Post-9/11 GI Bill Celebrates Start of Fourth Year

From a Department of Veterans Affairs News Release

WASHINGTON  – August marks the third anniversary of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and since it was implemented, the Department of Veterans Affairs has provided educational benefits to 773,000 veterans and their family members, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs news release.

“This is one of the most important programs helping our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans reach their educational goals,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. “We’re proud this important benefit is making such a big difference in the lives of so many veterans.”

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays tuition and fees on behalf of veterans or eligible dependents to the school in which they are enrolled. Eligible participants also receive a monthly housing allowance and up to $1,000 annually for books and supplies. The program also allows eligible service members to transfer their benefits to their spouses and children.

The program provides a wide range of educational options, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, vocational/technical training, on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence training, licensing and national testing programs, entrepreneurship training, and tutorial assistance.

“For over 68 years, GI Bill programs have shaped and changed the lives of service members, veterans, their families and survivors by helping them reach their educational goals,” said Allison A. Hickey, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits. “Benefits provided under the Post-9/11 GI Bill will continue to shape and change the lives of veterans by helping them build a stronger foundation for their careers.”

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the most extensive educational assistance program since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944. VA has since paid more than $20 billion in benefits to veterans and their family members.

For the 2012-2013 academic year, 1,770 colleges and universities are supplementing Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits by participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, degree-granting institutions make additional funds available for a veteran’s educational program without an additional charge to their GI Bill entitlement. To make up the difference for those students whose tuition and fees exceed what the Post-9/11 GI Bill covers, institutions can voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Agreement with VA to designate an additional amount of funding, and VA will match that amount.

VA is seeking legal authority to trademark the term GI Bill. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on April 26, 2012, directing VA and the Department of Defense to undertake a number of measures to “stop deceptive and misleading” promotional efforts that target the GI Bill educational benefits of service members, veterans, and eligible family members and survivors.

In June, the attorneys general of several states gave VA the rights to the GIBill.com website after the original owners agreed to give up the internet site to settle a lawsuit by the states.

Which GI Bill do I use?

By Capt. Michelle Baer

Wisconsin Army National Guard

At age 20, I enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard for the education benefits. At the time I knew that the National Guard paid my college tuition and gave me money towards books and housing. I learned the requirements to receive benefits and I was off to the races.

Twelve years later, I returned to the Wisconsin Army National Guard after completing a six year tour on active duty and a 15-month deployment. I am now ready to complete my Master of Business Administration, but I was confused on my education benefits.

I knew there were new education benefits such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill and Wisconsin GI Bill. I was unsure on which GI Bill chapter I had already used, or even the difference between a tuition grant and the GI Bill.

After talking with Capt. Dustin Cebula, the Wisconsin Army National Guard education service officer, I learned there are four programs that pay for tuition and four programs that pay a monthly stipend while attending school.

 The four tuition programs include:

 •Wisconsin Tuition Grant pays up to the UW-Madison rate for eight semesters of full-time study for currently serving service members.

 •Federal Tuition Assistance pays $250 per semester credit ($4,500 max per fiscal year), limited to 130 credits for undergraduate and 39 for graduate degrees for currently serving service members.

 •Wisconsin Tuition Remission (GI Bill) reimburses qualifying veterans 100 percent tuition for eight semesters or 128 credits at UW System or Wisconsin technical schools and can be used after separation from military.

 •GI Bill Post 9/11 payment is based on total days of qualifying Title 10 active duty and Title 32 AGR service on or after Sept. 11, 2001. Benefits include: tuition and fees payment, housing and books stipend. In addition, benefits can be transferred to a spouse or children.

 The four stipend programs include:

 •Chapter 33 GI Bill Post 9/11 is the only program that pays tuition and stipend.

 •Chapter 1606 GI Bill Selected Reserve pays $345/month for full-time study.

 •Chapter 30 GI Bill Active Duty enroll while in the regular Army or AGR program.

 •Chapter 1607 GI Bill REAP where payment is based on continuous days of active duty.

 In order to find out how many months I had left of my GI Bill benefits I called 1-888-442-4551. I could have also gone to www.gibill.va.gov in order to find out the payment rates and months of eligibility.

The rule is that you can use a maximum of 36 months of one GI Bill but no more than a total of 48 months of combined GI Bill benefits if eligible for more than one.

