Student Veterans Can't Afford to Wait

Student Veterans Can't Afford to Wait
Posted by Terrell Frazier [1] on September 25 [2] 2009

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Check out this impassioned blog post, authored by IAVA spokespeople Don Gomez and Aubrey Arcangel in response to the delay of payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the colleges and universities attended by student veterans on the GI Bill:

The Veterans Administration must immediately address the breakdown of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Last year we celebrated the passing of a bill that should have removed long-standing barriers to veterans in the classroom. Today, a delay in processing applications and distributing payments to student veterans has allowed these barriers to remain intact, and veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan attempting to enroll continue to struggle under the weight of financial burdens.

As student veterans and leaders on our campus, we see first-hand how the delay is affecting our fellow students.  Instead of settling into a new environment and focusing on their studies, some student veterans are busy finding piecemeal solutions to their financial situation.  The current semester is just beginning, yet some student veterans experiencing their first taste of the VA are questioning whether going to college is worth it.

Brian Oesterle, a former infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division who served two tours in Iraq eagerly joined us at City College earlier this month.  Brian suffered multiple injuries during his two tours, including two ruptured discs in his spine, a moderate Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Brian tried to attend school in 2004, but could not afford it.  The enhanced benefits he would receive under the Post 9/11 GI Bill made the dream of finishing college seem within his reach.  Brian lives with his girlfriend who has been supporting his transition from the military to the civilian world.  She was just laid off, and because Brian has not received any GI Bill payments, he is now in a position where he may be forced to drop out to make ends meet.

With the introduction of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, we thought would finally have a benefit that recognizes the full cost of attending college and removes the financial barriers that kept so many veterans out of the class room. There were celebrations and high-fives inside and out of the veteran community.There were also warnings and concerns about implementing this new benefit.

Those warnings went unheeded, and we are now dealing with the consequences.

At the City College of New York, our Office of Veterans Affairs is struggling to patch up the holes left by the VA.  Students at City College who have not yet received their book stipend from the VA can receive their books without paying for them immediately. Unfortunately this means they have to buy them from our bookstore, where the prices are significantly higher than other venues, like online bookstores.

For those of us who have been using the old GI Bill, we are awkwardly trying to convince our new student veterans that these delays are the norm. We are used to these late payments, and have typically planned accordingly. Army veteran Joao Hwang, an International Studies student at City College struck a deal with his landlord, allowing him extra time to pay his rent because of delays in receiving his monthly disbursement. Other student veterans are watching the situation develop day-to-day, trying to figure out how long they can hold on before they have to drop out to pay the bills. We have made due with the system before, but the Post 9/11 GI Bill was supposed to change this.

It is unfortunate that the first impression of the VA for so many new student veterans will be marred by these delays.

We earned this benefit through our service and sacrifice to the nation.  Our wish is to attend school and earn an education so that we may continue to serve as productive and responsible citizens.  Our expectation is that the system work the way it was intended.  We should not be discouraged from attending college because our benefits are locked away behind a wall of bureaucracy.We should not have to find temporary solutions to issues that have already been solved by the introduction of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

We strongly urge the Veterans Administration to take immediate action to address this situation, and to make the necessary changes to ensure it does not happen again.

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