After a couple of weeks of “interesting” town hall meetings on health care reform, during some of which Senator Arlen Specter faced some very tough, loud and rowdy questioning, the Senator from Pennsylvania held a town hall meeting this morning that was quite different.
Joined by the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, retired four-star General Eric Shinseki, Specter spoke to and fielded questions for about an hour from an audience of about 200 veterans at Drexel University. There was none of the strident “debate” that was so prevalent at recent health care town hall meetings.
Shinseki talked about modernizing the Veterans Administration and promised that our veterans will not see any changes to their medical benefits as part of the health care reform plan that is being discussed in Congress and across the nation.
Other subjects discussed were special programs for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and the post 9/11 GI bill.
An important provision in the new G.I. Bil is the “Yellow Ribbon Program” for post 9/11 veterans.
In, “The New GI Bill Is Now in Effect,” I discussed the Post 9/11 GI bill that went into effect on August 1, 2009. A bill that creates solid education and other benefits programs, and becomes the most robust and comprehensive education program since the World War II “GI Bill.”
I briefly mentioned the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The Yellow Ribbon Program (long name: The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (short name: the new G.I. Bill).
While The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays up to the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition and fees, a person may have tuition and fees that exceed that amount if attending a private institution, graduate school or attending in an out-of-state status.
However, if the person is enrolled at a Yellow Ribbon participating institution and the tuition and fees exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition or fees, additional funds may be available for his or her education program without an additional charge to his or her entitlement.
The Institutions of Higher Learning must agree to certain conditions.
Institutions that voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Agreement with VA choose the amount of tuition and fees that will be contributed. VA will match that amount and issue payment directly to the institution.
Are you eligible?
Only individuals entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements) may receive this funding. Therefore, you may be eligible if:
• You served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months;
• You were honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001;
• You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on a veteran’s service under the eligibility criteria listed above.
To find out if your school is participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program, please click here.
The Yellow Ribbon Program at the GI Bill Web Site has additional information and answers to questions such as:
When will benefits under the Yellow Ribbon Program be available?
How much money will I receive under the Yellow Ribbon Program?
What portion of tuition and fees charges will be considered under the Yellow Ribbon Program?
How do I apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program?
How do I apply for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill?
For additional information please visit www.gibill.va.gov and the Yellow Ribbon Program.