Capt. Cebula helped me decide the best course of action on how to maximize my benefits. I have decided to attend a private university, so I will be using my Federal Tuition Assistance and then I will transfer my GI Bill 9/11 benefits to my son. In addition, I plan to contact the veteran certifying official at the college if I have any other questions.

I learned that everyone has a different military experience and is eligible for different military benefits. In order to fully utilize your education benefits you should contact the Wisconsin Army National Guard Education Service Office at 608-242-3447 or your battalion career counselor.

Executive Order Safeguards Military from Predatory Schools

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, visited with 3rd Infantry Division soldiers Friday at Fort Stewart, Ga., and discussed a new executive order that helps to safeguard military education benefits and protect service members from predatory schools.

Obama and the first lady expressed their desire to protect military members, veterans and their families from predatory recruiters offering bogus and costly education programs.

“I've heard the stories … you may have experienced it yourselves. You go online to try and find the best school for military members or your spouses or other family members,” President Obama said. “You end up on a website that looks official. They ask you for your email, they ask you for your phone number, they promise to link you up with a program that fits your goals.”

Obama pointed to certain schools that “aren’t interested in helping” because “they don't care about you; they care about the cash,” later referring to them as “appalling” and “disgraceful” and something that “should never happen in America.”

“I'm not talking about all schools,” the president noted. “Many of them, for-profit and nonprofit, provide quality education to our service members and our veterans and their families. But there are some bad actors out there.”

Obama declared he was “going to put an end” to hidden high-interest student loans, non-transferrable credits and non-existent job placement programs used as tactics to “swindle and hoodwink” troops through his signature today of an executive order.

According to the president, the order requires colleges to provide clear information about qualifications and financial aid through access to a fact sheet called “Know Before You Owe,” and providing increased support through counseling.

“If you've got to move because of a deployment or reassignment, they've got to help you come up with a plan that you can still get your degree,” he said. “[And] we're going to bring an end to the aggressive, and sometimes, dishonest recruiting that takes place.”

Obama also indicated tougher restrictions to colleges and universities allowed on military installations and increased vigilance to prevent improper education program recruiting practices.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta lauded the president’s and first lady’s commitment to protect the military, veterans and their families.

"I applaud the steps, President and Mrs. Obama, announced today to ensure military and veterans' educational benefits meet the needs of service members, veterans, and their families,” he said. "Ensuring quality educational opportunities are available to those who have served our nation in uniform is an essential part of enabling them to compete in today's economy.”

America’s men and women in uniform and military veterans “have fought and risked their lives for this country,” the secretary said. “They represent a generation of Americans returning home from war with unique experience and skills that make them invaluable in schools, workplaces, and communities across America and the world.”

Panetta said the demands of military service can make it difficult to find the right information from schools, especially those engaged in aggressive, deceptive recruiting practices.

“This initiative will ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have the information and support they need to make informed decisions about their well-earned educational benefits,” he said. “This effort helps preserve our nation's legacy, going back to the original GI Bill, of doing all that we can to help our troops lead productive and successful lives after leaving the military.”

The defense secretary said Obama’s executive order is another example of the president’s “strong support” to troops and their families. Panetta thanked the president and first lady for their commitment to “these brave young men and women."

The first lady touched on the “Joining Forces” campaign during her remarks today to soldiers at Fort Stewart. Established about a year ago, “Joining Forces” is a nationwide campaign that was created to recognize, honor and support veterans, troops and military families. The first lady started the “Joining Forces” campaign with Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.

“In our first year alone, more than 1,600 businesses hired more than 60,000 veterans, and they pledged to hire at least 170,000 more in the coming years,” the first lady said of some results of “Joining Forces” campaign efforts.

The Commander in Chief commended the division’s soldiers for their “unshakable commitment to our country” as they performed “heroically in some of the most dangerous places on earth.”

“You have done everything that has been asked of you and more,” Obama said. “You have earned a special place in our nation's history.”

Family Matters Blog: Scholarship Paves Way to Better Future for Army Spouse

By Alicia Brown
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – Army Sgt. 1st Class Lizandro Mateo-Ortiz suffered serious injuries when he was run over while serving in Iraq in 2007. At the time, he was the family's sole breadwinner, supporting his wife and two teenage daughters.

Suddenly, Milena Mateo-Ortiz found her life changed. She now had to find a way to support her family, and knew education was the answer. Their daughter, Stephanie, decided to postpone her college experience so that her mom could earn a degree.

