Military Apprenticeship?

I drive for Schneider and have been enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program for 8 months. During those 8 months, I have received 1 payment from the VA. According to the Schneider VA rep., the VA is way behind on payments to a whole bunch of other Schneider drivers as well. I suppose if you have the patience and don't need the money any time soon, then it's something to consider.

 

Mine started about three months after I applied. Of course this was a while ago. I do remember that dealing with the VA was a chore.

 

I've been with Schneider since Jan 28, 2013 and have been paid my VA Apprenticeship pay every month since. October's payment and Novembers payments have been slow due to the shutdown but October's was a week later and November's is going on 2 weeks now.

Under the post 9-11 GI Bill, depending on how many months of benefits you have from the VA, mine was 30 months due to me taking some University of Phoenix classes prior to starting with Schneider, you will get up to $1200 a month as a stipend. This is above and beyond what the VA will pay the school. The most I have received is $912 a month. It is based on the amount of hours you have on lines 3 and 4 of your logs. Once you do the paperwork, Schneider submits it and they have an individual in Green Bay that takes care of submitting your hours to the VA. My rep is Tara Lacount but she is on maternity leave so here is her replacements info Jen Wesoloski [email protected] 920-592-6082

 

Tara was my VA rep also,but I thought the other was Jen McDowell

 

I don't know Jen McDowell but I did get a response today from the Jen I listed above. I did get my Dec payment on time, I just missed it. But my Nov payment was late due to the shutdown

 

Same phone #, she musta got hitched up

 

True, didn't even think of that. lol

 

In regard to the military veteran apprenticeship program, there are a number of companies that offer this. Here are some but there are others as well.

1. J B Hunt $2952
2. Stevens $2529
3. Swift $2268
4. Werner $1932
5. Schneider $1647
6. Roehl $1302
7. UPS $2952
8. McLane $2976

The amount shown next to each company represents the amount of BAH you will receive during the program. Some companies such as Schneider offer a 12 month program whereas Swift and Roehl offer 24 month programs. Also, the amount is determined by the assigned zip code. Your benefits are also determined by how many months you have available. In other words, assuming you have not used any of your months (36 for Post 9-11), then you will be eligible for up to 24 months if the company offers it and you will have 12 months remaining for something else. To get an accurate estimate of how much you will receive, google G I Bill Comparison Tool and type in the company you are interested in and look for your city or closest location or you can call them 800-698-2411. The program will also pay for school to get your CDL and you will receive BAH while attending. You can type in the school name in The Comparison Tool and it will show you that as well. They pay the school directly and send you the BAH. This money is non taxable!!!
Just an FYI, the apprenticeship program is not just for the trucking industry, other industries offer it as well like CSX, Boeing, most police departments and welding certification center to name a few. Type any name in the Comparison Tool and it will tell you if they are an approved company.
If you use your Post 9-11 benefit, the amount of BAH decreases by 20% each six month period. The G I Bill Comparison Tool will show you that as well. Something to consider is whether you have a disability rating through the VA. If so, you can apply to the VR&E program and if approved, you will receive the same housing allowance through them and the 20 % decrease does not apply. In other words, whatever the rate is, you will receive it for the entire program. It's a better deal and If you use the VR&E program, then you can save your entire Post 9-11 benefits. For any questions, you can call the VA education number 888-442-4551.

I'm waiting for my VR&E approval so I can use their pot of money and save my remaining Post 9-11.

Hope that helps.

 

Schneider currently pays $1647 per month. They only offer a 12 month program whereas several companies offer 24 months which is a big difference in total amount received. Swift, Roehl, Melton, UPS, ATS are a few that offer a 24 month program.

 

I am retired and have been dealing with the VA for over 12 years. The VA has all kinds of issues and are a broken department. There are some terrific people that work for them but those placed in charge are the problem. Your issue is one of many that have remained for over 8 decades.