Quote:
Originally Posted by devildice
As a Vet myself, I have looked into the program.
He is what it boils down to.........a Vet hires on with Werner and gets the exact same wages as any entry level driver will.
The benefit to the Vet is that he/she can apply and draw off of their G.I. Bill over the first year. That equals to just under $10,000.00 that year in ADDITION to the pay the company gives them.
The only catch to the program is that you have to be employed by that company for the full year.
Now some will say why waste your G.I. in that manner?? It's very simple.....NOT EVERYONE has plans to further their education and therefore that benefit will be eventually be wasted in the long run.
Right now Werner advertises that they are the ONLY company to offer this to Vets and this is accurate as I have already checked with the Education Department of the Veterans Affairs.
But guess what..........they WILL NOT be able to make that claim for long as CFI is in the works of also doing this. I know this for a fact as it was I who turned them onto it. They have already had a meeting with the Department of Labor and the VA and are currently running the gauntlet of red tape to get the program up and running. Their hopes are to have it in place by the beginning of the year.
So no one is screwing over a Vet, on the contrary they are helping the Vet cash in on the G.I. Bill that may otherwise not be taken advantage of.
Word of advise to any Vets out there that might be thinking of this program. If you have no intention of ever furthering your own education, but you have children, check with the VA to see if your branch of service allows you to use your G.I. Bill for your dependents education. Unfortunately the Navy does not participate in it right now.
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Any company can do what Weerner is doing as long as they meet certain guidelines and apply to the SSA (state Approving Agency).
Basically, the company has to show that the Vet will be involved in an OJT or apprentice program. This means re-naming what they already do and maybe giving you a piece of paper at the end that ssays "you are now Certified."
Here's the one thing that is not well known.
The GI Bill benefits are designed to help you earn a standard wage through the first year. The VA understandds that when you first start training, you'll be at the lowest pay possible. Then you get additional pay every few months.
The GI Bill benefit will make up the difference.
So during the first six months you'll collect 100% of your benefit. (As an example, for me that would be $1075.)
But during the
next six months as my company pay increases, my GI Bill pay DECREASES . . . so I only get 65% of my benefit ($700). Then during the next six months if I continue collecting, it drops to 45% ($483).
So during the first year at Werner I would collect 6 X $1075 = $6450 and 6 X ((.65)$1075) = $4200 TOTAL = $10,600
Werner told me it would actually be "around $9600" so I'm not sure exactly how they figure it but as you see it will be around there.
Of course, the benefits are non-taxable.
I don't like that I'm only getting 65% . . . it's basically giving up two months worth, or around $2000. But if that doesn't bother you, it's not a bad deal.
By the way . . . I happen to have the Vietnam Era GI Bill which never expires. But a lot of younger guys have newer versions and your benefits
do expire.
So those of you who want to hold out for some use down the road . . . check your expiration date!