Milena now has a bachelor's degree in health administration, and is working on her master's degree, thanks to the generosity of companies and organizations such as Dominion Virginia Power, which recently presented $250,000 to the National Military Family Association. NMFA provides scholarships to military spouses like Milena, who wish to improve their education and become more employable.

Military spouses don’t always fare well against the civilian workforce. According to the Defense Department’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership, 85 percent of military spouses want or need to work, and military wives earn 25 percent less than their civilian counterparts. The program is one of many that experts encourage spouses to seek out for guidance, information and empowerment.

Without the assistance, Milena said, she couldn't have afforded to pursue a degree that will land her a good enough job to support her daughters and her husband, who remains on a feeding tube. Now she's also well on her way to what will be a proud accomplishment when she graduates in 2013.

Naval Academy Spreads Holiday Spirit in Annapolis

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexia Riveracorrea, U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (NNS) -- The Naval Academy Brigade of Midshipmen, faculty and staff gathered with representatives from the City of Annapolis and the Salvation Army in Bancroft Hall Nov. 29 for the 21st annual Giving Tree lighting ceremony.

Coordinated by the Midshipmen of 6th Company, the Giving Tree is set up in the rotunda of Bancroft Hall each year and decorated with paper angels, each with the name of an underprivileged child in the local community.

Midshipmen, faculty and staff have the opportunity to spread holiday cheer to hundreds of children by selecting an angel on the tree and purchasing gifts for the children represented by the angel ornaments. Last year, the Academy provided 600 gifts for children. This year, the number of paper ornaments on the tree increased to 1,000.

Each angel includes the age, gender and wish list of the child, giving the purchaser a good idea of what to buy.

"In 21 years of doing the Giving Tree program at the Academy, this is the 14th year that 6th company has been working in conjunction with the Salvation Army," said Midshipman 1st Class Kristen Tellar, event coordinator. "The Midshipmen love to participate and look forward to this event every year. I'm just so honored to be able to work with 6th Company for such a great cause."

After choosing a paper angel, the donor purchases a gift for that child and places it unwrapped under the tree. All of the donations will be picked up by the Salvation Army Dec. 12. The gifts are wrapped and distributed to the children Dec. 22, just in time for Christmas.

"It is certainly a great project because it allows us to give back to the community," said Tellar. "There are children in Annapolis who, if it weren't for projects like the Giving Tree, wouldn't have a Christmas. The happiness and joy we bring to the children represent the true holiday spirit of the season."

"The event is important to the Midshipmen and the community," said Midshipman 2nd Class Ricky Rodriguez.

"The city of Annapolis gives so much to the brigade," he said. "They support us in many ways, and to be able to do this and bring smiles to the children of the community - it's an honor for us to be a part of."

America Supports You: Group Helps Family Members With Education

By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 23, 2008 - Military family members looking to further their education have a friend in a support organization called Thanks USA. "So many spouses appreciate the opportunity to go back to school and finish their education," explained Carolyn Ferek, Thanks USA's board secretary, said in an "ASY Live" interview on BlogTalkRadio.

"ASY Live" is part of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Thanks USA is an America Supports You supporter.

Ferek said the focus of Thanks USA is different from that of many other scholarship-based organizations, because while it does focus on providing assistance to military dependents, it also uniquely gears a lot of its funding toward spouses.

"It's not just for dependents," she said. "It's for spouses, because we feel like so many times the spouses are at home taking care of the families, and they are forced to put their career on hold."

When the organization was founded, Ferek explained, she could not find many organizations that focused on providing for spouses and dependents of current servicemembers based on their need. "Some offered them to military families if there was a death or an injury, but ours isn't like that," she said. "We offer it as a need-based scholarship; we have educational scholarships for any branch of the military for college, technical and vocational schools."

Ferek cited a couple of people the organization has helped.

"I remember one person that wrote to us saying that she would be the first one in her family to have a college education thanks to our program," Ferek said. "Another woman we helped down in Florida had just had a lung transplant, and still really wanted to go to college. She was just trying to get herself healthy, but she was just so positive and optimistic about her future and wanting to make a difference. So many of the scholarship winners want to give back to the community."

The organization has raised nearly $4 million and we has awarded more than 1,350 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 dollars. "We have given scholarships to military families all across the United States in all 50 states," Ferek said.

