Per Diem for Grad Students...

[FlybyWired06]

Heard a rumor and looking for some clarity...

"People coming to P-cola from Graduate School to begin Flight Training have been hooked up with per diem that adds up to about $1000+ a month more in pay throughout their time in A-pool and on into API/Primary..."

Apparently kids out of Grad School (NPS, AFIT, etc.) are being cut orders that include a stipulation for per diem...Anybody know if this is true?

 

[BigIron]

where did the quote come from?

Sounds too good to be true to me.

 

[FlybyWired06]

where did the quote come from?

Sounds too good to be true to me.

...I'm just paraphrasing what a few of my friends who are currently in Primary have told me...yeah, the 'ol don't believe everything you hear saying may be true here, but is there anybody out there who's done the grad school to Flight School thing who can verify or expel this rumor?

 

[BigIron]

If their orders include API and follow on training as intermediate stops on their PCS orders, it is possible to receive per diem for that (maybe). However that still doesn't seem right as the ultimate duty station isn't known @ this point in their training unless they've pre-selected either Whiting or Corpus for primary.

Sounds like your friends may be paying BUPERS back interest free over the next 10 years.

 

[FlybyWired06]

If their orders include API and follow on training as intermediate stops on their PCS orders, it is possible to receive per diem for that (maybe). However that still doesn't seem right as the ultimate duty station isn't known @ this point in their training unless they've pre-selected either Whiting or Corpus for primary.

Sounds like your friends may be paying BUPERS back interest free over the next 10 years.

That's what I'm thinking...usually what sounds too good to be true IS...In any case, my friends were pretty adamant that they were getting per diem...I suppose they could have follow-on orders to either Whiting or Chorpus, but why would API be considered an intermediate stop?

 

[IrishNavy05]

I graduated AFIT in '06 and did not get per diem. Everyone from AFIT (and I believe NPS too) had follow-on orders to Whiting. Originally they were letting a couple guys out of their follow-on orders to Whiting and sending them to Corpus for primary. In that case, per diem was possible if you never signed a lease. But they stopped letting people out of the follow-on orders, so unless things have changed, no per diem...

The gist of it is this - if you head to Pensacola with follow-on orders, plan on staying and going to Whiting. If you want to roll the dice and try for Corpus, and possibly get per diem, you can not sign a lease and stay in a hotel....but chances are you won't get Corpus, and you'll be out a significant amount of money from your stay in the hotel.

Things could have changed in '07 though...anybody?

 

[Beans]

Well... I can't tell you for sure how it's going to work out, but I am one of those types. I have pcs orders to Whiting and am just starting API, which is listed as an intermediate stop on my orders. I have received both answers from PSD, actually. I called this summer and asked them what the deal would be, and was told I would get my old BAH until I finished out the PCS, but no per diem. Then when I checked in w/ PSD two weeks ago, they had me fill out a form for per diem. I asked twice (foolishly, perhaps?) if it was correct for me to receive it, but was told that if I could show different leases for during API and after API, I will receive per diem for the time here. I don't know how per diem works, though, so if anyone can clarify that, it would let me know how big of an API graduation party to throw.

 

[IrishNavy05]

l...was told that if I could show different leases for during API and after API, I will receive per diem for the time here. I don't know how per diem works, though, so if anyone can clarify that, it would let me know how big of an API graduation party to throw.

Now that I think about it, I can't remember if they said we could get per diem if we went to Whiting or not. I seem to remember them saying something about "If you don't sign a lease, you can get per diem for your time at API". I do know this though - If you sign a lease, you will not get per diem.

That being said, if they are insisting that you do get the per diem, get it in writing. As long as there is a paper trail showing that they are at fault, you will probably end up with the money. Might end up being a hassle, but plenty of people have stories where the Navy screwed up, tried to take their money back, but the individual ended up getting to keep the money because of the paper-trail. It's currently happening to my roommate for some undeserved separation pay

 

[Beans]

You know, I'm all cool w/ being paid and what-not, but maybe living in the northeast for so long has made me a little liberal. If the Navy screws it up and I've been paid undeserved funds, I wouldn't feel bad about not raising hell when they try to take it back. I'm not budgeting or betting on this money, so I can be happy with them paying for my college, paying my salary through grad school, and putting me through the best pilot training the world has to offer.

And if anyone's wondering, it's berry. The kool-aid I'm drinking is berry-flavored.

 

[FlybyWired06]

You know, I'm all cool w/ being paid and what-not, but maybe living in the northeast for so long has made me a little liberal. If the Navy screws it up and I've been paid undeserved funds, I wouldn't feel bad about not raising hell when they try to take it back. I'm not budgeting or betting on this money, so I can be happy with them paying for my college, paying my salary through grad school, and putting me through the best pilot training the world has to offer.

