Good Intentions + Details = Buracracy
The ambitious new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is touted as the most generous version of the law since the original, extremely expansive, 1944 version.
Though the original G.I. Bill had its issues too, its passage enabled college educations for 7.8 million veterans who might have not had the opportunity otherwise, and helped stabilize the postwar economy. It also initiated a campus housing boom, as the veterans needed places to live while attending classes.
But a large government program meant to benefit a wide range of people in a variety of geographical areas, in partnership with institutions in every state, will have complications, and some people willbenefit more than others. The Post-9/11 version doesn’t supersede its predecessor, the Montgomery G.I. Bill, but supplements it. The new bill goes into effect August 1.
Theoretically, with the Yellow Ribbon Program, veterans should be able to attend private schools with the same ease as they would attend public schools. Institutions enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon Program can partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs to match, dollar-for-dollar, the cost of enrollment at that institution above what the G.I. Bill would normally cover. The G.I. Bill’s base rate is the in-state tuition for the most expensive public school in the state. Yellow Ribbon Program institutions agree to help make up that difference, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, for a certain number of students. Public schools enrolled in the program agree to help meet the difference for particularly expensive programs or for out-of-state students. Veterans may apply for benefits starting this month; the monies are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis. About 700 institutions have agreed to the plan.
The G.I. Bill was passed before the economic floor fell through, and the timing has complicated things. The Department of Veterans Affairs invited colleges and universities to apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program in early spring, after budgets were finalized and purse strings tightened. The vagaries in the ways institutions and states apply and award aid are also complicating factors.
California’s public institutions don’t charge tuition for resident students; all their costs are billed as fees. This distinction doesn’t make a difference for in-state veterans attending public institutions in California, but for veterans hoping to attend private institutions, or out-of state students, it means their tuition benefit is $0. Private colleges and universities in California found the prospect of making up such a huge gap daunting.
Some institutions, such as Princeton, declined to sign on to the Yellow Ribbon Program because they have a completely need-based system of awarding aid.
The tuition benefit varies considerably, depending how expensive public schools in a certain state are. In Washington, D.C, the only public institution, the University of the District of Columbia, is one of the least expensive in the nation. D.C.’s private institutions are among the most expensive. Institutions, such as American University, have a large gap to fill. American University, for its part, has agreed to offer $13,750 to up to four undergraduate student veterans for the 2009-10 year. Combined with the government benefits, qualifying veterans would have a full ride. However, there are at least seven veterans who are interested in the benefits, and they will reluctantly compete against each other for the money. Many other institutions are in a similarly unenviable position–squeezed between budgets and the desire to assist veterans and potential students.
For details on the G.I. Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program, go to the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
