VA Loan Updates

University of Colorado campuses are boosting efforts to recruit veterans and members of the military, helping them complete their education in the face of repeat deployments. Veterans, as well, are finding the universities well-equipped to help with mental health counseling, disabilities and financial aid, as those are standard services available to all students. The university, in turn, finds the military men and women to be mature students eager to learn. And, typically, the veterans come with $38,000 from the GI Bill to help pay the bills. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

Sam Weber attends morning classes at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. By noon he's usually asleep, but not for long. Four days a week he reports for work at an alarm company at 8 p.m. and puts in a 10-hour shift."I can study at work, which is a huge benefit," said Weber, 25, who is studying for a degree in business management. With costs of college skyrocketing, it's not unusual to find students juggling full-time jobs and course loads. But here's what's different about Weber: He's a U.S. Marine veteran and has served two tours in Iraq. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

Hard work was Harry W. Colmery's trademark. For most of his adult life, he juggled a busy law practice in Topeka and a national role as an advocate for veterans. He never retired from either; Colmery was still practicing law when he died at an American Legion convention in 1979 at age 89. His admirers - and they are many - are finding it necessary to follow his example. For 10 years, an effort has been under way to make Colmery a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

Over the past six years many high school and college students have enlisted in the military to gain educational benefits. For many, we wonder what those benefits are and who is eligible. We also wonder if there is a difference between enlisting on campus or with a recruiter. Many enlistees believe that the military will solve their financial and educational dilemmas. Service members are entitled to $4,500 a year in tuition assistance while enlisted and up to $50,000 in the Montgomery GI Bill funds after service, said Leroy Mikell III, a junior print journalism major from Columbia, S.C. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

WASHINGTON --- Rep. Bruce Braley said Wednesday that Congress will investigate an error that left thousands of Army National Guard soldiers without full educational benefits. A significant number of the approximately 640 soldiers of the Iowa Army National Guard 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry --- a unit that served nearly 22 months, 17 in Iraq --- are scheduled to receive educational benefits usually reserved for those who serve less time on active duty. The issue has received wide media attention, and politicians and military officials have vowed to fix the problem, including an Army official Braley recently spoke to. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

WASHINGTON -- Congressman John Kline attended a hearing of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee last week that included testimony from Minnesota National Guard Adjutant Gen. Larry Shellito. Shellito delivered testimony and answered questions regarding an unresolved administrative error denying more than 1,100 Minnesota soldiers full GI Bill education benefits they earned during their extended deployment to Iraq. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

Baltimore -- Staff Sgt. Terry Possehl, 28, works as a recruiter for the Army National Guard at the Dundalk Armory. A poster hangs in his office showing a tank and the words, "Higher Education Is In Range." Possehl, a graduate of Howard High School in Ellicott City, joined the military at 18, first as a Marine. Q What percentage of prospective recruits ask about joining because they want money for college? What percentage ask about going to Iraq? A About 35 to 40 percent of applicants ask about college as their first question. About half ask about whether they are going to Iraq. Q What benefits does the Guard offer for college? A We'll offer up to 100 percent of college tuition paid at any state school. There are a few ways that adds up. We offer a state tuition waiver of up to $4,000 per fiscal year. Federal tuition assistance then gives up to $7,500 per fiscal year. The Montgomery G.I. Bill then gives $292 a month for books and housing, and the G.I. Bill kicker offers another $350 a month if you meet certain criteria, like scoring a 50 or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. A perfect on the test is 99. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Defense leaders joined the Minnesota National Guard's adjutant general yesterday in urging Congress to revise the Montgomery GI Bill to improve coverage for reserve-component troops, although they didn't necessarily agree on the best way to accomplish that. Army Maj. Gen. Larry W. Shellito told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that the bill, as currently written, shortchanges National Guard and Reserve troops. He noted that nearly half the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, found they weren't eligible for full education benefits under the bill, despite being one of the longest-serving units in Iraq. The unit returned home from a 22-month mobilization that included 16 months in combat as part of the surge force in Iraq. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

Several key financial benefits enjoyed by service members on active duty, such as the ability to make penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans, are set to expire at the end of the year. Two House subcommittees met Wednesday to consider whether to make those benefits permanent and to set into law other tax-related measures, some of which would benefit military families who lose a service member in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (more...) Sphere: Related Content

Lawmakers are urging President Bush to ensure that education benefits are provided to the Minnesota National Guard, calling on him to issue an executive order if necessary to help members of one of the longest serving U.S. military units in Iraq. Upon returning from Iraq this year, nearly half of the soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division - known as the "Red Bulls" - discovered they weren't eligible for full education benefits under the GI Bill. For some, just one day of service prevented them from being eligible for the full package, although all were eligible for some money. (more...) Sphere: Related Content