Obama administration blows School for Soldiers program, too
posted at 1:36 pm on September 25, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
The Obama administration has yet to fully unsnarl the reimbursements from the Cash for Clunkers program, and have claimed that the overwhelming demand caught them by surprise. In contrast, the latest GI Bill for veteran education, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, has been in effect for more than a year, with fairly predictable demand curves. So why did the administration botch tuition payments for tens of thousands of veterans at the beginning of this semester?
The U.S. government failed to send promised college tuition checks to tens of thousands of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars before they returned to school this fall, even after being warned that it was inadequately staffed for the job.
The Veterans Affairs Department blamed a backlog of claims filed for GI Bill education benefits that has left veterans who counted on the money for tuition and books scrambling to make ends meet. …
Out of more than 277,000 veterans who have filed for the college tuition benefits this semester, more than 200,000 claims have been processed and approved, but fewer than 11 percent of the veterans have received the funding, according to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
The group says it has been contacted by thousands of veterans who have not received their benefits and that they are forced to take out loans or pay the money out of their pockets.
Just imagine what these same people can do when they take over your health benefits!
How long will it take before the media notices the pattern here? This program has been in place for months, and now it has a whopping 89% failure rate in a program that shouldn’t have a 5% failure rate. It doesn’t take a claims genius to process and approve tuition reimbursement requests. They are a lot less complicated than, say, health care claims.
There is no excuse that covers this performance. For those who believe that government can handle systems better than the private sector, let them first demand that government fix the systems it currently controls. They can start with the School for Soldiers program, and then start working on Indian Health Services, and let us know when they’re done culling the waste, fraud, and abuse from Medicare. Maybe at that point, we’ll trust them with a pilot program someplace else.
Addendum: Yes, I know the program applies to Marines, sailors, airmen, and Coast Guard too, but I wanted to give it the same alliteration as Cash for Clunkers. Hopefully the other branches will forgive me that.
Update: The Warrior Legacy Foundation released this statement today:
WLF partners with White House and Department of Veterans Affairs to get GI Bill payments expedited
Recently a number of veterans have experienced prolonged delays in receiving payment for college expenses they were guaranteed in the new GI Bill passed by Congress in the summer of 2008. This has caused financial hardship in an already difficult economy, and concern about the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system whose only mission is to serve the needs of all veterans.
The Warrior Legacy Foundation (WLF) finds this unacceptable and is committed to helping fix the problem. Alongside the White House and the VA, WLF is working to assure veterans will receive the benefits they have earned in service to our nation. Senior WLF leadership have been contact with veteran’s officials at both the White House and the VA. Our coalition has agreed this is a top priority that must be addressed as soon as possible.
WLF will provide assistance to veterans by connecting them with the proper authorities who will facilitate each Warrior receiving the benefits they deserve in a timely fashion. WLF appreciates the quick attention and help from both the White House and the VA in addressing this problem. Together we will ensure that the systemic problems will be fixed and that there are no future issues regarding the GI Bill and payment to qualified veterans.
Veterans who have not received payment with regards to their GI Bill benefits can contact the Warrior Legacy Foundation at info@warriorlegacyfoundation.org.
Please enter “GI BILL”in the subject line.
Blowback
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When has any government program been run properly, with spending under control and with great efficiency. When? And they want to take over health and energy sectors? I don’t think so! Tea Partiers, your work is not over.
Christian Conservative on September 25, 2009 at 4:52 PM
It’s friggin simple. They are broke. BROKE. What do you do when the old bank account hits double figures? You pay the necessities, like the employees union dues and such.
JAW on September 25, 2009 at 6:03 PM
Did I say that WE are broke, too. Its just that Brack and his Harvard edukated bros.
JAW on September 25, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Don’t know how to say they are broke without a committee and some way to blame Bush. They have never seen a check book tha t hits zero.
We are so screwed.
JAW on September 25, 2009 at 6:34 PM
Personally, I believe the original GI Bill that came out for our WW II vets was one of the best things that happened in our society (though I wonder if that had any effect on the Baby Boomer Generation we ended up with…?).
But, isn’t this a “government program”, “redistribution of wealth” and an “entitlement”?
Why are we for such things because some guy wore a uniform for X number of years? It takes something like 9 people to support every one combat soldier. So, some REMF who sat on his behind in air conditioning at MacDill AFB in Tampa is “entitled” to the same GI benefits as a man who lost his leg in Iraq?
I remember one of my college professors saying, “So what if graduates don’t pay off their student loans. What they contribute in the way of tax revenue alone resulting from higher-paying careers will far outweigh what is lost in non-repayment over the years.”
The dishonesty/leech factor aside, I agree with him.
But, when the Socialists say they want us to subsidize everybody’s college education, we spazz.
We expect good roads, schools, EMTs, police, courts, hospitals, parks, etc. Are these “socialist”?
Wish we could reach a consensus on what is good government, what is Socialism, and what isn’t.
Dr. ZhivBlago on September 26, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Heh, heh; Anybody checked Obama’s credit score lately?
Cybergeezer on September 26, 2009 at 9:19 AM
WE provide these things to people who have served in the military, because of the sacrifices they make on behalf of us all. They take a risk by pledging to protect and defend the Constitution, with their lives if needs be, and that includes everyone who serves, not just those on the “front lines”. Everyone takes the same risks, even the logistics folks, because they can be sent anywhere at anytime too.
Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines also take on a difficult job for a lot less than what they might expect to make if they had remained in the civilian world. They work long hours for small pay and benefits. The GI Bill and other veteran’s benefits are a promise made to them to offset a small portion of what they have done on our behalf.
As to your professor saying not to repay college loans, well, it is my own personal belief that the government should NOT be backing ANY civilian student loans. Colleges are money-making institutions and should be providing their own financial aid packages to those who want to attend. Let the colleges bear the financial risks rather than the taxpayers.
respects,
AW1 Tim on September 26, 2009 at 1:05 PM
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