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.
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The “Department of Denying Benefits to Veterans” Affairs strikes again. No surprise to anyone that’s tried to deal with them before.
rmgraha on September 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Because they knew the checks would bounce?
Vashta.Nerada on September 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Cars, schmars… Tuition, smuition…
I’m sure that government approval for my life saving operation and payments for the continuation of my mothers life depending medicine will arrive in time.
myrenovations on September 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
FAIL!
fbcmusicman on September 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
This is undoubtedly Bush’s fault.
Cicero43 on September 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Perhaps, it isn’t working because Bush or some Bush staffer has a database with info on it, cause getting info from a database is hard.
Hey, that’s what they said about GITMO!
catmman on September 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
It’s not incompetence, it’s Ocompetence.
ICBM on September 25, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Sort of mirrors the amount of “stimulus” money that has been spent.
WashJeff on September 25, 2009 at 1:43 PM
I know this administration is not ready for prime time, but the sheer magnitude of its fumbles, from wrong region encoded DVDs through mishandling all foreign relations and screwing up all these new domestic programs once again raises the question: is their incompetence intentional?
rbj on September 25, 2009 at 1:43 PM
The Post 9/11 GI Bill didn’t go into effect until August this year, though.
Unless I missed something at all the briefings we had on it.
catmman on September 25, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Title of this post should be amended – just delete the “School for Soldiers Too” part and it’ll be just right.
Tamaqua on September 25, 2009 at 1:43 PM
I’m shocked.
txag92 on September 25, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Yup. Still haven’t received any of my GI Bill since this semester began. That’s the government Beaurocracy for you…
Angry Sapper on September 25, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Obama administration blows
School for Soldiers program, too.That’s better.
bigjmantx on September 25, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Wonder if ACORN experiences this kind of delay in getting it’s payments?
TXUS on September 25, 2009 at 1:45 PM
“forced to take out loans” Guess what? Congress just passed a bill that OUTLAWS private college loans. Giving the govt power is an invitation for them to F up your life.
marklmail on September 25, 2009 at 1:47 PM
oboobi’s excuse for an other czar.
SHARPTOOTH on September 25, 2009 at 1:48 PM
“I Loathe the Military,” II.
Akzed on September 25, 2009 at 1:49 PM
I have 10 military friends who have not been able to go back to college due to this. This has been going on since January actually.
And this isn’t just for those IN the Miliatry or NG. This also applies for those who have had it given to their spouses and children to use for college.
Nice huh!
upinak on September 25, 2009 at 1:49 PM
FIFY, Ed…
D2Boston on September 25, 2009 at 1:49 PM
It’s a damn shame. Thank y’all for your service.
TXUS on September 25, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Ed,
It should be “Cash for Killers.” Gotta put a negative spin on it.
Christien on September 25, 2009 at 1:50 PM
But are they letting you ride out the semester? Some of my friends can other can not until the money comes in.
upinak on September 25, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Thanx Jon Karry. Thanx Barock Obamma. We din’t wanna be stuk in Irak anemore. Thanx for gittin us a good ejucazion.
- U.S. Soljaz
red winger on September 25, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Funny how that works. I haven’t heard the first complaint from welfare recipients about late or missing checks. Isn’t that odd?
genso on September 25, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Ed, a correction. The Post 9-11 GI bill went into effect August first.
Not that that excuses the VA or anything – they’ve been handling payments for the Montgomery GI Bill for decades.
JeffWeimer on September 25, 2009 at 1:55 PM
When Congress passed REAP (A GI Bill Program for reserve soldiers intended to close the gap between active duty and reserve rates for individuals who had deployed) they screwed up and made it go into effect the same day it became law.
With Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) they gave the VA over a year to prepare for the program, and still couldn’t get it right. You can literally call two different VA call centers, ask the same question, and get two different answers. I’ve done this several times, and it’s unbelievably frustrating.
