Veterans Benefits GI Bill

The U.S. Department of Education sponsors a free-to-the-veteran education program to assist low-income, disabled, and first-generation college bound veterans which is designed to help them “knock the rust off of their academic skills” and then enroll in the school of their choice. There are approximately 46 such Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) programs located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The best way to find out if there is a VUB program in a specific city or state is to go to the National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Project Personnel website.

The National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Project Personnel (NAVUBPP) is the professional association for Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) staff personnel. Veterans Upward Bound projects, supported by NAVUBPP, are designed to help develop the personal potential of military veterans. The VUB staff and instructors assist veterans by improving, developing upon, and extending the educational access of opportunities that veterans are eligible for. This is determined through academic needs assessment, instruction, enrichment, and other academic support activities.

The 3rd Annual Guide to Military Friendly Colleges and Universities is now available to view. This guide includes colleges and universities gathered together from the editors of the KMI Media Group that provide military-friendly benefits, programs, and support. This uniform, pertitent information should help prospective students select a school to begin or continue their advanced education. Some of the schools in the guide offer a broad range of educational choices; others are highly specialized.

The Council of College and Military Educators, of CCME, is anon-profit organization founded over three decades ago to help deliver quality educational opportunities to service members and their families; their services extend out to veterans, reserve, active duty members, and any and all branches of armed services. Their members include military educators, civilian educators, post-secondary educational institutions, and suppliers of military-friendly educational services.

Students looking for a college or university for their Post 9/11 GI Bill, MGIB, or other military benefits may rely on schools that are members of the CCME for quality military education. Take Hawai’i Pacific University, for example; CCME recently selected Hawai’i Pacific University for the 2010 Institution Award for the significant contributions made to the cause of voluntary off-duty military education programs.

Yesterday, the VA processed 8,716 Post 9/11 GI Bill applications and 8,220 applications to other military benefit programs. This is a jump from the amount being processed weekly just a couple months ago. In addition, they have closed the call centers on Thursdays and Fridays to open up staff to process the applications faster. While this is not the most optimal situation, already improvements are being shown for the Post 9/11 GI Bill in 2010.