Joining Forces to Train Teachers to Serve Military Children

Dr. Jill Biden

October 3, 2012

5:23 pm

This afternoon, I was so honored to meet two of our nation’s youngest heroes – 11-year-old twin sisters Felicity and Abigail. The 7th graders love to read and play sports, and, like many of our nation’s 1.3 million school-age military children, their current school is not their first school.  Felicity and Abigail have attended five different schools in four states in the past seven years.  They have left old friends and met new ones, transferred school records, left old soccer fields to join new teammates and coaches, and weathered their father’s many deployments. Their dad missed birthdays four, seven, eight, nine and 10.

But they are resilient and strong young ladies who are fiercely proud to be Army kids.  am proud of them, too.

I am also proud that today, more than 100 colleges of teacher education have signed on to Operation Educate the Educators, a partnership between the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Military Child Education Coalition. Last year, the partners set a Joining Forces goal of getting 100 colleges of education to commit to raising awareness on their campuses about military children in their classrooms, and to help better prepare teachers to support them. 

Today, I joined Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno, Felicity and Abigail, and military families to celebrate this milestone. As an educator and a military mom, today was personal to me. I know how much it means to a family when a teacher makes a special effort to support a military child in school. 

When my son Beau was deployed to Iraq, my granddaughter Natalie’s teacher hung a photo of Beau’s unit to Natalie’s classroom door. This simple gesture reminded the school staff and Natalie’s classmates that her dad was at war. It meant so much to her to know that she didn’t have to go through that year alone, and that her teachers and friends were looking out for her. It meant so much to Joe and me, too.

When a teacher arranges a parent-teacher conference by Skype for a deployed mom or dad, or when a principal celebrates the Marine Corps birthday in the school cafeteria with the entire school, it helps a military family stay connected.

Our military families sacrifice so much, and we owe it to them to support them in every way possible. That is why the First Lady and I started Joining Forces, a national effort to encourage all Americans to support military families.  Today, I was honored to celebrate a very meaningful Joining Forces commitment that will make a difference in the lives of our military children. 

Dr. Jill Biden is the Second Lady of the United States

House Veterans’ Panel Chairman Frustrated by VA

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Sep 15, 2012 9:37:37 EDT

There’s frustration in the voice of Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, as he describes what he sees as the glacial pace of change in veterans programs, and the disconnect he sees between Veterans Affairs Department workers and the problems facing the nation.

One of his prime concerns is the Post-9-/11 GI Bill, a key ingredient of a multifaceted effort to help veterans get jobs. In an interview, Miller said the 3-year-old program still has problems with such basic functions as timely and accurate payments to beneficiaries.

In recent meetings with veterans’ groups, Miller said he learned “some students were still having trouble getting checks” for the fall term.

Another area of frustration is the large and constantly growing pile of disability and benefits claims at VA, Miller said. VA has been focusing on changes to its claims processing system, with a goal of eliminating errors so that claims don’t have to be redone — a significant reason why almost 900,000 claims are pending in the system.

“There has to be a way for VA to fulfill the commitment to these men and women in a timely fashion,” Miller said, though he admits he doesn't have a solution. “If I had a magic wand, I would wave it, but I don’t.”

Still, Miller doesn’t think VA’s processing system is the core problem. He notes that the complicated application process makes it difficult for a veteran to file a correctly completed and documented claim without assistance.

“Because of the complexity of the claim today, some veterans are finding the necessary documentation is lacking,” he said.

Additionally, Miller was unhappy to discover VA has been holding expensive professional and training conferences at a time when both the department and the nation have pressing financial needs. He called it “very disappointing,” and said the people who organized the meetings appeared to be “completely unaware of the financial peril the country is in.”

But under the leadership of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, the department has done some things well, Miller said. He named the rapid enrollment of unemployed veterans into a program that that he sponsored that provides an additional year of education benefits to teach certain veterans new skills for high-demand occupations.

READ MORE HERE

Military Veterans' College Benefits are Running Late

By JENNIFER FEEHAN 

The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade/MCT

Published: September 1, 2012

BOWLING GREEN -- Army veteran Kyle Birkholz has attended classes for two weeks at Bowling Green State University without books.

He learned Friday that his book stipend from the Department of Veterans Affairs would not arrive as expected, nor would his monthly housing allowance.

