Editorial: Forgotten details, forgotten soldiers

Helping our veterans through college education is the least we can do

Instead of being welcomed home by cheering crowds, many student veterans have only long lines and broken promises to look forward to.

Established in 1947, Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture opened its doors to 212 World War II veterans and has kept a long tradition of helping veterans further their educations.

Taking the time to remember the fighting men and women who protect our country should not be condensed to Veterans Day. Americans should take the time to protect the rights and benefits of the veterans who risk their lives daily.

As a result of poor planning for processing the claims, student veterans were forced to take loans out just to get through their college lives.

In June 2008, former President George W. Bush signed into law Chapter 33, better known as the “Post 9/11 GI Bill.”

As a result of the bill, the Pierce College Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veterans Office and United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have experienced an increase in veteran benefit applications, producing a bottleneck effect in which veterans who had signed up were not receiving their payments on time.

This should not have happened.

America’s soldiers fight for the freedom and prosperity of all Americans. It would be wrong and unfair to insert roadblocks into their educational paths.

The bill, designed to help pay for the education of veterans who have served on active duty since 9/11, went into effect Aug. 1.

Based on the length of their active service, the bill helps provide for veterans’ costs of tuition, fees, monthly housing and yearly books, with an additional supply stipend of up to $1,000 per year and a onetime payment of $500 for eligible veterans.

Now the VA is attempting to correct the issue.

The VA announced Wednesday they were soliciting for a private contractor to help the department file post-9/11 claims to help ensure veterans receive their payments on time for the Spring 2010 semester.

In the past year, Pierce has continued to help veterans by organizing a Veterans Support Team, and as a result of a survey conducted in the spring, launching a Web site to help veterans who attend Pierce. Currently, the Pierce office certifies enrollment for approximately 250 to 300 veterans annually.

The traditions of Pierce and the work of the VA should be applauded and continued, but their actions should be better monitored so our returning heroes are not faced with unpaid bills and headaches.