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Military Benefits/GI Bill/ROTC

Retooling the GI Bill Inside Higher Ed July 22, 2010 Gathered at a hearing here Wednesday, U.S. senators grappled with legislation that would attempt to simplify the often dizzying formula for calculating veterans benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. But proposed legislation to simplify the process could wind up reducing benefits for some of those attending private colleges, higher education leaders argue.  The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities also urged lawmakers to tread carefully in developing a new benefits formula.

GI Bill stipend make-up checks coming in Aug. Army Times July 21, 2010 Underpayments of living stipends to 153,000 veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill will be corrected in August when the Veterans Affairs Department issues one-time catch-up checks to anyone who has received the stipend since Jan. 1. The checks represent a fix to a problem caused when VA did not update living stipends in January after military housing allowances, on which the stipends are based, increased.

Post-9/11 GI Bill Updates NAICU Washington Update July 9, 2010 The Department of Veterans Affairs has now finalized Yellow Ribbon agreements for 2010-11, with over 1,100 institutions participating in the program.  Due to the popularity of the program the VA has extended the agreement deadline until July 23.  Also, the VA also has issued detailed information on using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for study-abroad programs.

Coming soon to a college near you: Vets centers Stars & Stripes Blog July 2, 2010 A $6 million pilot program funding veterans centers on college campuses could be the first step in correcting dismal graduation rates among former servicemembers.  This week, the Department of Education announced a pilot program to fund 19 campus veterans centers, offering assistance with GI Bill payments, VA health services, and combat-to-college transitions. The pilot, approved by Congress last year, will fund the offices for at least three years.

Webb marks one year of Post-9/11 GI Bill Augusta, Va., Free Press June 30, 2010 Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. marked on Wednesday the one-year anniversary of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.  After introducing the bill on his first day in office, Sen. Webb successfully spearheaded the greatest expansion of veterans benefits in the past 25 years.  Signed into law on June 30, 2008 and implemented one year ago, the bill offers returning service members up to 36 months of benefits including payment of tuition, room and board, fees and educational costs plus a $1,000 a month stipend while enrolled in full-time training.

Government Clarifies Rules on GI Bill Payments for Study Abroad Chronicle of Higher Education June 23, 2010 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has issued a worksheet  explaining when benefits under the new GI Bill can be used for overseas study. The guidance states that GI Bill funds can be used to pay for study abroad only if it is a mandatory part of a student's academic program and that the benefits cannot be used to pay third-party study-abroad providers, among other rules.

Veterans Use New GI Bill Largely at For-Profit and 2-Year Colleges Chronicle of Higher Education June 13, 2010 For-profit colleges and community colleges were the most popular choices of students who used benefits from the Post-9/11 GI Bill this past academic year, the first in which the aid was available. The attendance patterns were largely similar to those of students who recently used aid under the previous version of the GI Bill.

Post-9/11 GI Bill Improvements Process Begins NAICU Washington Update June 3, 2010 The first year under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill has enabled hundreds of thousands of military-related students to go to the college of their choice with little or no debt. But complex rules have been a nightmare for colleges, veterans, and the Department of Veterans Affairs alike.  Now the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has introduced discussion legislation to start what he describes as a process of reform and amendment.

Akaka unveils plan for big changes to GI Bill Army Times June 1, 2010 The chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee has unveiled his plans for improving the Post-9/11 GI Bill, including one change certain to please active-duty members using the new education benefits program. Under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 active-duty users of the new GI Bill would be eligible for a $1,000-a-year book allowance currently paid to veterans but denied to active-duty service members and their spouses.  The measure was introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, one of the few lawmakers who received his college degree using veterans benefits.

New GI BIll fulfills veterans' college dreams St. Louis, Mo., Post-Dispatch May 16, 2010 Nationwide, participation in veterans education programs has spiked by more than 140,000 in the last year as the new GI Bill joins the existing Montgomery GI Bill. And area colleges and universities are eager to see what enrollment looks like this fall, as more veterans return home to a better understanding of what the bill means.

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