I don’t even like the bill itself, and believe it will guy the military of it’s best and brightest junior NCO’s. The payment mechanism is infinitely complex compared to other GI Bill programs, and there’s almost nothing written to avoid schools being massively overpaid by using Chapter 33 with other educational benefit programs. The only really good part about Chapter 33 is the ability to transfer your benefits to a spouse or children.
Overall Grade: D-
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 1:55 PM
Nope. I am actually paying out of my own savings that I had put towards buying some land after college. I can’t say I am surprised though. I was Stop Loss on my last tour in Iraq, and the government messed up my pay then as well. For four months I was still doing IED clearance missions, and was in two IED strikes, but no pay for that time. I have been told “be patient.”
Angry Sapper on September 25, 2009 at 1:56 PM
As if our military needed yet another reason to despise this POS Obama.
elduende on September 25, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Maybe they need to hire more people, After all the stimulus bill has hired 25,000 more government workers.
fbcmusicman on September 25, 2009 at 1:56 PM
You’re making Ed’s point. They had a year to figure out how to run this program before anybody could even apply for benefits (that’s a pretty healthy lag time for a government program). I would expect some glitches but an 89% failure rate????
Where Ed is wrong is the scope of the program. It’s more than a tuition reimbursement operation. Depending on various factors it also includes living stipends and other entitlements.
I’m not complaining because I will be using my benefits but I personally think the whole Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 was overly generous. Essentially anybody who served for three years or more post 9/11/01 gets the same level of benefits. I’d rather we be more generous to those who have had multiple deployments in combat zones and less generous to those who spent their entire enlistment safe and sound stateside.
highhopes on September 25, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Angry Sapper on September 25, 2009 at 1:56 PM
God bless you brother, i hope everything works out well for you.
SHARPTOOTH on September 25, 2009 at 1:58 PM
The program went into effect 01 August, but was passed into law in the summer of 2008. The VA’s had plenty of time to prepare for it.
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 1:58 PM
Disgrace, but is anyone actually surprised that an ultra liberal administration would stiff actual heroes?
Hening on September 25, 2009 at 2:00 PM
not anytime soon…..they will not bring this up during dear leader’s reign
cmsinaz on September 25, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Fixed that headline for ya
RightWinged on September 25, 2009 at 2:00 PM
I’m honestly worried about my disability compensation now….I just finished the process of getting checked out at the VA to determine my percentage. Will I ever see one cent?
Mord on September 25, 2009 at 2:01 PM
I OT’d this in another thread just because I was so pissed about it:
A bunch of guys in my unit that were on temporary orders were just told that those orders end at the end of the fiscal year. A result of shrinking military budgets.
So these guys were basically laid off with 5 days notice, and now have to go convince someone to hire them less than a year out from a deployment.
Great job Mr. President.
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Remember when the O-staff complained because they were mac users and the WH computers were Microsoft… oh yeah, and that the systems were six years old… i.e. Windows XP. The adults are sure in charge… the ones who missed computer class cuz it wasn’t cool while smoking dope in the parking lot was.
WitchDoctor on September 25, 2009 at 2:02 PM
that farging sucks. I at one time was a payroll manager, who tried to get on with the DoD pay due to someone working there telling me how they couldn’t find anyone who had qualifications or how to run the software. I had the qualifications and actually used the software at that time, but I did not have the “college” credits as if anyone who has tried to get on with the DoD knows you have to have college for THAT specific job behind you.
They hired 30 new people across the Nation I found out from a friend, all right out of college and had no clue about state taxes, exemptions, hell even leave. They screwed up over 450K paychecks in a 3 month span. You want to talk about some ticked off DoD and Military soldier?
I feel for you….
upinak on September 25, 2009 at 2:02 PM
What are you talking about? This program is a model of government efficiency. Look how much money they’ve saved so far!
