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Webb GI Bill and my issues with it | November 19, 2008

First off, I want to say that I absolutely LOVE the Webb GI Bill, I think it’s something that veterans have sorely needed and I’m glad that it passed and will be put into effect for the Fall of 2009.  This is probably the most important piece of legislation for vets since the original Montgomery GI Bill.  With that said, I personally have some issues with it.

To give you some background on where I stand, I am a veteran who served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004.  I was forward deployed with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit when 9/11 happened, however my unit was not sent to Afghanistan, rather we participated in humanitarian operations in East Timor.  In 2003, my unit was part of the inital invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  We were deployed to Kuwait in February of that year, crossed the border into Iraq as one of the lead units on March 21st, and returned home in August of that year (I spent 189 days in theater, 136 days of which were in Iraq itself).  After about eight months back in the States, I went on terminal leave in mid-April of 2004, and hit my EAS on June 11th of that year.

By the time I got my DD-214, I was already enrolled and taking classes at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, CA.  I completed my transfer requirements and AA degree in Liberal Arts in December of 2005.  To support myself during this time, I received the old Chapter 30 GI Bill, which paid between $880 and $1150 per month (depending on the number of credits I was taking).  During my first 12 months of civilian life, I received California Unemployment Insurance (roughly $1200 a month), and after the that, worked at the local VA Hospital as part of the VA Work-Study program (which paid minimum wage of $6.75/hr and limited me to 25 hours per week during the semester).  Living in Long Beach, California, was not cheap.  For a small, old, one-bedroom in a bad part of town I paid $695 and later $725 per month.  I also had to pay utility costs and maintain an internet connection, as well as maintain my car.  At city college, I did not pay tuition (I received the Governor’s Fee Waiver due to my low income) but did pay my own books and other fees.  I did not receive any student loans or any government financial aid at that time.  After I completed my transfer requirements, I spent an extra semester at City College in order to take classes towards a possible transfer to the University of Southern California, however the tuition costs there were prohibitive and I ended up applying to California State University, Long Beach.

In the summer of 2006, after I had finished the spring semester at City and had not yet begun to take classes at CSULB, I was unable to continue with the Work-Study program at the VA and was also not drawing GI Bill benefits, leaving me with only $210 per month in VA disability payments (my rating was 20% at the time).  I took a temporary office job which ended up being permanent, and so I worked a full-time job from June of 2006 until I graduated in May of 2008.  At CSULB, I was charged tuition, but also was eligible for federally-subsidized loans and grants, which I accepted.  I also continued to use my Chapter 30 GI Bill benefits and maintained full-time or 3/4 time enrollment for two years.  In April of 2007, my landlord refused to renew my lease and I had to move to another apartment. I found another one-bedroom in the same neighborhood for $925/month, as market conditions had caused rents in the area to skyrocket.  I also purchased a new car in September of 2006, after my old Ford Escort had become completely unreliable.  By the summer of 2007, my financial needs had increased significantly.  I was unable to change jobs or take less hours, as I needed my income from work in order to pay my rent, utilities and car note, as well as keep up with the skyrocketing price of gas and groceries.  My GI Bill benefits ran out in December of 2007, so I spent my final semester at State without the income of the GI Bill, relying on another Stafford loan to make up the difference.  In May of 2008, less than four years after my separation from the Marine Corps, I graduated from Long Beach State with my BA in history and a 3.7 GPA in upper-division studies.

So, I’m a success story, right?  Thanks!  Problem is, the same month I graduated, they passed the new Webb GI Bill.  All my headaches about paying rent and utilities would have been non-existent if I had been able to get the Webb GI Bill.  I also could have afforded an apartment much closer to school or to work and conserved on my commuting costs (not to mention not having to duck bullets in my own living room).  I would have been able to attend a UC school instead of a CSU school (big difference), as the Webb GI Bill would have paid the difference.  I would have been able to focus more on school and not had to carry a full-time job, which could have been the difference between me getting mostly A’s and me getting straight A’s.   But I’m not bitter.  In fact, I’m happy.  I called the VA to ask about the program, and they tell me that the new GI Bill is a 48 month entitlement, and so I will have 12 months of further entitlement.  Wow, that’s great, can I use it for grad school?  Yes, I was told I can.  So, I go online to see what’s what, as I am intending to attend grad school starting in Fall of next year (when the new GI Bill goes into effect).  And what do I find??

