The Kind of Help They Could Do Without
In an attempt to help veterans further their educations in the long-term, lawmakers may have, ironically, significantly disadvantaged current veteran students.
When the Higher Education Act was renewed last year, Congress changed it so veterans’ military benefits would not count against their eligibility for unsubsidized loans and institutional aid. This change was made effective for 2010-2011, but the additional GI monies are available this year. So some veterans may be required to return all or some of their student aid, thanks to this glitch.
The House attempted to mend this error with a technical corrections bill passed in March but the Senate has not yet voted on it, even as the 2009-2010 school year rapidly approaches. The University of California is urging their senators to pass the bill to avoid disrupting the educations of veterans as well as creating a logistical and bureaucratic mess.
