Nervous vets wait for tardy GI Bill checks

[unhappycamper]

Nervous vets wait for tardy GI Bill checks
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 22, 2009 16:03:32 EST

WASHINGTON — Universities and colleges are still waiting for tuition payments for thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who attended school last fall under the new GI Bill, leaving the veterans panicked that they’ll be unable to return to class in January.

Veterans Affairs Department officials promise to get them back into the classroom. The VA says the number of veterans with claims unprocessed is now fewer than 5,000 — down from tens of thousands — and the goal is to have them all processed by the end of the year.

“We continue to work on a daily basis with schools to make sure that no student is denied attending class as a result of delayed tuition payments,” Katie Roberts, a VA spokeswoman, said Tuesday. “It’s a top priority for VA to make sure that students can focus on their studies rather than their bank accounts.”

But after being besieged by delays and financial hardship last semester that left them struggling to make rent payments and pay for textbooks, many veterans are frantically contacting veterans service organizations such as the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for guidance.

Clay Hunt, a former Marine corporal who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, attends Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He said he and his wife have racked up about $4,000 in credit card debt because his university won’t release student loans he needs for living expenses until tuition is fully paid. Hunt, 27, said that under the GI Bill the school is still owed about $6,000 and he personally is owed about $1,700 for housing and books.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_gibill_payments_vets_122209/



unhappycamper comment: The Department of War is too busy buying more war toys and tells the veterans "Fuck you."

[C_Lawyer09]

1. Bureaucratic BS

I read today in my local paper that enrollement in the program takes place using four different computer systems, go figure! Most admissions reps I've spoken to, know less about the differences between the Montgomery G.I. bill, and Post 9/11. I've got a few buddies that have been waiting on funds for 5-6 months. The good thing is, General Shinseki, unlike his predecessor knows there is a problem, and is pro-actively trying to square the shit away.