New Grants and Scholarships for Veteran's Dependents.

There are numerous grants for dependents and survivors of veterans and service members.

Federal Pell Grants are given in full to dependents of veterans who died in Iraq or Afghanistan after 9-11. This means no matter what financial situation this student has, the will get the full amount, which at the moment is $5,550. Other students must meet other requirements. You need to fill out a FAFSA, and then let your college financial aid office know that you are under the special circumstances given to students whose parent died in Iraq or Afghanistan. There is no question or line on the FAFSA to get this grant in full. You cannot get a double Pell Grant. If you qualify anyway for it, you cannot get another using this eligibility.

There is also the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship. This extends the Post 9-11 GI Bill to children of fallen soldiers.

Public Law 111-32, the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, amends the Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33) to include the children of service members who die in the line of duty after September 10, 2001. The benefit is retroactively effective to August 1, 2009; the same day the Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect. Eligible children attending school may receive up to the highest public, in-state, undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a monthly living allowance and books and supplies stipend under this program.

Who is eligible: Children of an active duty member of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001, are eligible for this benefit. A child may be married or over 23 and still be eligible.

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New GI Bill Helpline

The helpline for the New GI Bill will be fully operational with a full staff. Veterans who are going to school or thinking of school can get help by telephone. The helpline for The New GI Bill will be full staffed and open Monday through Friday. We don't know the exact hours, but probably normal business hours, east coast time.

The problem was that in December, there was a huge backlog of veterans trying to get benefits. The helpline personnel were moved from that to clearing the backlog. Now that things have calmed down a bit, the GI Bill helpline is back being staffed.

The telephone number is: 1-888-GI-BILL-1 or 1-888-442-4551

The New GI Bill is one of the best things for recently discharged veterans, as well as VA Veterans Home Loans.

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Veterans under new GI Bill are complaining about slow or lack if money

More than a quarter of a million veterans have signed up to collect the New GI Bill education benefits as of August 1, 2009. Unfortunately, it seems as if the checks are not in the mail. Many veterans across the country are scrambling to stay in school as a result of missing money.

According to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Friday, veterans have a right to complain. The way the bill was written, it can take weeks to get the money approved and in the mail.

Many colleges have delayed fees and tuition for veterans until the education aid comes. But, what about living expenses? This is what the money is in dire need of at the moment. Veterans returning to college are not getting the money they need for living expenses.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki stated as well that emergency funds are being sent. These emergency funds can be as much as $3,000 per veteran. The Secretary has promised that next year, things will be different and faster.

If you are a veteran struggling to stay in school, contact your local veterans affairs office. The emergency money is being sent to them. By all means, do this as soon as possible!

Now, how many of you think this is the way our veterans should be treated? How long does it take to cut a check and get funds out? This is the computer age. How long? A few minutes? Why does America still year after year, war after war, great service after great service, STILL dishonor it veterans this way?

Whatever your feelings are health care. Stop and think. Does the government run any kind of program the way it should? Not when it comes to veterans. We cannot fathom why the process for getting education money cannot be automatic and quick. After World War II, millions of veterans went back to school with NO problems. What have we done since? Screwed most programs up, that's what.

We salute the colleges and universities that have delayed fees and tuition for veterans. How about some landlords and mortgage companies doing the same?

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Colleges Ignoring Military Experience

Many veterans are returning or just starting college for the first time. They were probably told by recruiters and other military personnel that their military schooling and experience should count for some college credit. Unfortunately, this is not the case at most colleges and universities.

Up to a half million veterans are using the new GI Bill this year. But colleges are going to make them basically start over, taking classes that they may already have knowledge and experience in. So, for most of the veterans in college, it means sitting through and paying money for things they really should not have to.

Most colleges should award credit for physical education, however. At least this was the case in past years.

If your college or university does not automatically award you some type of credit for your military experience, we encourage you to contact your school. Make them aware of what they should be doing. Many military schools are just as book intense as college classes.

I myself went through boot camp, basic hospital corps school, and pharmacy tech school. That took the complete first year of my enlistment. When I got out, California was actually generous. I was qualified as an EMT, pharmacy tech, and could have taken the LVN test. I also got credit for physical education from Cal State San Bernardino and was exempt from PE. I first got an AS degree in Chemistry, and had to take general chemistry basically all over again. I learned most of that in the pharmacy tech school which was 6 months.

Bottom line, you may make your college choice based on what they give you as college credit for your military service. This will save you time as well as money.

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California Veterans get a break on new GI Bill

California veterans who were eligible under the new GI Bill for benefits, had been getting a raw deal. The GI Bill covers tuition at the same level as a public college. The problem is, California public colleges and universities do not charge tuition. They call them fees. So, California vets were getting pennies compared to a state like Texas, that will be doling out thousands. Yesterday, to remedy this wrong, the rules have changed for Californians. They will consider fees as tuition when figuring out how much a veteran under the new GI Bill gets. It still varies by state, which is not fair. Many veterans in some states will get a full ride to the most expensive private institutions. We feel the whole thing needs to be changed. All veterans should have the same status money-wise no matter where they live. Besides, the cost of living in California is staggering compared to most other states. And to give California veterans so much less seems very unfair. Read more about the new GI Bill.

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New GI Bill, unfair? You may get nothing!

Due to the new rules and GI Bill that take affect in August, you may be in for a shock. Are you a returning veteran hoping the new GI Bill will pay for college? Think again. There is a convoluted payout scheme to decide whether you are eligible, and whether you will actually get anything!

It all depends on the state you live in. If you live in a state that has fairly cheap public college and university tuition, you may get very little. Especially when compared to the cost of a private school. So your dream of a private college or university may need to be changed.

Do you live in an expensive state? You are in luck! You will get quite a bit! Even for a public school. And it may be enough to cover the cost of a private college.

We can't say if this is unfair or not, actually. On the surface, it sounds unfair. It should be a uniform payment across the board. But it isn't. To get the most benefit, you need to decide if it is worth it to go to the school of your choice, and reside in your current state. There may be other rules about moving as well.

But this post was a warning that the college education you were promised may not be paid for at the school of your choice.

Read more about the new GI Bill here.

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