News & Media

College life can challenge veterans

As veterans transition from the structured, mission-driven culture of the military to the unstructured, sometimes frivolous atmosphere of college life,  they encounter many obstacles.  And schools are responding in various ways.  Among these include establishing veterans service offices and training college counselors to successfully aid veterans.  However, veterans’ largest impediment in adjusting to college life is moving beyond their reluctance to seek help, a trait embedded in military culture.

National roll call for fallen service members

Eastern Kentucky University’s Vetarans Affairs department is leading a nationwide effort to remember veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice. After a grass roots effort started at EKU, 183 campuses across the country are reading the names of more than 6,000 casualties of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedomon Veterans Day.

School honors veterans

Armed service veterans, their families and active duty military members were honored Friday during the SGA and Campus Veterans Association’s Veterans Day Observance Ceremony at the University of Alabama.

New Study Released on Veterans Day

When student veterans are supported by their colleges and universities, their grades, retention and graduation rates are higher than those of their peers, according to a study released Thursday.

The report, “Completing the Mission: A Pilot Study of Veteran Students’ Progress Toward Degree Attainment in the Post 9/11 Era,” examined a sample of 200 of the 6,400 student veterans studying at seven public institutions across the country during the 2010-11 academic year. Operation College Promise and the Pat Tillman Foundation jointly prepared the report.

UNC Veterans Day ceremony draws crowd

The University of North Carolina held a Veterans Day Ceremony outside of Memorial Hall from 11 to 12 am on Friday 11/11/2011. The keynote speaker was Captain Douglas Wright and the presentation included a presentation of the colors, playing of the national anthem, speech by Captain Douglas Wright, a moment of silence to remember our veterans at 11:11AM (the bell tower chimed 11 times in remembrance), a recognition of veterans in attendance of the ceremony, and a retirement of the colors.

Veterans Day Event

Over 40 Columbia University veterans registered to participate in the annual Veterans Day Parade on Friday. The School of General Studies sponsored a float, which carried the veterans through a crowd of over 25,000, for the third year.

Veterans Day Ceremony at Brown University

On Veterans Day at Brown University, roughly 150 community members gathered by their flagpole and marched throughout campus. Though the majority of campus bustled through its everyday routine, those that gathered for the ceremony came to demonstrate their appreciation for our nation’s servicemen and  women.

Supporters at Western Michigan University run to honor veterans

At Western Michigan University, light snow covered the ground as runners charted a three mile course to commemorate military veterans, prisoners of war, and those missing in action. The Veterans Day celebration, held by the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, started with a speech by Stephanie Boltrick, a graduate assistant for the office, and a salute to the national anthem. To her left, a student held the United States national flag as it moved with the morning’s brisk wind. The speech was followed by a three mile run around campus.

Retooling the GI Bill

On Wednesday, U.S. senators grappled with legislation that would attempt to simplify the often dizzying formula for calculating veterans benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. But proposed legislation to streamline the process could wind up reducing benefits for some of those attending private colleges, higher education leaders argue.

Federal Government Launches New and Improved National Resource Directory for Military and Veteran Communities

The U.S. Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs, as part of their continued commitment to our Nation’s Service Members, Veterans, and their families, launched  a new and improved National Resource Directory.  View Press Release

One Year of Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits Have Helped Hundreds of Thousands of Veterans

Today marked the one year anniversary of the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which has offered more than a quarter of a million veterans and their families the opportunity to attend college or training programs.

VA Still Battling Errors, Claims Backlog

Seeing the challenges VBA faces, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has made fighting inefficiency a top priority. Shinseki’s main target is a backlog of claims. As of June 8, a total of 186,777 claims — 35.8 percent of total pending claims — were still unprocessed after VBA’s new 125-day processing goal.

GI Bill Fix — For Some — Not All Vets

Senate Bill S. 3447 is purported to be a cure-all for veterans attending college under the numerous programs currently available. While this is largely true all Post 9/11 veterans and disabled veterans that qualify for Chapter 33, it leaves many others out in the cold.

Senator Proposes 6 Major GI Bill Fixes

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced S. 3447, a bill to improve the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits program. The bill includes six major changes that will be welcomed by veteran students, school officials, and veterans service organizations.

Akaka Unveils Plan for Big Changes to GI Bill

The chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has unveiled his plans for improving the Post-9/11 GI Bill, including one change certain to please active-duty members using the new education benefits program.

New GI Bill Fulfills Veterans’ College Dreams

The new Post-9/11 GI Bill, which took effect last summer, is sparking enrollment gains across the nation by making it easier for veterans to attend private schools, pursue graduate degrees and, for the first time, to send their children to college.

Troops Take Advantage of GI Bill Transferability

More than 100,000 requests from troops desiring to transfer their unused education benefits to family members have been approved under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

GI Bill’s Complexity a Problem

Veterans trying to get an education under the new GI Bill face delayed checks, erroneous payments and uncertainty about what their actual benefits are, officials told a congressional committee.

Amid New GI Bill Woes, VA Says Fix is Coming

As new problems surface with Post-9/11 GI Bill payments, Veterans Affairs Department officials told a Senate committee they are hoping for faster claims processing and more accurate payments by December, when they deploy a fully automated claims system.

