Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has authorized checks for up to $3,000 to be given to students who have applied for educational benefits and who have not yet received their government payment. The checks will be distributed to eligible students at VA regional benefits offices across the country starting Oct. 2, 2009.
“Students should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties,” Secretary Shinseki said. “Education creates life-expanding opportunities for our Veterans.”
Starting Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, students can go to one of VA’s 57 regional benefit offices with a photo ID and a course schedule to request advance payment of their education benefits. Because not all these offices are located near students, VA expects to send representatives to schools with large Veteran-student bodies and work with Veteran Service Organizations to help students with transportation needs.
“I’m asking our people to get out their road maps and determine how we can reach the largest number of college students who can’t reach us,” VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits Patrick Dunne said. “Not everyone has a car. Not everyone can walk to a VA benefits office.”
Although VA does not know how many students will request emergency funds, it has approximately 25,000 claims pending that may result in payments to students.
The funds VA will give to students now are advance payments of the earned benefits for education benefits. This money will be deducted from future education payments.
VA officials said students should know that after this special payment, they can expect to receive education payments on the normal schedule — the beginning of the month following the period for which they are reimbursed.
“This is an extraordinary action we’re taking,” said Shinseki. “But it’s necessary because we recognize the hardships some of our Veterans face.”
More than 27,500 students have already received benefits for housing or books under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, or their schools received their tuition payments.
According to the Army, there are five dimensions of strenth:
* Physical – Performing and excelling in physical activities that require aerobic fitness, endurance, strength, healthy body composition and flexibility derived through exercise, nutrition and training.
* Emotional – Approaching life’s challenges in a positive, optimistic way by demonstrating self control, stamina and good character with your choices and actions.
* Social – Developing and maintaining trusted, valued relationships and friendships that are personally fulfilling and foster good communication including a comfortable exchange of ideas, views, and experiences.
* Family – Being part of a family unit that is safe, supportive and loving, and provides the resources needed for all members to live in a healthy and secure environment.
* Spiritual – Strengthening a set of beliefs, principles or values that sustain a person beyond family, institutional, and societal sources of strength.
About a year ago, the Army established the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. Subordinate to the Army G-3/5/7, the mission is to “develop and institute a holistic fitness program for Soldiers, families, and Army civilians in order to enhance performance and build resilience” in order to “build confidence to lead, courage to stand up for one’s beliefs and compassion to help others. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness is about maximizing one’s potential.”
The Army is aggressively attacking the stigma associated with mental health issues and recently introduced “resiliency training.” We spoke briefly about that on our show last week.
Recently, Brigadier General Wanda Cornum spoke about this project.
Yesterday, I was supposed to take part in a blogger’s roundtable with the VA about the delinquencies in sending out GI Bill benefits to veterans. Unfortunately, I had a last minute issue I had to take care of and wasn’t able to call in. However, there were others there that wrote about the call and I wanted to share some of what was said.
Richard Smith at VetVoice noted this little gem that I frankly don’t believe judging from the comments on my last post on this issue.
First off, all of the VA staff on the call noted that the processing goal for GI Bill benefits is 25 days. Currently, the average is 35 days. The Secretary and Directors on the call all noted that this is unacceptable and indicated measures they are taking to fix the problem. This weekend alone, VA will have 900 employees working 3000 hours of overtime to process GI Bill claims.
I don’t care about the VA touting how many overtime hours they’re working to process these claims. They KNEW what was coming down the pike. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this is going to be a BIG deal and require a lot of man power. They had a year to prepare for it. If that wasn’t enough time, the VA – and/or Congress – could have extended the deadline contained in the law. Obviously, their 3000 hours of overtime isn’t enough and our veterans are paying out of pocket for their benefits. This isn’t a criticism on Richard, but the VA.
The Department expressed extreme regret over not effectively communicating with Veterans on what to expect with GI Bill processing. They are preparing a “Survival Guide” document for the Spring 2010 and future semesters. The VA is promising that future semesters will run smoother, now that the Department knows what to expect.
How many times is the VA going to have to explain themselves. In May, they were supposedly “geared up a big education campaign about what it does and doesn’t deliver.” This was BEFORE everything took effect. They even set up a website and a toll-free telephone number (1-888-GI-BILL-1) to help with this. Typically, it didn’t do it’s job.
In September of last year, after the bill was passed and signed into law, the VA hired a contractor to handle claims.
“The contractor will be accountable for providing timely and accurate education claims processing by completing original claims [within] 10 days, supplemental claims [within] seven days, and by achieving an accuracy rate of at least 98 percent,” said Keith Pedigo, an associate deputy under secretary at the VA. (emphasis mine)
So, is the VA still paying this contractor if they aren’t living up to their contract? Read the rest of Richard’s writeup on the call HERE.
The military is frequently targeted by scam artists who use the confusion and bureaucratic intricacies of military service and benefits to their benefit.
