G.I. BILL READY TO ROLL OUT

AMVETS watches closely as landmark education benefit takes effect

AMVETS, one of the nation’s largest and most-inclusive veterans’ organizations, participated in the July 31 conference call with the VA to discuss implementation of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The groundbreaking new education benefit is set to officially roll out tomorrow, with the first payments postmarked Monday, Aug. 3. AMVETS leaders will also be on hand with President Obama and Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) at George Mason University for the official roll-out of Chapter 33 on Monday.

“AMVETS is excited that this new benefit will finally become a reality, and I know that our troops serving overseas are looking forward to this tremendous educational opportunity when they return home,” said AMVETS National Commander John C. Hapner, who recently visited with troops in Iraq. “In generations past, the G.I. Bill molded our nation’s leaders, and I’m confident that the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill will do the same for our today’s warfighters.”

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is a landmark benefit that offers every veteran who has served since 9/11 the opportunity to earn a college degree free of charge at public colleges and universities across the country. The new benefit, Chapter 33, also offers veterans a living stipend based on the active duty E-5 housing allowance with dependents along with a significant stipend for books and supplies. Chapter 33 also allows career service members to transfer their benefits to dependents looking to earn a degree.

AMVETS played an integral role in drafting the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill with the nation’s other leading veterans’ service organizations, Sen. Webb, and a broad bipartisan coalition of legislators.

Since the new G.I. Bill was signed into law last summer by President Bush, AMVETS has continued to monitor the VA’s planned implementation and worked with veterans and their loved ones to inform them of their new benefits. The VA has hosted regular conference calls with veteran leaders to discuss the implementation process and self-established benchmarks of success. Keith Wilson, chief administrator of the new G.I. Bill for the Veterans Benefits Administration, has consistently assured the veterans community that all benchmarks have been met and that the new benefit should roll out seamlessly.

“We’re cautiously optimistic about the roll-out,” said AMVETS National Legislative Director Raymond Kelley. “While we’re certain that the VA has mechanisms in place to deliver payment, we have lingering concerns about the preparedness of the colleges and universities, some of whom are yet to deliver their final tuition figures to the VA.”

Earlier this week, AMVETS noticed that the VA’s tuition and fees chart was missing significant information from 14 states and territories, raising concerns over whether veterans in those locales would receive the correct payments on Aug. 3. VA assured AMVETS that the numbers will be updated as soon as figures are available, and that veterans would be paid at the 2008/2009 rates in the interim, with back pay delivered once the universities report their final figures.

In recent months, certain other inequities have been uncovered in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, such as the tuition and fees semantics in California and low tuition reimbursement figures for private universities in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. While AMVETS backed the VA in ensuring that the G.I. Bill successfully launched on Aug. 1, AMVETS will now shift its focus to ensuring that potential kinks in the benefit will be worked out, ensuring equitable compensation regardless of the schools veterans choose to attend.

Over the last year, VA has built a comprehensive new Web site exclusively for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, where veterans can learn about the new benefit and calculate what they will be eligible for.

On the VA Web site, veterans can compare the new Chapter 33 benefits to other versions of the G.I. Bill for which they may already be eligible. Veterans can also find accurate information on reimbursement for tuition, fees, and living stipend.

AMVETS leaders say that veterans should pay close attention to their eligibility status with all chapters of the G.I. Bill, and that some veterans may be best served to exhaust their old benefits before enrolling in Chapter 33.

If you have questions about the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, VA counselors are available at 1-800-GIBILL-1, and for the most up-to-date information on Chapter 33 visit:

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Post-911.htm