A glitch at the VA means the check is not in the mail for Mr. Birkholz and countless other veterans across Ohio who receive benefits to attend college.

"This is a very anxiety-producing event in students' lives," said Barbara Henry, assistant vice president of nontraditional and transfer student services at BGSU. "The very beginning of the semester, they're trying to figure out what the work load is like, particularly if they're a new student transitioning, they may have been in Afghanistan in May, they're in university for the first time in September."

While the VA tries to iron out the problem, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and other state officials are urging colleges and universities to be flexible with student veterans so that none is penalized or forced to drop classes because of late payments.

BGSU, for its part, is cutting checks for all of its student veterans -- short-term loans with no interest, fees, or lengthy applications.

Mr. Birkholz, an athletic-training major from Clyde, Ohio, said he planned to take BGSU up on its offer."I'm going to have to. I need books," he said. "This really made me feel relieved."

The VA said Friday that "a system programming error" occurred when the agency was moving Ohio and West Virginia claims to St. Louis from Buffalo. The agency said it believed the glitch affected "potentially 300 Ohio and West Virginia students" whose college enrollments were received between July 24 and Aug. 9.

Area universities said the problem appears more widespread to them.

In a letter to area legislators, Bowling Green President Mary Ellen Mazey said the university believes "the vast majority of our 284 student veterans will not receive their basic monthly housing allowance or semester book stipends on time."

Those 284 students -- 32 of whom are at the Firelands campus near Huron, Ohio -- were notified by email that optional emergency loans were being made available. They were invited to meetings Friday on campus, where officials explained the situation and fielded questions.

Ms. Henry said affected students could pick up checks between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Room 110 of the Administration Building.

Students will be required to sign a promissory note, agreeing to repay the university once the VA checks arrive.

Geoff Roberts, an Army veteran from Port Huron, Mich., who did two tours of duty in Iraq, said he is to receive a $1,047 monthly housing allowance and a book stipend of up to $1,000 for the school year at BGSU. Because he has a part-time job on campus and savings, he doubts he'll need the loan, but he's pleased that BGSU is offering it.

"As a student I can't believe how quickly this whole process went through. It's huge," said Mr. Roberts, president of the BGSU Student Veterans' Club.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/military-veterans-college-benefits-are-running-late-1.187743

UPDATE: FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES & YOUR BENEFITS

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GUIDE: GI Bill, Employment and Education Program

Which program is best for me or my dependent?

• Try out the "Road Map For Success" application here that will help you decide which program meets your needs! 

                                                               ~or~

• Check out VA's "Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment VetSuccess Programs" here, if you are a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 20% or more and are interested in other options for employment, education and independence! 

What if I already know which program I want to use?

• If you are ready to start the application process to receive or transfer education benefits, you can get started here! 

What if I need to verify my monthly attendance for benefit payment?

• You need to verify your attendance every month before payment is issued if you are attending an Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) or Non-College Degree (NCD) program and are receiving one of the following:
• Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty
• Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve
• Reserve Educational Assistance Program - REAP
• Veterans Retraining Assistance Program - VRAP

                                                  Verify HERE! 

How Much Money Will I Get Under The Post-9/11 GI Bill?

The Post-9/11 GI Bill reimburses your tuition & fees to your school and makes housing and other payments directly to you.

Your school will receive a percentage, as determined by your length of active duty service, of the following:

1. For resident students at a public Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) all tuition & fee payments are reimbursed.
2. For private and foreign IHLs tuition & fee reimbursement is capped at $17,500 per academic year (that amount will change to $18,077.50 August 1, 2012).
3. For students whose tuition & fees exceed this maximum amount per academic year who are attending a private IHL in AZ, MI, NH, NY, PA, SC or TX and have been enrolled in the same program since January 4, 2011 schools will be reimbursed either the actual cost of the program or the maximum in-state tuition & fee reimbursement rate for the 2010-2011school year, whichever is greater.
4. For reimbursement information for on-the job or apprenticeship programs click here
5. For reimbursement information for vocational flight training programs click here

If you are attending a public IHL as a non-resident student or a private IHL that is more expensive than the annual cap you may be eligible for extra payment under the Yellow Ribbon program.

