VA technology enhancements to benefit Illinois' Post-9/11 GI Bill aid recipients

[January 31, 2009]  CHICAGO -- An adage from the video series "Where There's a Will, There's an A" says one can either study hard or study smart to get good grades. Well, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is working both hard and smart in developing a system to implement the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, which former President George Bush signed into law last June.

The VA is meeting the challenge using a parallel approach, updating a legacy system while simultaneously developing a new, more efficient business system that takes advantage of new technologies. The update is scheduled to be completed before the new bill's Aug. 1 effective date, with an aggressive timetable for implementation of the all-new system by December 2010.

Andrew Davis, executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, said in a letter to Stephen Warren, VA chief information officer: "For Illinois -- with 3,000 servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next 18 months -- making sure qualified veterans receive timely benefits is a top priority. We are pleased with the VA's proactive approach."

The new GI Bill gives qualified veterans who served at least three years post-Sept. 11, 2001, enough cash to attend the state's most expensive public institution, covering tuition and fees and providing money for books, supplies and living expenses. Veterans who have served less than three years but at least 90 days may qualify for a partial award. The new bill also now extends benefits to veterans attending nonpublic universities and community colleges, in addition to vocational programs.

The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement program, also known as the Yellow Ribbon program, is a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. This program allows degree-granting institutions of higher learning in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can waive up to 50 percent of those expenses, and VA will match the institution's commitment.

Davis continued: "We are confident that -- with the steady leadership of the VA along with that of a new 'Yes, we can' president, committed to smart, effective government -- the department will be able to provide these benefits to Illinois veterans at the beginning of August."

While ISAC distributed $19.25 million to public institutions of higher education on behalf of 11,462 veterans through the Illinois Veteran Grant in 2008, veterans were granted an additional $18 million in tuition and mandatory fee waivers by these institutions. An early estimate is that Illinois veterans could qualify for $28 million in tuition benefits alone under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, not including new federal benefits for books, housing and other fees covered.

"Here is a fine example of government working for the people. The new federal moneys come at a time of heightened demand in Illinois due to the increasing number of veterans and rising tuition prices," said Davis in a separate statement. "We encourage any eligible veteran to apply for the federal benefits of the new GI Bill."

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education.

A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to postsecondary education with innovative programs for more than 50 years. Last year alone, ISAC continued its mission of making college affordable for Illinois students by issuing 185,000 grants and scholarships totaling more than $448 million.

The commission coordinates educational funding with student loans, as a loan guarantor and via numerous public programs, such as the successful Monetary Award Program, the Illinois Veteran Grant and College Illinois, the commission's groundbreaking 529 prepaid college tuition program.

Students and families have free access to a wealth of financial aid and college planning information at ISAC's family of online sites, available at www.knowhow2goIllinois.org.

[Text from Illinois Student Assistance Commission file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]