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August 3: Making College More Affordable for Our Veterans and Soldiers

August 3, 2009
st1\:* {BEHAVIOR: url(#ieooui)}@font-face {font-family: Georgia;}@page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin: .5in; mso-footer-margin: .5in; mso-paper-source: 0; }P.MsoNormal {FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"}LI.MsoNormal {FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"}DIV.MsoNormal {FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"}P {FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto}DIV.Section1 {page: Section1}Congresswoman Kaptur said legislation, which Congress passed last year, provides eligible service personnel and veterans the economic support they would need to pursue higher education at such institutions such as the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, and Owens Community College.


Kaptur said her office has prepared a constituent information package that contains detailed information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which she called the “most extensive program to help our veterans with college expenses since the original GI Bill in 1944.”

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is geared to veterans and service personnel (including Reservists and the National Guard) with at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, or individuals who were discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. To be eligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, a service member must have received an honorable discharge.



Generally speaking, the longer the service, the higher the level of assistance. Tuition and fees are paid directly to the school by the Veterans Administration and must not exceed the maximum in-state tuition and fees at a public institution of higher learning.



Kaptur also noted that the Yellow Ribbon program, another provision of the new GI Bill, makes educational opportunities at private institutions such as Lourdes College and Oberlin College available to: a) veterans and service personnel who have served at least 36 months since September 10, 2001; b) veterans who were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-related disability after serving at least 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001; or, 3) in some cases, their dependents.


The Yellow Ribbon program allows degree-granting institutions to enter voluntarily into a formal agreement with the Veterans Administration to provide assistance when tuition and fees exceed the highest public, in-state undergraduate rates. The institution can contribute up to 50% of those costs and VA will match this additional funding for eligible students.


Also participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program at Mercy College of Northwest Ohio and Herzing University in Toledo as well as ITT Technical Institute in Maumee.
Kaptur said the VA expects large numbers of veterans and service members to sign up for the new program. The VA has already received more than 80,000 claims for education benefits during since Veterans and service members could apply online. Up to 460,000 students are expected to participate in the program during the first year.