http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/80326057.html
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
THE NEW GI Bill promises to pay for college tuition, books and
housing for veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It's a popular program, especially with unemployment rates at
historic highs. Nationwide, some 260,000 veterans have jumped at the
chance for a low-cost college certificate or degree since the program
took effect last August.
But slow-moving bureaucracy at the Veterans Affairs Department has
delayed checks for months, forcing many military personnel to wait,
take out loans or deplete their savings in order to go to school.
Marine Chris Mazzocchi of Saddle Brook served in Iraq and decided to
take advantage of the GI Bill to study criminal justice at Bergen
Community College. He is entitled to a tuition reimbursement and a
housing allowance of $2,033 per month, Staff Writer Patricia Alex
reported, but wasn't sent any money until an emergency check for
$3,000 arrived in October.
Now, Mazzocchi has completed an entire semester of school and run up
debt. In December, he had to borrow money from his family in order to
make the rent.
Mazzocchi is not alone. Tuition payments were delayed for half of the
225 veterans currently attending BCC under the new GI Bill.
Thankfully, the school will let the veterans sign up for the next
semester and start school on Jan. 25. Veterans' landlords, however,
may not be so understanding.
"The VA says, 'we're going to get you the money eventually,' " said
Derek Blumke of the Student Veterans of America. "But a landlord
doesn't want to hear eventually. He has his own mortgage to pay."
The VA is struggling to administer the program more quickly, with the
goal of clearing out the backlog of claims and bringing January
payments up to date by Feb. 1. It has increased staff for the program
from 800 to 1,200 and is trying to put an automated system in place
by the end of 2010.
But currently, veterans are left with an inefficient bureaucracy that
leaves many of them wanting for months on end. The formula the VA
uses to calculate benefits is extremely complicated, and its
technology is so antiquated it takes about 90 minutes to process each
claim. The program is estimated to cost eventually $78 billion; so
far, the department has paid out just $1 billion.
The intentions are good, as they often are when it comes to veterans.
But unfortunately, the VA's poor execution has provided another
example of our nation giving only lip service to those who serve.
Our soldiers have dedicated their energy, grit and loyalty, risking
their lives in repeated deployments to the many dangerous fronts in
our nation's two long wars. The United States needs to do better by
them. These soldiers and Marines weren't late for their deployments.
The least the government can do is be on time with their benefits.
Many credit the original GI Bill, which sent soldiers to school and
helped pay their mortgages after they served in World War II, with
helping create a postwar boom that buoyed our nation's economy for a
generation. The new GI Bill is well-intended and could prove a
powerful investment in veterans and the nation's ailing economy. But
if the money doesn't reach those who are entitled to it, it's nothing
more than a broken promise.
THE NEW GI Bill promises to pay for college tuition, books and
housing for veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It's a popular program, especially with unemployment rates at
historic highs. Nationwide, some 260,000 veterans have jumped at the
chance for a low-cost college certificate or degree since the program
took effect last August.
But slow-moving bureaucracy at the Veterans Affairs Department has
delayed checks for months, forcing many military personnel to wait,
take out loans or deplete their savings in order to go to school.
Marine Chris Mazzocchi of Saddle Brook served in Iraq and decided to
take advantage of the GI Bill to study criminal justice at Bergen
Community College. He is entitled to a tuition reimbursement and a
housing allowance of $2,033 per month, Staff Writer Patricia Alex
reported, but wasn't sent any money until an emergency check for
$3,000 arrived in October.
Now, Mazzocchi has completed an entire semester of school and run up
debt. In December, he had to borrow money from his family in order to
make the rent.
Mazzocchi is not alone. Tuition payments were delayed for half of the
225 veterans currently attending BCC under the new GI Bill.
Thankfully, the school will let the veterans sign up for the next
semester and start school on Jan. 25. Veterans' landlords, however,
may not be so understanding.
"The VA says, 'we're going to get you the money eventually,' " said
Derek Blumke of the Student Veterans of America. "But a landlord
doesn't want to hear eventually. He has his own mortgage to pay."
The VA is struggling to administer the program more quickly, with the
goal of clearing out the backlog of claims and bringing January
payments up to date by Feb. 1. It has increased staff for the program
from 800 to 1,200 and is trying to put an automated system in place
by the end of 2010.
But currently, veterans are left with an inefficient bureaucracy that
leaves many of them wanting for months on end. The formula the VA
uses to calculate benefits is extremely complicated, and its
technology is so antiquated it takes about 90 minutes to process each
claim. The program is estimated to cost eventually $78 billion; so
far, the department has paid out just $1 billion.
The intentions are good, as they often are when it comes to veterans.
But unfortunately, the VA's poor execution has provided another
example of our nation giving only lip service to those who serve.
Our soldiers have dedicated their energy, grit and loyalty, risking
their lives in repeated deployments to the many dangerous fronts in
our nation's two long wars. The United States needs to do better by
them. These soldiers and Marines weren't late for their deployments.
The least the government can do is be on time with their benefits.
Many credit the original GI Bill, which sent soldiers to school and
helped pay their mortgages after they served in World War II, with
helping create a postwar boom that buoyed our nation's economy for a
generation. The new GI Bill is well-intended and could prove a
powerful investment in veterans and the nation's ailing economy. But
if the money doesn't reach those who are entitled to it, it's nothing
more than a broken promise.
.
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