NickelAndDime on September 25, 2009 at 2:03 PM
Incompetent nincompoops and they want to run a nation health care insurance program. Our government should just forget about it and go on a two year sabbatical before creating another bill. Morons, the whole lot of them.
AASLT on September 25, 2009 at 2:03 PM
This is just the govt in general.
We were approved for over $10,000 in disaster aid from the FSA office last year.
Promised we would get it this summer.
Now they say we probably won’t ever get it.
Oh well.
It’s only whore $$.
What was I thinking anyway.
Never count on anyone but yourself!
Badger40 on September 25, 2009 at 2:04 PM
I’ll just repost my Gitmo comment.
chemman on September 25, 2009 at 2:04 PM
highhopes on September 25, 2009 at 1:57 PM
I was simply making a statement, but your right about the time lag.
And the literature I read on this said anyone who served for only 90 consecutive days after 9/11 would qualify for this benny. I could be wrong on that though.
As to your comment about service, we really don’t need to talk about the service of members. Those who serve in combat do deserve special recognition, deference and respect. But anyone who dedicates their life to the military deserves these bennies too.
catmman on September 25, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Wow. I have heard stories like that before in govt jobs.
College is ok, but if a person can demonstrate the necessary skills through a competency exam, then I don’t think the degree is necessary.
My 7 yrs of college were half wasted.
The other half was valuable.
$60,000 for 7 yrs.
I could have saved almost $20,000 if I could have jsut taken the classes where you actually LEARN something.
Badger40 on September 25, 2009 at 2:06 PM
“we inherited all these soldiers from the previous administration…”
Mr. Bingley on September 25, 2009 at 2:08 PM
Talk about rookie! This administration would screw up a one car funeral!
GFW on September 25, 2009 at 2:08 PM
For me, it’s been months of waiting for a determination. I’m not impressed with the system.
highhopes on September 25, 2009 at 2:08 PM
I used my GI Bill when we received paper checks every month and we didn’t have supercomputeys everywhere (bout a decade ago).
Never had a single problem.
They must be trying to screw things up in the White House and Congress, they couldn’t properly assemble a peanut butter sandwich between them.
NoDonkey on September 25, 2009 at 2:09 PM
Yeah, but when it comes to health care, Obama is going to eliminate waste and fraud.
Having actually typed that, I think I need a doctor now…
Daggett on September 25, 2009 at 2:09 PM
But that would be logical, a foreign concept to the Washington elite.
On the other hand, I’m happy for full benefits for everyone who strapped on a uniform, since even those in the safe places theoretically could be called up for combat at any time.
P.S. Thanks for your service as well, then and now.
TXUS on September 25, 2009 at 2:09 PM
True!
highhopes on September 25, 2009 at 2:09 PM
You know the military bureaucracy is a POS on the best of days but things are worse now and it seems this CinC has a special disdain for our people in uniform.
elduende on September 25, 2009 at 2:09 PM
You guys have to get your priorities straight! Gotta get those wealth redistribution checks out first.
Susanboo on September 25, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Epic Fail!
jistincase on September 25, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Sorry, Ed; no Marine can ever forgive being referred to as a ‘soldier’ :)
michaelo on September 25, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Because you guys are too humble to accept a compliment of that magnitude.
Ba-zing!
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Okay so I guess what we need to do to straighten this ALL out is to add more government to straighten out the unwieldy government programs already going into a tailspin because they were not thought through carefully enough so let’s get some MORE unintelligent politcos to come up with yet another plan to help every American find his or her niche in this life–even though the government can’t properly manage our mail while staying on a budget!!! Does anyone else feel as if we are on a slight unrepaired, 1911 merry-go-round or is it just me? IF I was a conspiracy theorist I would think that there was a plan afoot to ensure that NO ONE except the “elite” get a college education. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, just someone with a vivid imagination and a long memory for claims from THE LEFT that unless certain things happen, ONLY the elite would be able to afford an education… Self-fulling prophecy maybe? We really shouldn’t be upset about this short-sightedness on the government’s part: It’s hard to recognize and really care about the needs of others when you’re narcissistic, self-involved, holy-than-most everyone else prigs who manage to look down your collective nose (literally and figuratively) at anyone NOT YOU! Yet I am upset! The left really does seem to want to limit education. No loans for private colleges, no money for vets to go to school, the taking over of college loans for other schools….Somebody wants the people of this country really uneducated. But then there I go off on a conspiracy theory again. It’s gotta stop-soon.
