Can someone please clarify two questions for me? None of the FA summaries received so far lists GI Bill benefits and I’m afraid we missed a step somewhere.
@onlyrodeo I’m a vet and some schools have asked if I will be using the GI bill. Some apps have asked if I was prior service and some apps have also asked If I am a dependent.
The tuition fairness act gives all veterans in state tuition at every public school in the country.
@Southerngent. Does the tuition fairness act also apply to dependents using the bill?
@onlyrodeo That is a great question, after some research I think it might only include veterans. Here is an excerpt from the bill:
“[This act] directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for purposes of the educational assistance programs administered by the Secretary, to disapprove courses of education provided by a public educational institution that does not charge tuition and fees for veterans at the same rate that is charged for in-state residents, regardless of the veteran’s state of residence. Provides for the treatment of veterans enrolled in courses at such institutions before July 1, 2015.”
Let me know if you have any other questions about the GI bill, I have been using it for about 2 years now.
@Southerngent. Who do I call at the schools to clarify what is covered etc? Financial aid, veterans service, admissions? I know that this is a very busy time for all schools and I want to be considerate by not calling around to wrong areas. Thanks so much for your help.
@onlyrodeo Most schools have a veteran office, I would try and contact them
Thanks for all your help @Southerngent. I called the VA office this morning and they informed me that the act does not go into effect until 7/1/15 and that all schools have been notified of the change. They also confirmed that it also applies to dependents using the bill, not just vets. Good news!
Wow!!! Way to go congress for that one, I wasn’t going to apply for UNC Chapel Hill until I heard about the bill being passed!!! @onlyrodeo Good luck for you and your family. Let me know how the admissions process goes.
“The tuition fairness act gives all veterans in state tuition at every public school in the country.”
@Southerngent The bill actually only applies to veterans, and their dependents, using GI Bill benefits. However, some states had already passed their own bills giving veterans in-state tuition with no strings attached. But, those states are few and far between, so it’s like playing hop-scotch.
The bottom line - that nobody seems to want to talk about - is that this new act discriminates against older veterans who have already served and used their GI Bill benefits, or for some reason let them expire. In this economy, lots of people are going back to college to change career tracks, etc. It makes me sick that with every new war we enter that the soldiers/sailors/airmen who are on active duty are made to be heroes (rightfully so), but all of us who came before them are demoted to chopped liver and disregarded like our service and sacrifice meant absolutely nothing.
If they really want to help and honor veterans they need to make the bill apply to ALL honorably discharged veterans, not just those who still have GI Bill benefits left to use. I’m so sick of all this lip service about honoring and taking care of us, but when it comes time to put the money where the mouth is it’s just half measures, restrictions, and poorly planned/implemented programs.