Yellow Ribbon Agreements Due by May 15

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has now released the program agreement that must be signed by institutions wishing to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program during the 2012-13 academic year.  The signed agreements are due no later than May 15, 2012.  Part of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Yellow Ribbon Program provides a dollar-for-dollar match of funds an institution provides to cover all or a portion of the difference between the institution's tuition and fees and the amount covered by the GI Bill. 

In a welcome change, the new agreement will remain in effect for future academic years unless either the VA or the institution requests modifications.  Previously, new agreements had to be submitted annually, and several colleges each year lost eligibility because they had assumed they needed to sign up only once.

In the future, participating institutions that want to withdraw from the program or modify their agreement could do so during an annual open season, March 15 to May 15.

The new Yellow Ribbon Program agreement form and updated "Frequently Asked Questions" are now posted on the VA website.  The site also includes a checklist and a cover letter that outlines the new schedule and provides instructions for submitting the signed agreement.

For more information, please contact:
Tim Powers