quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:
As I read the intent, it is to ensure that college costs are covered at any state university. Seems to me that Uncle Sam should simply be the billee for a veteran's college bill at any state school.

For private schools, there should, IMHO, be a flat cap. Whether it is $13,000 or $10,000 or whatever, the private school reimbursement rate should be the same nationwide.

quote:

Originally posted by L0A1:

quote:

Originally posted by I_M_Qwerty:
As I read the intent, it is to ensure that college costs are covered at any state university. Seems to me that Uncle Sam should simply be the billee for a veteran's college bill at any state school.

For private schools, there should, IMHO, be a flat cap. Whether it is $13,000 or $10,000 or whatever, the private school reimbursement rate should be the same nationwide.

It is for the Gi Bill.

1,300 a month no matter where you go.

quote:

IAVA is petitioning lawmakers to put a $13,000 per semester cap on all benefits;

quote:

Originally posted by 17186765:
You have to be a moron to believe that this leads to uneven benefits; I really don't know what the agenda for these guys is, but the reason for the structuring of this new GI bill is so that it is even for everyone in terms of GETTING AN EDUCATION, not money in your pocket!!!!

The major difference in this GI bill and the last one is that the VA will pay the school directly, not reimburse the vet, and will cover all of your tuition (as high as the highest public institution in your state). There are too many whiney idiots out there who don't realize that this is NOT TO PAY YOU, so it doesn't matter what state you live in or how much they are paying; THE POINT IS: THEY ARE PAYING FOR YOUR EDUCATION!!!

If you choose to go to school in Alabama or Arkansas, guess what? They are paying for your education and living, based on where you live. Now, if they change it, to lower it so that everyone is only receiving enough to cover school in less-expensive states, then they will be happy, but those attending in California, New York, Washington, Texas will be hung out to dry.

AGAIN, PAY ATTENTION HERE....THIS MONEY IS NOT GOING TO YOUR POCKET, SO IT DOES NOT MATTER that one location gets more than another. I'm going to UCLA, and the BAH for an E-5 with dependants their is over $2000 a month. That would be great to have in Arkansas, but guess what; in Los Angeles, that barely covers rent or mortgage. The reason that this bill is structured like this is to account for that, to make it fair for everyone. The University of California school system is one of the most expensive public institutions, which is why the VA is paying more for an education there.

The only important thing to understand here, is that no matter who you are, or wherever you choose to go to school, as it is now written they will pay for your education. Do not let these people fool you into thinking that this great inequality exists, they are up to something, I promise you. This is one of the greatest victories for the rights of veterans; as a Green Beret who has served in Iraq (twice), Afghanistan and Africa, I finally feel as if our government is doing something truly good for Vets.

I encourage anyone who is a member of this Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan group to end their membership, these people are trying to take away a very good thing for Veterans. My fiancee has to stay in the LA area for work, if this bill is changed the way that they want it, then this bill will be next to worthless for other vets in my situation (or state). That would change from actually paying for school to only taking care of about 10% of it. PAY ATTENTION! This can be a great thing, don't let this group destroy this.

As a caveat to this: for all of the people who are upset because of the private school possibility, it is now cheaper to go to an Ivy league school (Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton) than it is to go to most public universities (UT, UCLA). The Ivy leagues have re-adjusted their tuitions and fees because they did not have enough middle-class students at their schools. If you have the grades/SAT/ACT scores, it's worth a look. All of their tuitions are based on a sliding-scale based on income; if you made $60k or less last year, it would only cost about $4k a semester at Harvard, but would still be $13k at UCLA. The great thing about this bill, you can choose where you move based on where you want to go to school (like any college-bound student leaving high school).

Don't limit yourself. The only thing that I agree on with the current President is that we need to increase the average level of education in this country. Don't let your ACAP/TAP instructor or 1st SGT's fool you into believing that a college degree isn't that important. Education is the most important benefit a person can have, and the fact that all GWOT Vets have access to it now, regardless of rank, background, or job, is an amazing thing; let's not let it go to waste or be taken away from us.