IV. I have used part or all of my education benefits. What is my eligibility for Chapter 33 (the new, post-9/11 GI Bill)?

Veterans eligible under chapter 33 (the new, post-9/11 GI bill) are generally entitled to 36 months of educational assistance. Veterans who have previously attended school on other forms of the GI Bill, such as Chapter 30 (MGIB), Chapter 1607 (REAP) or Chapter 1606 (Select Reserve GI Bill), may still qualify for the new benefits.

Usage of Chapter 30 (MGIB) benefits is counted directly against the 36 month total of Chapter 33 (post-9/11) benefits. For example, if a veteran attended school on Chapter 30 (MGIB) for nine months and then elects to use Chapter 33 (post-9/11) that veteran will have 27 months of remaining eligibility.

That was what I found on www.gibill2008.org, a website that appears to be run by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).  WTF?!?!?!  What happened to 48 months?

Okay so maybe I’m being a bit greedy here.  I got my education, right?  Maybe so.  But I don’t think having my sights set on a graduate degree is greedy.  The fact is, this new GI Bill was to benefit post 9/11 vets, especially those who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I fought in Iraq, in fact I’m drawing disability for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of all the bad shit I saw in combat in Iraq!  And you’re saying that a guy who served at the Coast Guard small boat station in San Diego that whole time, who never saw combat a day in his life, can now get out and get a FULL RIDE to the public university of his choice, while I have to scratch and claw for grad school after scratching and clawing for four years of undergrad?  If I had access to this Webb GI Bill I would have had four years of top-notch UCLA or UCSD or UC Berkeley education, which could have set me up for a shot at fellowships for grad school. Instead I had the old GI Bill, which HELPED while I worked my way through four years of very good education at Long Beach City College and CSU Long Beach, which I’m very happy with, but doesn’t help me in competing for spots at grad schools, much less fellowships.  Am I ungrateful?  No.  I’m glad I had the benefits I had, otherwise I probably would have ended up not going to school at ALL.  But now, here I am, looking at people who slacked off after they got out and worked as bouncers at strip clubs while living at home with mom and dad, and they’re getting to reap the rewards.  Meanwhile, I get nothing because I had my shit together and got through college in my first four years after EAS, instead of going back to my podunk hometown and drinking myself stupid with old high school buddies.  I ask you, is that fair?  I’m not saying I want the housing money to be back paid.  I’m not saying I want my loans paid off (although I will take that!).  No, I’m just asking for the new GI Bill to be 48 months, let me get 12 months of it, help me get through a year of graduate school without needing to work full time, and I GUARANTEE you will see a veteran with a Master’s Degree who can now teach at Community Colleges and make a differenc in my community.  Is that too much for the American taxpayer?  I mean, we can spend $700 Billion to bail out a bunch of Wall Street assholes who never earned anything but money for themselves, can a vet get 12 months of this new GI Bill that I SHOULD be eligible for?

I don’t know, maybe I’m ranting just a bit.  But I think I have a valid point!  I’m going to take this up with my VFW service rep, maybe my congressman, and see if I can get any traction.  Can the new GI Bill be extended for a year for a veteran who FINISHED school using Chapter 30?  I think it’s worth asking, right?  Aren’t we veterans worth the investment?  Also, I think this GI Bill needs to be 48 months for EVERYBODY!!!  Who the hell can finish school in three years?  Hell, four years is cutting it close, it doesn’t give you any wiggle room to transfer, or to change majors, or to take a minor.  Veterans shouldn’t just have access to an education, we should have access to the BEST education!  I understand that the program only pays for public universities, and I’m all for that (the best schools in this country nowadays are public, IMHO), but why not fund a full FOUR YEARS of study at these top-flight public universities?  As a nation, I think we need to look our veterans in the eye and mean when we say we believe they should have the BEST.  As a vet, I can tell you that we don’t always get the best healthcare, but can we at least get the best education?  Tell me what you think, America!