Driefromseattle on September 25, 2009 at 2:15 PM
Hey look over there! Isn’t that one of those stimulus signs? Dammit they are working for you.
Where do you think the money came from to pay those 25,000 new government workers and czars don’t come cheap these days.
Now can we just concentrate on healthcare reform?
Just A Grunt on September 25, 2009 at 2:15 PM
I worked with small companies as a bookkkeeper and worked my way up until I became a Payroll manager for a large international comp, before they did mass layoffs. I actually made a excel spread sheet for Little David Bacon in State wages which had areas for other things like OT and so on that the State of Alaska adopted as their own with my approval. I miss doing payroll, it was a job earning. I thoguht about opening up my own payroll business. But the taxes on something like that as well as liability insurance made me sit down and think about money vrs owning my own comp. I would have been in the whole for a year before I made anything…
I tried for the DoD and was shafted for college? Even though I HAD the experience. I even had 3 interviews with the Dept. so I was annoyed when I was sent a letter as i wasted 4 months to try to get this job.
Oh well. Oil is better.. right?
upinak on September 25, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Notice to all HotAirists:
Stay out of this pissin’ match!
TXUS on September 25, 2009 at 2:19 PM
These boobs couldn’t find an ass in an ass field.
Dave R. on September 25, 2009 at 2:20 PM
and I can’t spell as usual. Insomnia is killing me. :(
upinak on September 25, 2009 at 2:20 PM
I think so. Even idiots get it right sometimes. The rate at which Bama and cadre have been getting it “right” is so low it can’t be a lack of skill that is causing the “mistakes”.
Turn it around and think about what an Ayers or a Wright would be doing if he were able to. Suddenly, the hit ratio of getting it “right” goes way up, with occasional misses everyone would make.
Things are not good out there. Bama does not have good intentions for this country, freedom or citizens.
Harry Schell on September 25, 2009 at 2:20 PM
Acorn’s probably got all the money.
RushBaby on September 25, 2009 at 2:22 PM
I agree. Until more people get off of the “incompetent” angle, we won’t see this train from hell slow down enough to save us. This will not end well.
genso on September 25, 2009 at 2:24 PM
genso
Drs get out of medicaid. They don’t complain. And welfare recipients have no jobs therefore they have all day to complain. No one is going to screw them of their free stuff. They will show up at the offices and sit there all day if they have to.
meMC on September 25, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Wow, I sure am glad I logged on!
I am sitting here in Iraq, literally just got done talking to my wife (who is full time college student) telling her about how it is all going to be ok because there is this great new GI Bill!
Sure does make me feel better to know that the administration is taking good care of my family back home!
fumpbump on September 25, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Given the propensity of this administration, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that ACORN was contracted to run the program for the VA.
highhopes on September 25, 2009 at 2:27 PM
Stay safe.
Are you AC or reserve?
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 2:27 PM
I just finished the process of getting checked out at the VA to determine my percentage. Will I ever see one cent?
Mord on September 25, 2009 at 2:01 PM
For me, it’s been months of waiting for a determination. I’m not impressed with the system.
highhopes on September 25, 2009 at 2:08 PM
I’m going through this right now since I’m retiring.
If you’re still on active duty, you should begin the VA process 6 months out. There is a name for it, but it escapes me right now. I did this. I had to wait two months for the appointment to see the Texas Vets rep to go through all my medical records and begin the paperwork.