Last night, we had the pleasure of interviewing Don Hays, Chairman of Maid Brigade. We spoke about his companies initiative to help veterans own their own franchise. (listen to the show HERE)
At Maid Brigade we know that military veterans make excellent franchisees – in fact, over 10% of Maid Brigade owners are veterans. They know what it takes to own and run a successful business – a combination of hard work, leadership and sound judgment.
That’s why Maid Brigade wants to reward as many as 100 qualified veterans who have what it takes to own a business. The Gold Award is a Maid Brigade Select Market Franchise valued at $45,000
Advantages to owning a Maid Brigade Franchise:
• A residential cleaning service, Maid Brigade has been a
recession-resistant business, having weathered previous
recessions of the 1980s, 1990s and post 9/11, without a
drop in same store sales.
• Daytime hours – no nights or weekends
• Low overhead/no accounts receivables
• Top 20% franchisees average over $1.6 million annually
• 25+ years in business with over 400 locations in the US
and Canada
Maid Brigade owners manage their businesses – hiring others to do the cleaning. For more information about owning a Maid Brigade Franchise, go to www.maidbrigadefranchise.com.
The contest starts on Independence Day and ends on Veterans Day, so enter now for your opportunity to own an award-winning Maid Brigade Franchise!
If you are a veteran or know a veteran who may be interested, hurry up and visit their site for more information. The contest ends on September 30, 2009.
Gold Award: Maid Brigade Select Market Franchise – valued at $45,000.
Everything you need to get started in business! $14,500 franchise fee; $3,000 equipment package; $27,500 in working capital; A one-week, all-inclusive training program at Maid Brigade headquarters in Atlanta, airfare and hotel provided
Silver Award: Maid Brigade Select Market Franchise valued at $27,500. This includes the franchise, equipment package and some working capital (you provide some additional working capital); $14,500 Select Market franchise fee; $3,000 Maid Brigade equipment package; $10,000 working capital; A one-week, all-inclusive training program at Maid Brigade headquarters in Atlanta – airfare and hotel provided.
Bronze Award: Maid Brigade Select Market Franchise valued at $17,500. This includes the franchise and equipment package (you provide all the working capital); $14,500 Select Market franchise fee; $3,000 Maid Brigade equipment package; A one-week, all-inclusive training program at Maid Brigade headquarters in Atlanta – airfare and hotel provided.
Up to 100 additional awards – valued at $14,500 each. Maid Brigade will waive the Select Market franchise fee to any qualified veteran who enters (normally a $14,500 charge).
I’ve written a lot about the Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill. Most of it has been positive. I hailed the legislation as it worked itself from a campaign promise to reality under President Bush. But, then I read stuff like this:
Under the old bill, Chapter 30, the student must call a hot line on the last day of the month to certify that their status has not changed since the previous month. The payment is then sent to the student in seven to ten days. It has become a ritual for veteran students, a promise to see that beautiful deposit in a week’s time. But today, some who have submitted paperwork for Chapter 33 might find the certification for Chapter 30 a bit of a challenge. My school’s VA counselor assured a seamless transition – he told me those who were switching over would get paid for the months they already paid tuition for. Once again, someone forgot to forward the memo. Since my claim for Chapter 33 is still being processed, I’m locked out of Chapter 30. Even though I paid for the summer semester, I am not getting paid for August. My case is in limbo, familiar territory for the VA. My bills, on the other hand, are very clearly defined. They pile up as fast as the VA’s backlogs.
The VA counselors at my school buy salt in bulk to pour into the wounds of the students they are purported to serve. One in particular lambasts me whenever I call with a legitimate question regarding veteran benefits. With his trademark condescending tone, he sharply rebuked my questions about a delay in payments, suggesting that I should have been following the news of backlogged certifications, despite his assurance that the transition would not allow a payment disparity. Oh, to be tongue-lashed for not doing his job for him! He heartily laughed at my question of when to expect my next payment. In that brief moment, he acknowledged the absurdity of my situation – he didn’t know, and there is no way to find out. He could not even venture a guess but did not rule out weeks or even a month. The check is in the mail, I am told. That old line doesn’t work for my landlord, and it wouldn’t get past my utility company. But for the government agency responsible for the benefits going out to the men and women who have served this country in a time of war, with the basic sustenance of thousands of veterans in the balance, it’s business as usual.
Is this what we were promised? A lot of politicians patted themselves on the back when this was passed. We were told that this bill will recruit more quality troops. Secretary Shinseki said it will educate the next generation of problem solvers. The bill’s sponsor, Senator Webb (D-VA) called it an “historic victory” and said he was “confident” that the Pentagon and VA would work out any kinks. That was 13 months ago!
Now, our veterans are finding themselves having to decide whether they eat or pay their utility bill. They are facing eviction while sitting in limbo trying to figure out how to pay their huge tuition bill they were promised they wouldn’t have to worry about.
Where are the Military Officers Association of America, Partnership for Veterans Education, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of American, Iraq Veterans Against War, Student Veterans of America – all organizations that championed this bill – now that our vets are being hung out to dry?
