RE: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,176187,00.html

Why does this not surprise me?

The funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom only took a week for funding to be approved..........You mean to tell me that we can't develop a new "System," for the VA to use to pay these veterans can't be devised in a year? I am also outraged that the VA wants to contract this task out, are we as veterans too complicated to deal with when it comes to bettering ourselves? I hope that the rest of the country chimes in on this issue to help resolve this matter.

This is not promising at all!

Once again the VA sure appears to be holding back benefits for entitled veterans; it's the SOP of that FUBAR system.

quote:

"I don't care how they do it," he said. "Veterans must get these benefits on time."

Solutions to problems were so much more simplier in the Rangers: Insert a ******* bullet in their mother******* face!!


We will get our benefits on time. Bush cronies are on their way out.

I have worked with the VA as a work-study position for the past three years and I realize that at times the system is wrought with issues. However, I would like to point out that this same issues arose when they created the last new chapter, REAP/Chapter 1607. It was seriously delayed as well.

I really don't believe that this new Chapter will be any different in terms of delays. While it would be nice to see an easy transition, I know better.

On the other side of the spectrum, I currently work full time at the same University I got my degree from and I can also predict a logistical nightmare with the new chapter implitation.

This is taken directly from the fact sheet from the main VA Gi Bill website right here:

http://www.gibill.va.gov/S22/Post_911_Factsheet.pdf


How much will I receive?
You are entitled to a percentage, as determined by your length of active duty service, of the following:
- Amount of tuition and fees charged, not to exceed the most expensive in-State undergraduate tuition at a public instituti- Amount of tuition and fees charged, not to exceed the most expensive in-State undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher education (paid to school);
- Monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing (BAH) amount payable to a military E-5 with dependents, in same zip code as school * (paid to you);
and
- Yearly books and supplies stipend of up to $1000* per year (paid to you); and
- A one time payment of $500 may be payable to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas. (paid to you)
NOTE –Housing allowance and books and supplies stipend is not payable to individuals on active duty. Housing allowance is not payable for those pursuing training at half time or less or to individuals taking distance learning.

Who at each University will manage these payment in a timely manner? What about those who work full time but only take one class? What about on-line classes? The door will swing both ways in delays....

Just food for thought.

I have a temporary solution to getting the monies to the Veterans.The V.A. could do an estimated payment to the Veteran.
One thousand for housing and an estimated tuition for each of the Fifty States on a pro-rated monthly basis. Any adjustment could be made during the course of the school year.

Kind of difficult to pay for Veteran's education programs when there's nothing but IOUs in the U.S. Treasury.

With the current fiscal crisis, I fear greatly that the administration will make Veterans benefits extremely low priority.

mw

quote:

Originally posted by BamBamRanger:

quote:

"I don't care how they do it," he said. "Veterans must get these benefits on time."

Solutions to problems were so much more simplier in the Rangers: Insert a ******* bullet in their mother******* face!!


We will get our benefits on time. Bush cronies are on their way out.

"Bush cronies are on their way out.[/QUOTE]"



It is time for the 8 years of shame and disgrace to come to an end.

quote:

Originally posted by 6837602:

quote:

Originally posted by BamBamRanger:

quote:

"I don't care how they do it," he said. "Veterans must get these benefits on time."

Solutions to problems were so much more simplier in the Rangers: Insert a ******* bullet in their mother******* face!!


We will get our benefits on time. Bush cronies are on their way out.

"Bush cronies are on their way out.

"



It is time for the 8 years of shame and disgrace to come to an end.[/QUOTE]

It was f'd up, a lot longer than just the current administration...
Respectfully, SUNLINER81

quote:

Originally posted by BamBamRanger:

quote:

"I don't care how they do it," he said. "Veterans must get these benefits on time."

Solutions to problems were so much more simplier in the Rangers: Insert a ******* bullet in their mother******* face!!


We will get our benefits on time. Bush cronies are on their way out.

Well, now....ain't it just fine for some guy that claims to be a Ranger to squawk about something he probably hasn't even earned? Take a hike, Toad. If you were a real Ranger, you'd fill out your profile!

"The difference between the concept and getting it so payments arrive on time is huge," said Stephen Warren, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department's information and technology office.

"It's extremely complicated."



I thought these guy's get paid to handle the "extremely complicated". Sounds like an excuse to me.

Regrettably the VA’s incompetence and indifference towards soldiers is legendary. The only real fix would be for the Federal Government to privatize the Veterans Administration and require private sector companies to compete for the contracts. Until that happens we are going to continue to have good soldiers frustrated in the pursuit of their benefits by an organization populated by a staff who have forgotten that they are there to serve the veterans and not the other way round…

What I am concernd about is that if you are not on active duty,your benefits are not tranferable.Let's look at this if you are not retired your kids are not in colleage.A retired service member is most in need of help to send his or her kids to colleage.And the retired member is most often not going to return back to school.