You may also be directly paid:

• A monthly housing allowance (MHA) equal to the basic allowance for housing (BAH) amount payable to an E-5 with dependents, in same zip code as your school.  This allowance is paid proportionately based on your enrollment.
• • If you are attending school at the 1/2 time or less rate or are on active duty or the spouse of an active duty member receiving "Transferred Benefits" you will not receive any MHA. 
  • If you are attending school overseas you will receive a MHA of $1,346.88 a month for 2011 which is the average amount for all CONUS locations (that amount will change to $1,368.00 for the 2012 academic year.
  • If you are enrolled solely in distance learning you will receive a housing allowance equal to 1/2 the national average.
• A yearly books and supplies stipend of up to $1000 paid proportionately based on enrollment
• A one time payment of $500 may be payable to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas.

To determine what percentage of benefits you will receive based on your active duty time click here

For information about the Yellow Ribbon Program click here

To see the maximum in-state tuition & fee reimbursement rate for the 2010-2011 school year click here

Click here to determine your MHA rate

How Much Money Will I Receive if I am using the Montgomery GI BILL? 

Educational Assistance Allowance for trainees under the Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty (Ch. 30 of title 38 U.S.C.). The following basic monthly rates are effective October 1, 2011.

For trainees on active duty, payment is limited to reimbursement of tuition and fees for the training taken. If you participated in the “$600.00 buy-up” rates can be found HERE

The following rates apply to those completing an enlistment of three years or more.

Institutional Training
Training Time	Monthly rate
Full time	$1,473.00
¾ time	$1,104.75
½ time	$736.50
less than ½ time more than ¼ time	$736.50**
¼ time or less	$368.25 **

OJT Rates effective October 1, 2011

Apprenticeship and On-Job Training
Training Period	Monthly rate
First six months of training	$1,104.75
Second six months of training	$810.15
Remaining pursuit of training	$515.55

Correspondence and Flight - Entitlement charged at the rate of one month for each $1,473.00 paid.

Cooperative - $1,473.00

** Tuition and Fees ONLY. Payment cannot exceed the listed amount.

---

The following rates apply to those completing an enlistment of less than three years.

Institutional Training
Training Time	Monthly rate
Full time	$1,196.00
¾ time	$897.00
½ time	$598.00
less than ½ time more than ¼ time	$598.00 **
¼ time or less	$299.00 **

Apprenticeship and On-Job Training
Training Period	Monthly rate
First six months of training	$897.00
Second six months of training	$657.80
Remaining pursuit of training	$418.60

Correspondence and Flight - Entitlement charged at the rate of one month for each $1,196.00 paid.

Cooperative - $1,196.00

** Tuition and Fees ONLY. Payment cannot exceed the listed amount.

---

Basic Institutional Rates for persons with remaining entitlement under Chapter 34 of Title 38, U.S.C. Chapter 30 Category II rates effective October 1, 2011.

Institutional Training
Training Time	Monthly rate
	No Dependents	One Dependent	Two Dependents	Each additional dependent
Full time	$1,661.00	$1,697.00	$1,728.00	$16.00
¾ time	$1,246.25	$1,272.75	$1,296.25	$12.00
½ time	$830.50	$848.50	$864.00	$8.50
Less than ½ time; more than ¼ time	$830.50**
¼ time or less	$415.25**

Cooperative Course
Training period	Monthly rate
	No Dependents	One Dependent	Two Dependents	Each additional dependent
Oct. 1, 2011 - Sept. 30, 2012	$1,661.00	$1,697.00	$1,728.00	$16.00

Correspondence - 55% of the approved charges

Flight - 60% of the approved charges

** Tuition and Fees ONLY. Payment cannot exceed the listed amount.

Apprenticeship and On-Job Training
Training Period	Monthly rate
	No Dependents	One Dependent	Two Dependents	Each additional dependent
First six months of pursuit of program	$1,207.50	$1,219.88	$1,230.75	$5.25
Second six months	$866.53	$875.88	$883.58	$3.85
Third six months	$539.35	$545.48	$550.20	$2.45
Remaining pursuit of program	$527.45	$533.23	$538.48	$2.45

How Do I Chose A School? Is it Approved?

• To find a school or program please use this very helpful VA provided tool HERE!

For handouts, information and brochures to print and share, please click HERE!

What Are My Other Options- Click HERE for information on the below?