A great story came out last weekend about the state of Louisiana and how the state is honoring its citizens who are honorable veterans from all wars.
The Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal is a medal created by the State of Louisiana to honor all residents who have been killed in combat or who have served and has received an honorable discharge.
The medals are part of a program started by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in 2008.
Jindal "is honoring our veterans to let them know they are appreciated for what they have done," said Sonya Aucoin, activities director at the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve. "They protected our freedom."
Read the whole story and see some great pictures of Gov. Jindal presenting the medals to some well-deserving veterans at
If you are a military retiree or know one personally, this is important.
According to the CBO, the government should charge retirees more for their health care. Taken from page 51 in the CBO’s “Budget Options” report released in February 2007:
Because the program is a wraparound benefit, lawmakers
or DoD would need to establish new rules to ensure that
users paid minimum out-of-pocket charges—for example,
$20 for an office visit or $100 for the first day of a
hospital stay—before coverage would begin.
Read about this craziness HERE! More broken promises for our veterans!
Severely disabled veterans who need virtually full-time assistance carrying out routine tasks such as bathing, dressing and eating would receive up to $1,410 more a month under a bipartisan bill introduced July 30 by members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Under the bill, 100 percent disabled veterans qualifying for the highest rate of special compensation because they need aid and attendance would receive up to $8,642 a month.
The bill, HR 3407, has three other key provisions:
• Some eligibility restrictions on the highest levels of aid and attendance allowances would be relaxed so that veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries would receive payments now limited to those who have lost limbs.
• Medal of Honor recipients would receive $2,000 in monthly special compensation, twice the current rate.
• Veterans with severe burns would be eligible for adaptive vehicle grants, something not currently covered for those with burn injuries.
Three key lawmakers — two Republicans and one Democrat — are sponsoring the bill that they are calling the Severely Injured Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act. The Republicans are Reps. Steve Buyer of Indiana and Henry Brown Jr. of South Carolina. Buyer is the senior Republican on the house Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Brown is ranking Republican on that committee’s health panel.
The Democratic co-sponsor is Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine, chairman of the health panel.
The main obstacle to increasing veterans benefits has been finding a way to pay for it. But aides to Buyer said the cost of this proposal is fully covered by extending expiring provisions that ensure Medicare reimburses the Veterans Affairs Department for some medical treatments of nonservice-connected injuries.
“This is fully paid for,” Buyer spokesman Brian Lawrence said.
The big increases come as a result of doubling aid and attendance benefits for catastrophically injured veterans, who would receive either $7,552 a month or $8,642 a month in total disability compensation and special compensation. The payment level depends on the level of assistance needed to carry out daily activities.
Michaud said the bill is a response to testimony from some veterans groups that the needs of severely injured veterans are not being met by current policies.
“That is unacceptable,” he said.
Buyer said some veterans with severe traumatic brain injuries need constant supervision and help, just like veterans who are paralyzed or have lost multiple limbs.
Current policies that deny them higher rates of aid and attendance payments end up pushing veterans with TBI into residential care programs, when they could stay at home if there were enough money to cover the assistance they need, Michaud said.
“Obviously, this would lead to a better quality of life for those who suffer from this life-altering trauma.”
The bill was introduced just as the House of Representatives was leaving town for its traditional August break. No hearings on the proposal have been scheduled.
Many years ago, before the government became involved with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, credit reports and credit scores were hidden from the public. We all knew there were credit reports and credit scores, but we couldn’t get access to them. It was terrible, which is why the government stepped in to protect consumers rights.
However now we face a whole new set of challenges. Many years ago, the reports and scores were used mostly to decide whether to accept a loan and at what terms. A good score meant the interest rate on your 30 year mortgage was lower, a bad score meant your car loan cost a little bit more. Today, your credit score is used for a lot of things, only a few of which actually have to do with credit.
Potential Employers
The biggest and scariest new application of your credit worthiness is with new jobs. Employers are starting to pull credit to determine whether or not to offer you a job. They aren’t allowed to make decisions based on bankruptcies, but apparently they like to use other parts of your report to decide whether or not you’re a risk. Miss a few payments? Maybe you’re more likely to steal something.
Insurance Premiums
For whatever reason, and they won’t disclose it, insurance companies believe that the lower your credit score, the greater your insurance risk. The lower your score, the higher your premiums. Their actuaries have analyzed the statistics and the end result is that your score is being used to determine how risky it is to insure you, your car, your house, and everything else.
Cell Phones & Services
Finally, service companies use your credit to decide whether or not they will give you a service contract. If you have trouble making a credit card payment, they worry that you’ll have problem making a cell phone bill payment. The cell phone business model is especially sensitive to this because they often give you a phone for free, hoping to earn it back on a two year service plan. If they are worried you can’t pay, they won’t give you the phone.
As you can see, your credit score is starting to be used in areas it was never intended, so it’s important that you make sure you regularly review your credit reports, check your free FICO credit score, and ensure it’s as accurate as possible.
