to recertify it. Many units cannot provide medics with all the CEU hours required by the NREMT, due to time or money constraints. The Medic Recertification Bonus program is an excel- lent way assist medics who were paying out of pocket to complete CEUs. The entire Medic Recertification Bonus program was established to reward you for keeping your NREMT up to date. Remember to file your bonus every year you recertify and remind other medics you know to do so as well.,,

5 Page 5 Reenlistment Kickers Who qualifies? Soldiers with no previous kicker contracts who have completed at least 3 years of their original service obligation, not currently in the MMA and DMOSQ in the grade of E7 or lower. There are no ASVAB score requirements to qualify for the reenlistment kicker. How much can I get? Reenlistment kickers are currently contracted at the $200 per month rate. How do I sign up? Your unit administrator or retention NCO can verify your eligibility for the reenlistment kicker. You may have to complete an extension to give you at least 6 years of service from the contract signature date to become eligible for this program. Once those criteria are met, you may sign for the kicker. (Kickers may now be issued with other incentive programs.) G I B I L L K I C K E R S What s a Kicker? The GI Bill Kicker is an incentive program which offers additional money on top of your monthly GI Bill payment. The Kickers can range from an extra $200-$350 per month based on the type of contract signed. Soldiers are eligible to sign for a Kicker upon enlistment, reenlistment and entry into an officer commissioning program. The program requires a 6 year commitment and eligibility for Chapter 1606 or 30 GI Bill. Kickers are payable for up to 36 months and payments terminate upon separation from the service. Officer Commissioning Program Kickers Who qualifies? Soldiers are eligible to contract for kickers upon entering an officer commissioning program (ROTC, WOCS, OCS) Kickers can no longer be contracted after accepting a commission. How much can I get? Reenlistment Kickers are currently contracting at the $350 per month rate. Soldiers with previous $200 Kickers can increase to the $350 rate upon entering a commissioning program provided they contact our office directly for guidance.. How do I sign up? ROTC SMP Cadets will work with their unit administrator to complete the kicker contract, SMP agreement, and sign an extension if required. WOCs and OCs will work with their commissioning program staff to sign the NGB 5435 and extend if required to meet the 6yr obligation.

6 Page 6 F E D E R A L T U I T I O N A S S I S T A N C E ( F T A ) The 60 day window for applying for Fall term is opening soon- Don t delay! You MUST apply at least 5 days PRIOR to the course start date; may apply up to 60 days prior Applying for FTA is a multi-step process of requests and approvals-if you are a new user, you should start setting up your account now. Apply through GoArmyEd: and click on New User to begin Available to currently serving Army National Guard Soldiers Soldiers become eligible after completing one-year of service after AIT/BOLC Pays tuition costs up to $250 per semester hour, up to 16 semester hours per military fiscal year (1 OCT 30 SEP) Soldiers are required to apply for Federal TA BEFORE they can use STR Must complete Course Planner after the completion of 6 semester hour credits S T A T E T U I T I O N R E I M B U R S E M E N T ( S T R ) Soldiers MUST apply for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) BEFORE they are eligible to apply for State Tuition Reimbursement (STR) You MUST apply for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) in GoArmyEd.com BEFORE you are eligible to apply for State Tuition Reimbursement (STR). In some cases there are exceptions. If you are not required to apply for FTA, you must clearly state the reason for the exception in the Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) portion on the payment request form, "not eligible" is not specific enough-please state exactly why you were not eligible or not required to use FTA. STR OLICY CHANGES eff 1Jul18: 1. SM MUST have a passing and current APFT/HTWT/fitness test for the entire semester to be eligible for STR. 2. STR will not fund a degree equal to or less than SM s current degree level. IE: If a Service member has a Master's degree, STR will not fund another Master's degree or anything lower. 3. Officers MUST use FTA (if eligible) before being approved for STR.

7 S T A T E T U I T I O N R E I M B U R S E M E N T ( S T R ) C O N T I N U E D Page 7 4. GRADUATE STR rate is reduced from 100% to 50% of University of Minnesota's graduate rate (example using current amount: from $1,394 to $697 per credit) 5. Suspend STR for doctorate and graduate professional degrees. If a Soldier or Airman used STR for Spring 2018 or Summer 2018 semester, they will be grandfathered in and be eligible to continue to use STR for two additional years at the 50% rate of the University of Minnesota's graduate rate ($697 per credit). Following the tips below will get you your payment as quick as possible: 1. Check with your unit to make sure that we have your current banking information on file. If not, complete a State EFT Form (Annex D-1) with your unit admin ASAP. 2. You must submit the following forms and supporting documents to the unit no later than 90 days from the last official day of the course/term: a. STR Payment Request Form. b. Grade Report. Reports downloaded from the Internet are acceptable. c. Final fee statement provided by your school which clearly shows the amount of tuition charged. Things to Remember: STR payments are made via direct deposit using MN State Direct Deposit Authorization for EFT (Annex D-1)-this is different from your My Pay direct deposform. The Education Service Officer (ESO) only requires the Direct Deposit & W-9 form for the initial STR submission. A new form is only necessary if there are changes in your bank or bank account information. Maximum yearly STR benefit is $17,000 per fiscal year for undergraduate coursework or $18,000 per fiscal year for graduate coursework (1Jul18 through 30Jun19). You will only receive reimbursement for grades of a "C" or better for undergraduate coursework or a "B" or better for graduate coursework. it

8 Page 8 J O I N T S E R V I C E S T R A N S C R I P T S The Joint Services Transcript, or JST, provides a description of military schooling in civilian language. The JST is an academically accepted document approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) to validate a service member's military occupational experience and training along with the corresponding ACE college credit recommendations. How does this help you, the student Soldier? It can help you save time and money by awarding academic credit! All enlisted, officers and warrant officers, both active and veterans from all Army components, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy are eligible for a JST. Note that JST receives its data from underlying Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy personnel systems. Air Force personnel should contact CCAF to receive transcripts (URL: Once you have logged into the JST website, click on the link at the top that says "Transcripts". From there, you can view your transcript by using the "Transcript" link. The transcript contains sections for Military Course Completions, Military Experience and College Level Test Scores. You can print or save the transcript for your records. To send a copy to a school, you will click the "Transcript" link at the top of the page and then on the "Transcripts menu" you will click the "Official Transcript Request. On the next page, search for the school and select the institution from the list. Select the correct institution (verifying spelling and location are correct) in the search results. On the next page, acknowledge the consent statement and click "Yes". There is no cost to send a copy to your selected school(s). Notes: Army and National Guard transcripts can only be ordered and delivered online.

9 Page 9 A R E Y O U I N T E R E S T E D IN T E A C H I N G? Purpose of TTT: Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Department of Defense program which provides military personnel the resources they need to make the transition from military service to service as a public school teacher. Aspiring teachers can access information, advice, and financial aid from experts in the field to help them get into the classroom. How TTT Can Help our Service Members and Veterans: Teacher licensure/certification advising and information Teacher preparation programs advising Assistance in identifying job vacancies Financial Aid: Those who meet certain education, military service and application requirements may also be eligible for TTT financial assistance of up to 10K to support their transition to the classroom. Application: Online application: Regional Coordinator: If you are interested, please contact the below POC for further guidance. Dr. Charles Rick at or crick.ttt@gmail.com