By Terry Howell

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced S. 3447, a bill to improve the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits program. The bill includes six major changes that will be welcomed by veteran students, school officials, and veterans service organizations.

“With ten months of experience under the new program, I believe it is time to look at what improvements and modifications need to be made in order for the program to reach its potential,” said Akaka. (more…)

This video was produced and directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes (SSG), Army OIF 07–08 and recent graduate of the USC Film School. All of the Veterans featured in this video are combat Veterans employed in Vet Centers.

It appears the fix is on for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Military.com’s own Bryant Jordan.

Improvements to the Post-9/11 GI Bill; an end — at long last — to the “disabled veterans’ tax” known as concurrent receipt; and expanded services to rural, homeless and other vets.

These are things veterans can expect to see — some in just months, others over the next year or two — as Congress moves to improve programs and services to the nation’s vets, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told Military​.com recently in an exclusive interview.

Related Video:

Read the full article.

Guest Blogger — Ben Krause

Since the inception of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, many disabled veterans have been faced with a choice; should I use the GI Bill or Voc Rehab? Recently, many Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC) have been pushing disabled veterans in the direction of the GI Bill for one reason, and one reason only, disabled veterans are not treated fairly. The current stipend amounts are unfairly tilted toward veterans instead the more needy, disabled veterans. (more…)

By Terry Howell

When the Post-9/11 GI Bill was first signed into law the general consensus was that it was the greatest benefit package since the advent of the original GI Bill in 1944. And, on balance it is. Among other benefits, the Post-9/11 GI Bill offers veterans the opportunity to earn a degree without having to pay any tuition, it offers a generous living stipend which can be as much $2,800 a month, and book stipend of up to $1000 a year. (more…)

The American Veteran features a video news segment which explains the the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s Yellow Ribbon Program. The story features two veteran students who are using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to attend Harvard University.

The VA announced they are now accepting applications for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry Scholarship. The Fry Scholarship is an amendment to the Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33) that makes education benefits available to the children of service members who die in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001. (more…)

ACE to Convene National Conversation on Veterans in Higher Education

The American Council on Education (ACE),will hold a three-day online brainstorming event, the Veteran Success Jam, from May 3–6, 2010, to identify innovative solutions to existing barriers facing veterans in higher education.

The Veteran Success Jam is an online collaborative brainstorming event in which veterans, active duty, service members, and their families will join representatives of colleges and universities, higher education associations, nonprofit organizations and the federal government in a facilitated and targeted conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing veterans in higher education. Among those expected to participate are U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary Ray Jefferson; Brigadier General Loree Sutton, director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury; and representatives of Student Veterans of America.

During the Jam, participants will have access to a series of dynamic webinars hosted by national experts on a variety of issues. Topics include challenges and solutions for those with brain injuries;  implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill; college credit for military training and experience; and coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. Presenters will available after the webinars to answer questions and provide additional information. The full webinar schedule is available here.

Read the full article.

Disabled Veteran and Assistant Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Tammy Duckworth recently decided to go back to school and share her experiences with using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and reintegrating into the civilian world of academia with Military​.com readers.

In the second installment of her series of op-eds entitled, Back to School on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Duckworth makes some good points about the need for more than financial support to ensure vets are able make it graduation.

Read Tammy Duckworth’s full article on Military.com’s feature - The Passdown.

This week the VA posted its initial list of schools which will be participating in the Yellow Ribbon program for the 2010 — 2011 school year. The list is not final and will be updated periodically as additional information is received. The final listing of schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program will be posted approximately June 1, 2010.

Click here to view the list.