• Other Programs
• Reserve Educational Assistance (REAP)
• Survivors & Dependents Assistance (DEA)
• Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)
• Educational Assistance Test Program
• National Call to Service Program
• Veterans Retraining Assistance Program

To Contact VA or Have Your Questions Answered:

Contact Information

Ask A Question

• You can send us a secure email that will usually be answered within 48 hours or less. You can also search for answers to frequently asked questions and register to be notified of any updates to the information. This contact method is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can also be utilized worldwide.

Click HERE to enter the "Ask A Question" website.

Telephone

1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

Be advised this line only accepts calls from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM central time Monday - Friday and you may experience long hold times.

Overseas

If you are overseas you can contact us via telephone during business hours, M - F 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM EDT. Students and School Certifying Officials calling from outside the United States may call the Buffalo Regional Office at 716-857-3196 or 716-857-3197. Once connected, the caller can immediately enter "option 1" to be placed in a special priority queue. This is not a toll-free number but the caller will be routed to the next available Customer Service Representative for priority service. This is for Overseas customers only, all others should call the toll-free number or contact us via the Questions & Answers section of this website.

Information used above was provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs websites

VA Programs & Benefits 101 Articles

We are very excited to announce that we are going to start posting a series of articles on individual injuries, programs and the the disability compensation that accompanies each. We hope this series will help you navigate the VA system a little easier, while also providing the basics on injuries and the assistance available to you and your   family. 

Each article will be written in the same style to help you locate the information you need quicker. We hope these articles can be of assistance to you and your families.

Our first article will be posted here momentarily. 

Thank You,

Admins

VA eBenefits Portal for Veterans (Claims) & VSO Help

VA's ONLINE PORTAL COMPLETE INFORMATION HERE:


 https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal?_nfpb=true&_portlet.async=false&_pageLabel=ebenefits_myeb_vonapp1

NOTE: We HIGHLY recommend that you use a trained Veterans Service Officer to file all VA claims! 

Here is a short list of a few good ones:


AMVETS: http://www.amvets.org/locate-service-officer/ 


DAV: http://www.dav.org/veterans/NSOffices.aspx


VFW: http://www.vfw.org/NVS/

Happy 4th Birthday Post 9/11 GI Bill

In 4 years, 745,000 have used Post 9/11 GI Bill

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 29, 2012 15:55:34 EDT

On the fourth anniversary of the Post-9/11 GI Bill becoming law, the senator most responsible for the program says he is proud of the outcome.

“Educated veterans not only have an easier transition and readjustment experience, but they boast higher income levels, which in the long run increase tax revenues,” Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said in a statement.

“The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is the best veterans’ educational program in history. It pays for tuition, books and a monthly stipend in order to give our veterans a first-class shot at the future,” he said.

Webb, who is not running for re-election this year, campaigned on a promise of creating a modern-day GI Bill that provided full tuition plus a living stipend. He made it the first bill he introduced after being sworn into office in 2008.

“We can all take pride in saying that we have made a proper investment in the future of those who, since 9/11, have given so much to this country,” Webb said.

More than 745,000 Iraq and Afghanistan-era combat veterans or their dependents have used the program since its launch, and an additional half-million have applied for benefits but have not yet started using them.

COMPLETE STORY HERE: http://militarytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-in-4-years-745000-people-have-used-gi-bill-071612w/

Panetta says educating military children a national security issue

By CHRIS VAUGHN

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Published: June 27, 2012

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks to a national training conference of the Military Child Education Coalition, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas.

RON JENKINS/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM/MCT

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, leading a contingent of top-level leaders from the Pentagon to Grapevine the next two days, asserted in a speech this morning that educating the children of armed service members is a national security issue.

With 44 percent of the nation's military members called mom or dad, it is critical to attracting and keeping those volunteers by making sure their children receive the best education possible, Panetta said.

"The bottom line is that our military is better able to defend the country when we address the long-term educational needs of their children," Panetta said in one of the opening speeches at a national conference of the Military Child Education Coalition at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center.

The Military Child Education Coalition, a non-profit based in Harker Heights outside Fort Hood, was formed in the 1990s to help school teachers, counselors, social workers and other professionals work with the particular challenges of military children. It has also raised those children's profile within the Defense Department and Capitol Hill......

READ ARTICLE: http://www.stripes.com/news/army/panetta-says-educating-military-children-a-national-security-issue-1.181514?localLinksEnabled=false