It’s been three months since then since i got set up for my VA appointments with the docs – all of my appts happening with just under a month left to go on active duty.
Then the VA has 60 days to make a determination of your eligibility for benefits and percentages – so if everything goes right, I should know something by the end of December, first part of January.
If you wait to do this until after you separate, it can take over a year just to get the process started, let alone getting the doc appts, etc.
So far in my case, the VA stuff has been slow, but the time-line has proceeded as stipulated. It is a ridiculously tedious process though.
catmman on September 25, 2009 at 2:27 PM
I see I needed a /sarc tag for some of you.
genso on September 25, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Guard out of Tennessee. I am assuming by your name you are from Wisconsin…. Also assuming what you “drive.” If I am right, I am glad to see you on here based on the events of last weekend where I am at…. Stay safe
fumpbump on September 25, 2009 at 2:30 PM
We looked into just having recreation as part of our ranching operation & the liability insurance was so overwhelming there’s no way we could ever do it.
Just with our farm & ranch policy we have to pay over $5,500/YEAR & we have never had a claim.
Insurance & all that crap is crippling.
Then on top of it, many employers want you to have a piece of paper that is mostly worthless when you consider OTJT to be more valuable.
I think oil will be a good thing for a long time.
The 80′s were bad-but China & India weren’t such big drags on the supply back then.
Now that they’re on the stage, I think oil will continue to stay up there til something else comes along or the technology to drill gets even cheaper.
Badger40 on September 25, 2009 at 2:31 PM
If you guys were smart you’d place a note that you voted for The One when you send in your forms. Might help?????
larvcom on September 25, 2009 at 2:32 PM
Liability for payroll like business is around 100K (in a bond like format) due to the fact you are drawing off the companies accounts to pay their employees, taxes (Fed, SS, Medi and State depending).
It wasn’t worth taking a loan out like that.. not a few years ago and obviously not now.
upinak on September 25, 2009 at 2:34 PM
Ok, word of caution: Your wife is probably going to get Post 9/11 benefits at the 100% tier while you’re deployed, regardless of how much Title 10 time you actually have.
There’s no definitive answer from the VA if you’ll ever have to pay that money back, or if you’ll just revert to whatever tier you would normally be at (60% rate for 12-18 months of Title 10 time).
What type of unit are you in?
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 2:35 PM
OMG that’s crazy.
No wonder only multinational corporations are the only entities that can compete!
I am stupefied.
Badger40 on September 25, 2009 at 2:39 PM
catmman on September 25, 2009 at 2:27 PM
I started the process after I was already out, unfortunatly, and I had to wait 10 months to get seen at the VA. Yes, the process is very tedious. Thanks for reminding me of the 60 day determination though. I had forgotten about that. So I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer.
Mord on September 25, 2009 at 2:39 PM
I wonder if the Gaddafi kids are getting their checks on time?
chewydog on September 25, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Yeah…you could’ve stopped right there in the headline.
flipflop on September 25, 2009 at 2:44 PM
The Obama administration ….. striving for mediocrity.
fogw on September 25, 2009 at 2:46 PM
They had months to plan and still screw it up! Our troops were promised tution and counted on it; now they have to “scramble to make ends meet”. Tragic. Shameful.
TN Mom on September 25, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Guaranteed voters against Obama?
But, Ed, we’re willing to sacrifice a smidge on competence because the government does it all for free, and the government has only our best interests at heart.
BuckeyeSam on September 25, 2009 at 2:57 PM
AVIS: We’re #2. We try harder.
Obama administration: We won. We don’t try at all.
BuckeyeSam on September 25, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Obama made sure that they had direct deposit set up for their dough.
BuckeyeSam on September 25, 2009 at 3:00 PM
I’m sure BARRY will PROMISE that all medical programs will be handled in an efficient manner.
Hahahahahahahaha!
GarandFan on September 25, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Some of us have your back Fumpbump. Stay safe and God Bless!
