Many of us are still learning the implications of the changes that came with the Hard Form as it changed a number of things as you mentioned. Although still unsure, I believe that the portion of the voting value that goes back to the Rewards Pool before 15 minutes is the curation piece which used to go only to the Author. So 75% still goes to the author while 25% will go back to the rewards pool. At least that is how I understood it. However, I now try to always vote around the 15 minute mark.