Veterans Benefits GI Bill

The backlog for the Post 9/11 GI Bill continues to plague veterans, reserve and active duty that are now several weeks into school. In an effort to process the long-due education benefits of military students, the Department of Veteran Affairs has authorized up to $3,000 per student that has not yet received their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, translating into millions of dollars in emergency funds. The $3,000 is also available to military students that have applied for different military financial aid programs for school and have still not received funds.

There is an estimate 75,000 veterans, reserve, and active duty eligible for the emergency funds, including 25,000 that have served since September 11. Statistics also show, however, that over 27,5000 military students have already received benefits for housing or books under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and hundreds of thousands more have received benefits under its other available programs.

In a statement to CNN, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said that this is “an extraordinary action we’re taking,” a process that is prompted by the necessity to recognize the hardships of military students.

For future and current Post 9/11 GI Bill applicants, the Army of Dude blog has answers to questions you might not find on the VA’s website. Dude’s answers come from his own experience with the Post 9/11 GI Bill, interaction with other applicants, and from interviews from friendlier representatives at the government agencies. As he [...]

Readers of the Veterans Benefits GI Bill blog know that the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Chapter 33, has been the center-point of many military students that are heading off to college and career schools. The benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill were scheduled to disperse on August 1st for the Fall 2009-2010 semester, but as per a standard many active duty, reserve, and veterans have gotten used to from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the system is falling through.

Army of Dude discusses the personal experience of faithfully supporting the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the unfortunate results as of this September:

Your military career is supported by thirteen plus years of education. The knowledge from K-12 and beyond is taken into the workforce and heightened by those popular educational degrees you hear about like “bachelor degree,” “master degree,” and “doctoral degree.” You may work with technological or sensitive equipment that requires you to go to “career training,” “job training,” or “vocational training.” In the military, your lifelong learning is endless.

Some people look at this with despair. So many years of learning and school, and you just want out! But lifelong learning could be more beneficial than you think.