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.

The GI Bill Facebook Community answers the questions on the minds of many college students beginning the fall semester: “When will I get paid?”

The answer to this question is based on two factors:

1. Has the VA received all the necessary paperwork?
2. Are you talking about tuition fees or your BAH?

Schools have to submit an enrollment certification to the VA in order for the VA to disperse monetary benefits. Comments suggest that some schools are having students hand this certification to the VA, but whether it is through a school official’s hands or you own hands, you need to make sure some channel of information is established between your university and the VA. The VA needs to know, from the university’s paperwork and not your word alone, that you are enrolled for the fall semester.

On Monday, Obama celebrated the Post 9/11 GI Bill, a new GI Bill dedicated to the veterans that fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is meant to be an investment in veterans, reserve, active duty, and the future of America.

The Obama administration expects $78 billion to be paid out over the Post 9/11 GI Bill over the next decade.

“We do this not just to meet our moral obligation to those who sacrificed greatly on our behalf, on behalf of the country,” quotes Obama at a celebration held at George Mason University. “We do it because these men and women must now be prepared to lead our nation in the peaceful pursuit of economic leadership in the 21st century.”

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs requested more compatibility with the U.S. Department of Defense. This was prompted by a necessity to provide better service to veterans. The secretary seeks for the paperwork for disabled soldiers to push through the system faster. This involves making VA’s VISTA system and the DoD’s AHLTA system more in-sync.

Retired General Eric K. Shinseki spoke to over 2,000 Army healthcare professionals at the Army Medical Symposium, located in San Antonio, Texas, on July 22. He was specifically addressing this issue.

Veterans are at the top of the nation when it comes to homelessness, depression, substance abuse and suicide. The VA and DoD recognize flaws in the system and seek to rectify these statistics. They claim it should not take 6 to 12 months to process a healthcare request.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill Facebook page has reached 1,000 fans with a week remaining before the Post 9/11 GI Bill goes into effect. If you or one of your dependents have applied for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the Facebook and Youtube dedicated to the new GI Bill have valuable information to help you move smoothly through the entire financial aid process. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affair’s site also has a wealth of information.

As the Post 9/11 GI Bill’s August 1st, 2009 launch date approaches, the Veterans Benefits GI Bill thought it would be beneficial to compile a list of useful resources pertaining to new GI Bill applicants. The following resources will help you better understand this military financial aid program:

The U.S. Department of Defense released a video that discusses the over 90,000 applications received for the Post 9/11 GI Bill:

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website has improved in the past month for the Post 9/11 GI Bill page. In addition to offering a vast amount of information concerning the Post 9/11 GI Bill, information about other educational benefit programs are included to help compare the benefits a military personnel should apply for. Several benefits are a “one or the other” package, such as selecting between the Post 9/11 GI Bill or the MGIB, so it is important to invest in this research before making a final decision on education benefits.

Several readers have expressed concern about their application for family transferability for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The U.S. Department of Defense has received an overwhelming amount of applications pertaining to the transferability option of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill offers lucrative financial aid benefits to active duty, reserve, and veterans. These benefits are meant to scale with the rising costs of tuition and offer more than the predecessor, the Montgomery GI Bill.
This does not mean, however, that your financial aid should stop at your Post 9-11 GI Bill!
Make sure [...]

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has a Facebook dedicated to active duty, reserve, and veterans interested in the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Become a fan and get updates in your Facebook on the latest news concerning the new GI Bill and other military financial aid!
Also, the VA has an official YouTube channel available.
Social media [...]