More GI Bill ‘Glitches’ Cause Vets Pain

On April 3, the VA acknowledged that a recoupment glitch had “snagged a number of veterans accidentally,” taking larger amounts from their benefit payment than was expected and some veterans received no benefit for the month of March; leaving vets financially pinched -  again.

Trying To Build A Better G.I. Bill

Having missed its original deadline last summer to streamline claims processing for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, the Obama administration is trying to make good by launching new software April 1.

Vets Group Has Tips on GI Bill Repayments

Student Veterans of America is recommending that people who must give back their $3,000 GI Bill advances quickly assess their finances to determine the best way to repay the money.

VA Recouping GI Bill Pay Too Fast, Nye Says

A Virginia lawmaker says the Veterans Affairs Department is not giving student-veterans enough time to repay the $3,000 GI Bill advance payments given out last fall when VA was having problems processing claims.

New GI Bill Helpline to Be Fully Staffed

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with questions about the new Post-9/11 GI Bill will again be able to get help by phone five days a week starting Thursday.

VA More Smoothly Processing New GI Bill

The Veterans Affairs Department is more efficiently cutting checks for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to attend college this semester, following a rocky rollout last fall.

VA Wants Emergency GI Bill Payouts Back

The Veterans Affairs Department is seeking to recoup $3,000 emergency payments sent last year to about 80,000 people whose Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits were delayed.

Take Two for GI Bill

College officials who’ve followed the GI Bill closely say they are optimistic the process will be improved this semester, but there’s no shortage of concern about what some describe as systemic problems with the manner in which benefits are disbursed.

VA to Begin Recovery of Post-9/11 GI Bill Advance Payments

The Department of Veterans Affairs is beginning the process of recovering advance payments made available during the fall 2009 semester to Veterans and servicemembers who applied for education benefits.

Government Hopes to Stop GI Bill Claims Delays

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs asked University officials and students Wednesday for help with processing all spring semester Post-9/11 GI Bill claims for student veterans by February.

VA Slips Slightly in Deployment of GI Bill Claims System

The Veterans Affairs Department is on track to unveil in late March the first version of a system to automate processing of educational benefit claims under the post-9/11 GI Bill, but its software capabilities will be more limited than originally planned.

GI Bill Looks Better for Spring, VA Says

Veterans Affairs Department officials appear to have a good jump on processing spring semester claims for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

Delays Continue for Post-9/11 GI Bill Students

New data from the Veterans Affairs Department suggest further patience may be required of students and schools awaiting Post-9/11 GI Bill payments for the spring semester.

Verify Eligibility and Transfer Post Sept. 11 GI Bill Benefits Quicker

A new vMPF Transfer of Education Benefits processing application automates the required statement of understanding and provides Servicemen with current transfer eligibility and application information.

Veterans Wait for GI Bill Funding

Thousands of veterans who flocked to colleges and universities after their service in Iraq and Afghanistan are waiting for their GI Bill benefits, but the number of vets awaiting payment is declining.

Vets Wait for GI Bill Payments

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.

Navy Establishes GI Bill Transferability for Limited Duty Sailors

The Navy established formal policy for transferability of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for limited duty (LIMDU) Sailors.

Transfer of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Benefits Easier with New Virtual Application

Air Force introduces virtual module to ease GI Bill transferability.

Bills Would Add Job Help to Post-9/11 GI Bill

Key elements of the Post-9/11 GI Bill could be modified by Congress to create benefits to help veterans find jobs.

Student Veterans

On Veteran’s Day, three Columbia University students discuss what it’s like going back to school after returning home from war.

Smoothing the Road from Soldier to Student

Colleges and universities are working hard to help the increasing number of veterans on campus transition from soldier to student.

How the GI Bill Changed the Economy

The first GI Bill not only changed how Americans go to school, it transformed the economy.

Vets Get Emergency G.I. Bill Benefits

Some student veterans have received emergency checks from the Department of Veterans Affairs the first day the aid became available for students across the country who have yet to receive tuition, books and housing payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Opinion: Higher Education Important to Our State and to You

In 2008, individuals with undergraduate degrees had a median income of $19,000 more than those with a high school diploma.

New GI Bill to Heighten Professional Work Force

More college-educated professionals will enter the next generation’s professional work force as a result of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Editorial: Revising GI Bill to Include More Veterans is Appropriate

The GI Bill was a major force in creating what we know today as the middle class.

New GI Bill: Long-Term Investment in Veterans

This year, the country came together to fully invest in the future of our heroes.

GI Bill Math

Potential users of the new GI Bill, which goes into effect in August, have a number of questions about its benefits.

New GI Bill Could Open Education Doors for More Vets

The new law, which could more than double the amount covered by the current GI Bill, could open college doors to thousands of veterans.

A Tale of Two GI Bills

The Post-9/11 GI Bill marks a major investment in veterans’ educational benefits.

Gauging the New GI Bill

The higher education community is excited about the new GI Bill, but many are curious how it will affect veterans’ educational choices.