Is Gi bill housing allowance in Manila higher than Subic?

valbayuga said:

Hello everyone.I am a US army veteran and I'm new to this forum. I'm seeking guidance in regards to using my GI BILL/post 911 education benefits as to where would it benefit me more financially. If I rather go to school in Manila or other places. I did a little research in va.gov website and I learned that OSA (overseas allowance )is greater in Manila than anywhere else in the country.

I am not sure if OSA pertains to active duty service members only or also applies to veterans.
I read two conflicting statements. One says I will get $1368 fix rate monthly which is the BAH when you enroll in school in Philippines and the other one is the OSA which I will get over $1100 for housing , over $600 for utilities and over $100 for security in moving in.

What is the difference between OSA and BAH? Which one applies to me as a veteran. Or will I get both....

My main objective is to go to school where the rate is the highest as far as the living allowance.

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valbayuga said:

Hello Gene and Viol

I took your advise and went ahead to see a Veteran officer at the RAO center which stands for Retired Activity Organization. I spoke with a retired navy who is the deputy director. He is as well attending college here in the Philippines so that really work out well with my intention coming down the office.
He walked me through the education system in the Philippines and most importantly the GI Bill. It does increase every year.
He said that it doesn't matter what place or school in the Philippines you will go or whatever rank that you retired. A captain or a private, you will get a flat rate of $1368 a month as you living expense here in the Philippines.
That info cleared up a lot of confusions on my part. Since I'm from Subic, I might as well pursue my degree here. Subic is a wonderful wonderful place by the way. If you will stay inside the former US naval base now called SBMA freeport zone is really nice. Almost all the convenience that you have back home you can buy here. Plenty of American products and food at reasonable prices.

I hope that my fellow veteran who's planning to use their GI Bill in the Philippines read this info that I gathered from our local RAO center.

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valbayuga said:

Hello Mr and Mrs Cintron,

I'm glad that you read my post. I will answer your concern as thorough as possible. First thing first, before you move here in the island, tell your husband to get his Certificate of Eligibilty. I don't want you to hassle when you get here and and have to make calls to VA education in the states just to send your COE. Just like I did, it's not fun. It took almost two months for mine to arrive in the mail in the Philippines so plan accordingly. My other suggestion is to register at the VA website online and select premium member, that way you can request for your COE online and able to print it. That also will take weeks but not as long. Awsome tool, I wish I would have known that before I hassled my self getting mine. Now, when you have your certificate of eligibility you will bring that to your desired school and ask to talk to a VA official. If the university will accomodate a US veteran, there is always an officiating VA representative who is knowledgeable with the process. And that is it! BUT CAN'T STRESS IT ENOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BRING THAT COE OTHERWISE THE SCHOOL WILL NOT ENTERTAIN YOU.

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valbayuga said:

Hello Gene Viol,

I apologize for the confusion. The Va.gov website is a great tool to view your benefits just like I do when I want to see my disabilty compensation if it get deposited to my bank or what not. The website also let you request for your discharge papers from the army DD214. And among other things that can help the veteran. But you have to register on the website first and it's for FREE. There are two option to register . A regular member and a premium membership. A premium membership allows you to request your certificate of eligibilty for your VA education benefits and print. For those who are regular members, they can upgrade to premium. Again FREE. Sorry for the confussion thou I didn't write that there is a fee to register nor I have stated that it's free.

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