Late GI bill payments leave N.J. verterans struggling with living costs
Posted Thursday, October 01, 2009 from The Star-Ledger
Late GI bill payments leave N.J. veterans struggling with living costs
By Tomas Dinges/The Star-Ledger
October 01, 2009, 9:30PM
KyleJones, a veteran of the Marine Corps, goes through orientation at theUniversity of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in September.DaveDurga, a Marine veteran of the Iraq War, says he wouldn’t have beenable to attend Columbia University if it weren’t for the new GI bill.
But since he hasn’t yet received the money promised by the Post-9/11GI Bill for living expenses and books, he has had to resort to stopgapmeasures.
He has reached out to his parents for $1,400 for September’s rentand another couple hundred dollars for the 12 books required for hisdegree in political science.
"You have schoolwork to focus on and then bills pile up,V and thenyou have to focus on that." said Durga, 24. "It becomes a frustration."
The Department of Veterans Affairs will attempt to remedy situationslike Durga’s by disbursing emergency payments today of up to $3,000 tonearly 25,000 veterans around the country who have failed to receivethe portion of the educational benefit that provides money for booksand housing.
The new GI bill, which went into effect in August, gives veteranstuition money that matches the cost of the highest amount of in-statetuition for a public college and a complementary program by the federalgovernment provides a financial incentive to private universities toaccept veterans.
Additionally, this GI bill, unlike the previous one, provides moneyfor housing and school-related expenses. The money is given directly tothe student.
Approximately 290,000 applications for the GI bill are currentlybeing processed, said Katie Wilson, press secretary of the Departmentof Veterans Affairs.
Nearly two-thirds are veterans applying to see if they are eligiblefor the benefits, she said, which is creating a backlog in processingfor an estimated 25,000 veterans who have enrolled in college and arestill awaiting expense checks.
Tuition checks to universities are delayed as well. But, accordingto school administrators and veteran advocates, there are few cases ofveterans being prevented from enrolling because the tuition money hasnot yet been paid.
"We are being very flexible with payment of tuition and lettingstudents register for classes without all their paperwork," said JasonScorza, co-chair of the veterans education task force atFairleigh-Dickinson University. "We will work it out later."
The GI bill is in its infancy, and there are delays, said Wilson.
"We are learning where some of the holes are and where we can do abetter job in where we have to be in implementing this," she said.
Derek Blumke, executive director of the organization StudentVeterans of America, said he has been receiving correspondence fromveterans who aren’t receiving the checks and can’t pay for rent,groceries, or other living expenses.
One disabled veteran was forced to go to a food bank, he said. Somehave been forced to drop classes because they can’t pay for the books.Others need the time to take on a part-time job, he said.
"The main issue is that they are able to concentrate on their studies rather than pay the rent or pay the bills," said Blumke.
Durga, the Columbia University student, said it would be hard to juggle a job and a demanding course load.
Immediately after returning from his deployment to Ramadi, Iraq in2006, Durga, a Edison resident, entered Middlesex County College, wherehe studied for two years, using unemployment benefits to pay the bill.That bill and the expenses associated with it were significantly lessthan Columbia, he said.
Despite the problems, Durga said he is grateful for the opportunity offered him by the GI bill to attend an Ivy league school.
"If it wasn’t for the ... GI bill I can guarantee you that Iwouldn’t be at Columbia," he said. Still, he added, "I have to pay therent for the apartment.”
Veterans may receive the emergency payment either by submittingproof of enrollment and identification in person at regional VeteransAffairs’ offices in Newark, New York City, or Philadelphia, or anyother regional office around the country, or through an online form onthe VA website that will process the request and deliver a check bymail.
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