(Jamie Findlater, host of "ASY Live," works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

America Supports You: Operation Homefront Village Welcomes First Families

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

March 20, 2008 - Wounded warriors in need in San Antonio now have a place to call home as they transition from military to civilian life. The new facility is Operation Homefront's first of four planned transitional housing facilities across the United States.

Jody Brothers from the PGA Tour and representatives from local Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores were on hand to cut the ribbons on the apartments the Wal-Mart Foundation sponsored.

"Thanks to these and other sponsors, wounded warriors and their families can live at Operation Homefront Village rent-free so they can rebuild their financial foundation as they rebuild their health," said Amy Palmer, Operation Homefront's vice president of operations.

Medal of Honor recipients Jack Jacobs and Mike Thornton, for whom the two buildings are named, also participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

All of the 20 two- and three-bedroom units in the complex are spoken for, and a waiting list has been established.

Designed for wounded warriors recuperating at nearby military medical facilities and their families, the units are fully furnished, including computer and Internet access courtesy of CDW-G, which offers technology products and services, and Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor.

The facility also includes a central recreation and community center housing a food pantry, baby furniture, extra beds and a video library. Additionally, the center hosts various Operation Homefront programs. Some of those programs include Wounded Warrior Wives support group, presentations and meetings with career counselors, college education specialists, and other experts whom Operation Homefront has partnered with to help recovering servicemembers move on with their lives.

Most active duty wounded warriors receiving treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center are housed in the barracks, base housing or the Fisher House. However, in its daily collaboration with the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program and other Army case workers, Operation Homefront quickly realized that there is almost no temporary housing in America for wounded warriors who have retired or separated from the military.

"Many of these families have nowhere to live and no money until they receive their disability benefits from (Veterans Affairs)," Palmer said. "Thanks to some unique programs being tested jointly by the Army and the VA, we believe we are seeing the waiting period for VA benefits decrease. In the meantime, however, many wounded warriors need a place to live right now. Operation Homefront is here to help."

Planned Operation Homefront Villages will accommodate needs at Walter Reed Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego, and Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.

Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

(From an Operation Homefront news release.)

Face of Defense: Sergeant Faces New 'Normal' After Injury

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 13, 2008 - "Normal" is a relative term, and for one former North Carolina Army National Guard sergeant, it's distinctly different today from what it was in 2004. On Nov. 15 of that year, Army Sgt. Andrew Butterworth was serving in Iraq. After patrolling in the northeastern part of the country, he and members of his unit were heading home.

"They were waiting for us," he said. "(We) had an RPG, a rocket-propelled grenade, hit our Bradley (fighting vehicle). It went right through the turret."

While the grenade caused some severe injuries, it could have been worse. Of the nine soldiers in the vehicle, Butterworth and his lieutenant were the only two seriously injured.

"I lost my right leg, and my lieutenant lost his left leg," he said. "Nobody was killed, except (the insurgents)."

Both Butterworth and his lieutenant got to Walter Reed Army Medical Center shortly after their injuries occurred. Their stays were short-lived, though.

"As far as I know, and unless somebody tells me different, I think we got out of there the fastest of all the amputees there," he said. "They were telling my family that I'd probably be there for six to eight months to a year or more."

But after only three and a half months, with the help of a cane, Butterworth walked out of Walter Reed on his good leg and a new prosthetic. The amazing progress was the result of friendly competition between Butterworth, also known as "Butter," and his lieutenant.

"It was who could do what first," he said. "That really helped both of us out."

On April 1, 2006, Butterworth was officially medically retired and began to embrace his new version of normal by attending a winter sports clinic in Aspen, Colo. During that trip he decided that life may be different, but he wouldn't let his injury shape the future.

"I threw the cane away and started waling without it," he said. "I knew if I didn't start walking without it, I never would, so I just got rid of it."

With that act, Butterworth began to make good on a promise he made. When he first saw his family after the injury, he told them he wasn't going to let it slow him down.

"I guess it's just the way I was raised," he said. "It was just something else for me to learn how to do.

"I just kind of took it in stride, no pun intended," he chuckled.

Butterworth, who used to do electrical work for a living, now works as the Wounded Warrior Project's benefits liaison for the southeast region of the country. The job means a lot of time on the road and away from Bonzo, the orange tabby cat he said helps him keep his sanity, but he calls it his dream job.

The former soldier has a couple other dreams as well: a family and a college education.