FireBlogger on September 25, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Just wait… I was seriously injured in a helo accident and have 3 fused vertabra and nerve damage to both legs. Still, after getting out of Bethesda, the VA rated me at 40% disabled. Fine. No sweat.
I was recently diagnosed by the VA with a spinal tumor. It’s in the middle of the fused vertabra. The VA denied me VocRehab training, saying I was unemployable. Therefore, at my doctor’s urging, I applied for a 100% disability rating based upon unemployability. You’d think it would be cut-and-dried. But no…
I applied for the increase in disability rating last October. In about 3 weeks it will have been a year, and the VA says they are still processing my claim. The folks at the VA say they are averaging 18 months to 2 years to process rating claims.
In the meantime, I can’t work, and have a very limited income. I’m not complaining, per se, because eventually, things will get sorted out. However, this is what happens when a large government organization runs your health care. It’s what folks can look forward to when the civilians get treated the same as the Veterans.
Oh joy… :(
AW1 Tim on September 25, 2009 at 3:35 PM
The MSM does not seem to understand that this is an administration that holds veterans like myself in absolute and total contempt. I would go further and say out and out hatred, but they seem to keep that aspect masked very well. But B.O. and company have already made it very plain that veterans, especially disabled veterans, don’t really matter as much as we used to, despite the fact that we fought the wars, we shed the blood, and in some cases, some of us made the ultimate sacrifice. That doesn’t really seem to matter anymore.
Oh, and you can thank that traitorous poor excuse for a terrorist Bill Ayers for that award-winning bit of influence.
pilamaye on September 25, 2009 at 3:35 PM
Dude. It sounds like God blessed you with an abundance of patience, at least. Hope things eventually get sorted out for you.
BadgerHawk on September 25, 2009 at 3:42 PM
The “stimulus” money is to insure the re-election of Democrates in the next elections and the One when to his second term. Using it to pay veterans who probably would not vote for them is not what they consider good use of money. Paying ACORN to commit voter fraud, tax cheating, and helping to conceal criminal activites is. Maybe they should have a cash for veterans program where colleges admit the veterans and get paid directly from the government. Obama assurances that they will get paid within ten days of filing for the reimbusment should convince them to do it.
Franklyn on September 25, 2009 at 3:49 PM
hey, I’m thankful for what I’ve got. There are folks I know who didn’t come home and others who lost more than me. I can still walk and get around, although there are a few minor mobility issues. I can be with my kids. It’s the small things and all that, and besides I got used to the “hurry up & wait” bit, as did my dad, and now my son.
What concerns me more is my own son is headed over to AFSTAN in a few weeks. I just want a better support system for him when he gets back than what I’ve been dealing with. :)
AW1 Tim on September 25, 2009 at 3:52 PM
I work for a college. The veterans here are being told to expect a 12 week wait – for fall quarter’s money.
Rose from Ohio on September 25, 2009 at 3:59 PM
I hope you have more than 40 percent. Otherwise you are going to wait a helluva long time for a denial. You have to be 70 percent to even be eligible (60 percent in some cases).
entropent on September 25, 2009 at 4:11 PM
A democrat is in the White House. The Left no longer cares about soldiers because they can’t be used a weapon….or the homeless, or Vietnamese, or Iraqis, or Afghanis, etc…
The Left uses people to aquire power. That’s all.
29Victor on September 25, 2009 at 4:13 PM
Maybe ACORN can help?
gullxn on September 25, 2009 at 4:18 PM
This makes me feel a little better about putting off taking college courses until next year – I already have student loans from the last time I took courses (and had to wait for my GI Bill payments). That was a fluke – this now, is something else.
I really feel like this administration hates anyone associated with the military – the vets, the currently serving, and our families. I know that’s paranoid, but it’s what my gut tells me – and I trust my gut.
Anna on September 25, 2009 at 4:20 PM
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