Why am I not shocked? I am 50% disabled, and have been out of the Army for over three years now. I have been trying to get Voc Rehab since I was granted my 50% disability but was told that I don't qualify. Why? Because I speak Arabic. Big flip... I can't find a job that doesn't aggravate my disabilities that also uses the Arabic language (they all want me to deploy for the first year I work with the company), and I can't find a job outside of Arabic that pays the bills without a college degree. Tell that to the VA reps. They can't think for themselves... they have a matrix that they follow ("...if yes, follow this line to the next question; if no, send veteran away and tell them there is no hope for them"). Why expect them to actually do anything different? I just moved to Guam and the VA office here told me that in order to do anything with the VA, I had to contact Hawaii. Why is there even an office here if I have to do everything through Hawaii?! This comes as no surprise to me... the VA just doesn't know how to support the veterans. I seriously think it's in their SOP to make it difficult to get anything accomplished through them.

Hey, VA, have you considered using "computers" for this new system?

Through the miracle of electronic databases, you could maybe set up something like this:

rate = 1;
if (monthsServed < 36 ) { rate = (monthsServed / 36); }
moneyToSchool = rate * stateTuitionTable(yourState);
moneyToPerson = colaTable[yourZipCode];
directDeposit(moneyToPerson, you);
sendCheck(moneyToSchool, yourSchool);

Super-complicated, I know, and it doesn't even add in the $1000/year for books! The actual code could be 5 times as long, but if you get some really expensive contractors, they should be able to figure it out in the next 10 months!

If not, let me know and I can get my friend at Dunkin Donuts to make the new system for you this weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by wtpworrier:
"The difference between the concept and getting it so payments arrive on time is huge," said Stephen Warren, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department's information and technology office.

"It's extremely complicated."



"I thought these guy's get paid to handle the "extremely complicated". Sounds like an excuse to me.

"



And people still want to vote to keep this kind of incompetence in office? No way. You have got to be kidding me!! These people have no idea what they're doing. The next thing you know, they will try to take away medicare from the elderly.

I have a novel idea- Everyone who risked their life for this country whether it was 6 months or 10 years gets a full 4 year paid tuition. maybe that will uncomplicate the system.

There are some active duty members that have never seen the brown sands of the Iraqi desert and then there are some Guard troops who have been there more times than they can count, so why discriminate between the two types of military duty?

quote:

Originally posted by atpage:
Hey, VA, have you considered using "computers" for this new system?

Through the miracle of electronic databases, you could maybe set up something like this:

rate = 1;
if (monthsServed < 36 ) { rate = (monthsServed / 36); }
moneyToSchool = rate * stateTuitionTable(yourState);
moneyToPerson = colaTable[yourZipCode];
directDeposit(moneyToPerson, you);
sendCheck(moneyToSchool, yourSchool);

Super-complicated, I know, and it doesn't even add in the $1000/year for books! The actual code could be 5 times as long, but if you get some really expensive contractors, they should be able to figure it out in the next 10 months!

If not, let me know and I can get my friend at Dunkin Donuts to make the new system for you this weekend.

There it is!

Many years ago, I had a customer (GSA) who was told by his IT department that it would take at least seven months for them to implement a data conversion from their old Paradox DB to an Access DB; I said really? I sat down and showed them how to do a simple semi-direct data-file conversion (after backing up the file) to the newer format. It took me about ten minutes of actual manipulation and about the same amount of time for the actual "data-didling" on the part of the computer itself!

The Department Manager (an MBA) stood there for a moment with his jaw hanging open and asked how much they owed me and I just said "Pffft!" I only charge when it actually takes effort!

If I had to write some code (at that time, RPG II, COBOL, or PASCAL were more commonplace), I probably would have gone over an hour, but would have preferred Assembly-code.

If it were today, I would have given them my ten-year old Grandson's phone number; it would be a good excercise for him of an evening!

I agree a year to get this done should ample time, considering it has been passed into law for several months now.

Just a thought, if this is creating more work then current staff can handle, hire veterans to solve it (they will).

Just to make it clear, I am confident that this is a complex situation that is more then simply writing some computer programing codes. The VA as well as most (all) government agencies are so regulated that things that we believe to be simple, no brainers become complex processes that frustrate you and me. I'd venture to say those that work in the system as well.

But without these rules people would be shouting for more oversight of how the VA spends the money that is in very short supply. We have all heard the stories of overspending for something by government agencies.

I get just as frustrated as you with this system. But what would be the alternative if it didn't exist ?