Veterans Education Benefits Essay

According to Gonzalez et al., there have been several GI Bills in the history of United States veteran education support since the end of the Second World War (3). The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the most recent, having been in effect since 2009, with service members who served since September 11, 2001, being eligible for educational benefits. The Veteran Affairs (VA) department oversees the issuance of benefits to former service members based on their eligibility. The amount of benefits available to every member varies depending on the time served in the military and disabilities suffered during service. Millions of service members have been empowered by the bill to pursue post-secondary education, attending both public and private 2-year and 4-year programs. However, battlefield issues like PTSD and other disabilities make it harder for beneficiaries of Veteran Educational Benefits to take advantage of the great opportunities available to them through the program.

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One of the greatest challenges to veteran students is the lack of knowledge on the various types of benefits and how to best apply for them. Apart from the nationwide benefits from the GI Bill, there are programs like the Vocational rehabilitation, the Purple Heart Scholarship, and tuition assistance programs in different institutions (Ahern et al. 25). Having a liaison between the veterans and the Veteran Affairs office allows the beneficiaries to avoid many bureaucratic hindrances and communicate more effectively through pooling issues together. The School Certifying Official is a common strategy in many universities in America, whereby an institution creates an office to deal specifically with veteran students, address their issue son adjustment to the civil world, and aid them with applying for grants, scholarships, and fulfilling the requirements for VA benefits.

The work of a School Certifying Official, as the go-to person for all the educational needs of the veteran student, is multifaceted (Ahern et al. 25). Research has indicated that some veterans suffering from withdrawal symptoms and culture shock at the relaxed school environment (in contrast to the structured military environment) have trouble picking and registering for classes. The go-to person consults with them and their professors to ensure that the veteran students under his/her charge register for their classes. Furthermore, the go-to person advices veterans on the processes to follow in dropping or picking up new units, withdrawing from an ill-suited course and all other educational concerns.

Since veterans may not always be in a position to follow up on the discharging of funds from the Department of Veteran Affairs, the go-to person is responsible for monitoring the exchange of payments between the VA and the institution where veterans are pursuing their education. According to Gonzalez et al., the administration of the Veterans Education Benefits program encompasses numerous federal bodies, such as the Department of Defense, the different departments at the VA office, and the Education (ED) administrator (2). Keeping track of all these commitments and requires the help of go to specialists.

The process of applying for veteran education benefits is also quite elaborate. For example, for the Long Island University (LIU), eligible veterans are required to send an email to the LIU post veterans with a completed certificate of entitlement and pedigree form attached. After verification of all paperwork, the application email is sent to the certifying official to start processing the application forms for eligible students for the actual funding from VA. A folder is opened at the University for the Veteran Student to make it easier to follow up on their progress from admission to settling on campus and carrying on with their studies.

After the initial application process to join the university, students are required to follow up with the certifying official on a term-to-term basis and their progress reports filed in their student folder for reference. Since the veteran education benefits are valid for thirty-six months after the start of a course, veterans are required to renew their certificates of eligibility every term (Szymendera 1). The thirty-six-month eligibility clause also makes it necessary for veterans to plan additional classes during breaks to allow them to take reap the maximum educational benefits possible. Furthermore, adding and dropping classes requires the consultation of the certifying official and the education administrator who sends the financials to the office of veteran affairs and receive funds on behalf of the student.

A go-to person not only helps veterans to receive funding from the VA, he or she proffers advise on subject selection during the add-drop period. It is, therefore, very important for veteran students to keep their certifying officials (or alternative go-to person) informed about their educational decisions and goings-on. Without liaisons, veterans would miss the opportunity to take advantage of GI Bill benefits, Vocational Rehabilitation, and scholarship opportunities. Centralizing the management of all the financial aspects of veteran education benefits recipients allows the person to address issues affecting veterans' in general while also paying attention to each student.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is very important to have a go-to person for veterans seeking educational benefits enshrined in the GI Bills. Most colleges and universities have a certifying official who assists veteran students in filling out their application forms, follows up on the approval and the receipt of funds, and works with students to help them maximize the educational benefits accrued from the program.

Works Cited

Radford, Alexandria W. Bentz, Alexander. Dekker & Paslov, Remmert J. After the Post-9/11 GI Bill: A profile of military service members and veterans enrolled in undergraduate and graduate education. National Center for Education Statistics, 2016

Ahern, Aaron. Foster, Michael. & Head, Darlene. Working with student veterans 101.

Gonzalez, Gabriella C. Miller, Laura L. Buryk, Peter. Wenger, Jennie W. Higher education benefits for Post-9/11 military service members and veterans. RAND Corporation, 2015

Szymendera, Scott D. Who is a "veteran"?-Basic eligibility for veterans' benefits. Congressional Research Service, 2016