washingtonscene
numbers once the new contractor has difference between the cost of attending
fully assumed operations. a public college and the participating pri-
vate school. The VA matches the amount
New GI Bill
pledged by the school.
Veterans who withdraw from college
Takes Off
might have to pay back some or all of
their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefi ts, depend-
Program went live Aug. 1.
ing on the circumstances involved. The
VA will use existing procedures to make
recoupment determinations.
I
n July, VA Undersecretary for Benefi ts MOAA recommends servicemembers
Patrick Dunne and Education Service who are entitled to Montgomery GI Bill
Director Keith Wilson outlined their (MGIB) benefi ts carefully review their
ongoing efforts to ensure a successful roll- situation before making an irrevocable
out of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Aug. 1. election for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
As this article was being written, the For example, an MGIB participant who
VA was on track to issue the fi rst checks has used up a portion of MGIB entitle-
for student-veterans and active duty par- ment might be better off sticking with
ticipants Monday, Aug. 3. that program and then converting to the
Demand for VA certifi cates of eligibil- Post-9/11 GI Bill after exhausting MGIB
ity has been heavy. As of early July, 98,000 benefi ts. “Dual-eligibility” rules limit total
applicants had submitted online applica- entitlement to 48 months of benefi ts. But
tions. The VA has issued 65,000 certifi - MGIB participants lose their remaining
cates and reports no problems resolving MGIB entitlement if they make an elec-
any application discrepancies. tion for the new program.
Also as of July, colleges and universities
had been asked to submit student enroll-
ment certifi cations to assure the VA that Service Chiefs
veterans had been approved to take col-
lege coursework this coming semester on Talk Family
their campuses.
Panel discusses education,
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VA
reimburses colleges directly for tuition
mental health, and suicide
and fees for a full semester’s coursework
prevention.
based on the highest in-state public col-
lege or university costs. The VA pays
student-veterans a monthly housing
stipend set at the DoD housing rate for M
ilitary service chiefs show-
cased their personal commitment
to supporting military families by
an E-5 with dependents at the school’s jointly participating on a panel at the Mili-
ZIP code, plus an annual book stipend of tary Child Education Coalition meeting in
$1,000 for full-time study. Full-time dis- Philadelphia July 16.
tance (online) students are ineligible for In a frank discussion before more than
the housing stipend. 1,000 educators, school administrators,
The VA has accepted more than 3,400 family-support leaders, school liaisons,
agreements from private colleges and uni- and military spouses, the panelists cited
versities and some public colleges under challenges of inconsistent educational op-
the Yellow Ribbon program. Yellow Rib- portunities and uneven school transitions
bon schools agree to cover up to half the caused by the mobile lifestyle.
42 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2009
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