Paul J. Tobin
President, VetsFirst
On March 18, 2009 I had the opportunity to meet with a group of young veterans at Lehman College, City University New York. These young people are coming together to form a veteran’s community and this was one of their initial meetings.
I was invited to present an overview of veterans’ benefits for young veterans who have not yet taken advantage of VA health care, compensation, or education benefits. This was an exciting opportunity for me since I have long realized the benefit to vets of knowing their VA rights prior to needing them. I have firsthand witnessed the frustrations and the hardships that veterans suffer when they attempt to first understand and negotiate the benefits maze at a time when their need is immediate and greatest. This presentation was an opportunity to arm these young vets with benefits knowledge that would serve them now and in the future.
By far the most interesting topic among these veterans was how they can maximize the use of education benefits through the post-911 G.I. Bill. The post 911 G.I. Bill is by far the most generous benefit offered to veterans since the original GI Bill following World War II.
The Bill provides up to the maximum in state tuition at a state university, along with a stipend and a housing allowance. It would seem that this benefit would trump all other educational benefits offered; however, by using certain state veteran programs, this benefit may enable certain veterans to avail themselves of both a college education as well as graduate and post-graduate education.
In all, it was a great experience spending time and talking with these new veterans. It reminded me of how varied are the needs of our veterans and how diverse our veteran population is.
To learn how you can maximize your education benefits under the post-911 G.I. Bill, contact one of our VetsFirst service officers, so you can learn to coordinate your state and federal education benefits to your maximum advantage.