And if anyone's wondering, it's berry. The kool-aid I'm drinking is berry-flavored.

I agree with you for the most part, the Navy has done a great job providing me with the compensation my wife and I need to lead a decent life and still have a little left over for some good times...

None the less, it'd be nice to have even a little more for that furniture/car/retirement fund we want, but don't desperately need right now. In any case, it sounds like the whole per diem thing was either a run of "luck" on the part of the few guys I heard of that were being paid per diem OR they didn't have their names on a lease and it wasn't luck but just a pay policy on the part of the Navy. I really don't see how we could arrange a living place WITHOUT signing something, so no per diem for me....

 

[Ektar]

Alright folks hope this helps...

I just graduated from AFIT in 2007 and finished API at the end of September. The entire time I was in P-cola from the time I reported in until the time I graduated from API, I recieved per-diem. THere are stipulations though. Pay careful attention. To recieve it you must show a change of address. Meaning you need to live in P-cola for API and then move to Milton for Primary. PSD will want leases to prove this. i.e. a lease for your place in Pensacola and then a lease for your new place in Milton. It is legit, I made some nice $$$ while in Pensacola. At first it seemed a little to good to be true and I asked a few times just to make sure we weren't going to be screwed over, but low and behold it was very true.

Just a side note, the student section of PSD in Pensacola is a pain in the arse to deal with. So make sure you get your paperwork right and ask questions to avoid problems. I had a few and it took a bit to get them resolved because no one there seemed to be able to give me the information I needed.

If you have any questions send me a PM, I'll try to answer them.

 

[Beans]

:thumbdn_1
OK, now that I'm finishing up API, here's my update on the per diem situation:

I was told that I'd be eligible for per diem, but that I'd need a lease for API and a lease for Primary to prove it. I mistakenly dragged arse to get a lease addendum / work out a sub-lease with the TW6 studs I'm rooming with. Now as I'm trying to finalize things, the realty co (not working with the owner seems to be the big problem) is refusing to write me a retroactive lease that covers the time I lived here and will live here (thru next weekend), and they "don't allow subleases". I called over to PSD to see what else could suffice for proof of my residence here, and they said the only thing that would work would be a lease. Apparently with the new fiscal year they're tightening the screws on this deal, so you really have everything in line. So I'm pretty much out of luck. This amounts to approx 50 days * $101 = $5050 that I'll be missing out on. Bummer indeed. [There's a last-ditch effort in the works where we do a sublease directly through the (friendly with tenants) owner, or he puts pressure on the management co to write me the addendum.]

But there's a silver lining to my cloud! There's ALSO a food allowance of $49 (maybe $49.50) for the per diem, to which I am entitled, and I don't even have to show proof that I ate while I was here (I think they're making the assumption). I'll be filling out that form for sure on check-out day, and I'll let y'all know how that one works out.

To all aspiring per-diem grabbers: MAKE SURE YOU GET A LEASE FOR THE TIME YOU'RE HERE! No matter how short the term, make sure you have it worked out and in writing from day one. Your best bet is to sublet a room from someone who's renting directly from the owner, that way they can be flexible and will probably care when you say "wow, now I'm out several thousand dollars, thanks."

I'm glad that I stayed in some form of partial denial about this - I'm somewhat torn between thinking I got screwed and that it's a steal I failed to arrange properly.

 

[Pilot123]

I just finalized my per diem/travel claim this week and I'm getting about $8K for my time at NAS Penscola from 4JUL07 - 14SEP07. To qualify you need follow on orders to TW-5 and the correct ACC code on your orders (341 for API and 342 for Primary).

I worked quite a bit with the travel office on this since my packet that was sent over to them by the student section folks was incomplete/incorrect. They failed to include several documents that the travel office needed. I ended up having to go back to the student section myself to get what was needed. NOTE: The travel office does not like anything the student section makes a copy of. Evidently their copier is not very good (ie. spits out mostly white pages) and they still try to use them. I had my claim rejected the first two times because of this.

You can get up to $100/lodging and $40-something/day for food. You can also add in utilities, cable, phone, etc to count as part of the $100/day.
You just need to move because the place you lived at for API needs to be a temp residence and the place for primary a permentant residence. They wanted receipts for everything (utilities, rent, etc).

I hear from the guys that didn't have follow on orders that they get per diem from the time their new order were written (about two weeks before API grad) until they checked into their new TW. So not as much as those with the follow on orders, but still more than nothing.

PM me if you want more info.

 

[Beans]

Update on my problem: I might get it to work out ... apparently I talked to a complete moron at the realty/management office. I went there w/ the other two guys on the lease, and someone who knew what they were doing gave us the lease+lease addendum w/ all our names on it w/o a problem. Next stop: PSD at checkout-time.