He's already learned some important lessons not taught in a classroom, including the fact that there are two types of amputees: "those that have fallen and those that are about to."

And he's taught a few along the way.

"(Wounded warriors) aren't done. There's nothing that they can't do," Butterworth said. "You just have to meet it head-on and take it for what it is and see it as a new challenge."

This shouldn't be anything new for servicemembers, he said.

"We've always got hard things to do, physically and mentally, emotionally," he said. "There's no reason to complain. We all have our days."

Some of those days leave him feeling like a 70-year-old man, he said. Some days that feeling wins out, and he can stay in bed. More often than not, though, he feels pretty good and enjoys some of his favorite activities, including hiking, camping, skiing and riding his motorcycle.

"People are like, 'You still ride a motorcycle? You're missing a leg,'" he said. "So what? Physically, I guess you would think I'm somewhat normal, besides the fact that I'm missing a leg.

"At some point you're going to be just as 'normal' as anybody else," he added.

Support Group Helps Soldier Earn Pilot License

By Edie Rosenthal
Special to American Forces Press Service

Feb. 16, 2007 – Army Warrant Officer 1 Derrick Rodriguez is literally in the clouds after graduating from the OH-58D flight course at the Army's Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Ala., where he learned to fly the Kiowa Warrior helicopter. But being in the clouds is not what excites this 26-year-old. “Flying 25 feet off the ground is the greatest adrenaline rush," said Rodriguez, who has dreamed of flying since he was a young boy.

Today he is flying the Army's Kiowa Warrior, a single engine, double-bladed armed reconnaissance helicopter and the first Army helicopter to have an all-glass cockpit.

Rodriguez graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University with a degree in Aeronautical Science in 2005, with a scholarship grant provided by the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the efforts of grassroots organizations in supporting the men and women of the armed forces.

"My parents always stressed the importance of a college education," Rodriguez said, "but everything fell apart when my father was killed."

Rodriguez was just 10 years old when his family got the tragic news that his father was killed, along with six other soldiers, when their medevac helicopter crashed in Iraq while deployed for Desert Storm. The 1991 death of Master Sgt. Eloy Rodriguez Jr., a Special Forces medic assigned to the Special Forces Command, rocked the entire family.

"Losing my father meant I had to grow up overnight and life had to be taken seriously," Rodriguez said. "But I also took everything my father taught me, and I worked hard to be the best at everything I did. I also knew that there were people in worse situations then me."

As the group has done for the past 26 years, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation put Rodriguez through college. The foundation provides college scholarship grants, not loans, to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat or training. The grants are provided cover tuition, books, fees and room and board.

Rodriguez planned become a commercial airline pilot and earn a degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. While enrolled in college, he joined the Florida Army National Guard so he could fly. His unit responded to natural disasters and provided airport security.

As an Army specialist, Rodriguez was recalled for active duty and spent one year on the ground in Iraq outside of Balad. While deployed to Iraq, Rodriguez decided that a commercial airline was not where he was destined to be.

"I had a new challenge - Army helicopters," Rodriguez said. "I enjoyed being out there and getting dirty."

Although his military duties and deployments overseas or assisting stateside with hurricane relief may have caused a slight delay in the timeline for getting his bachelor's degree, he was always an honor student and on the dean's list.

Rodriguez, now a warrant officer in the Army, said he is preparing for new challenges that life brings, including the strong possibility of going on another deployment. Although he does not have any children, he said the foundation provides a great sense of comfort to those who do.

"Special operators put their lives in harm's way knowing, at least, that their children's education will be paid for," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez also has his eye on the future. He said he hopes to get assigned to the Army's special aviation unit, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

"All of us at the Warrior Foundation are extremely proud of Derrick and his accomplishments," said John T. Carney Jr., the group's president. "If his sights are set on the 160th SOAR, then I have no doubt that is where his path will lead him. He is a wonderful young man, full of talent."

The Warrior Foundation has seen 111 of its students graduate college, and currently has 109 students enrolled in colleges and universities across the country. Another 500 children who have yet to reach college age are in the foundation's program. In 2006, the Warrior Foundation provided nearly $1 million in scholarship grants and educational counseling to the children of military special operations personnel.

"Words cannot express my gratitude for all that the Warrior Foundation has done for me," Rodriguez said. "It is comforting to know that I will always be part of the Warrior Foundation family."

Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.