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WAGNER CALLS FOR FLEXIBILITY FOR GI BILL RECIPIENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2009
Contact: press@jodyforva.com

WAGNER CALLS FOR FLEXIBILITY FOR GI BILL RECIPIENTS

RICHMOND – Today, Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor Jody Wagner called on colleges and universities in Virginia to maintain a flexible policy toward recipients of GI Bill grants in the coming weeks, many of whom have yet to receive their benefits. The GI Bill, championed by Senator Jim Webb, provides education funding for hundreds of thousands of recent veterans across the country. However, the program has been so successful that there’s currently a backlog of over 210,000 claims that have yet to be processed. With classes starting at many schools in the next two weeks-and final tuition bills due-many veterans could find themselves without the funds they need to remain registered.

Said Wagner, “The expanded GI Bill fulfills an important obligation we have to our veterans, that has been met successfully for generations: help them get the education and career training that they deserve. With thousands of veterans in Virginia still waiting on their benefits to arrive, I would strongly encourage our state colleges and universities in the Commonwealth to work with veterans and identify individuals who should be given extensions on their tuition dues. After all these men and women have done for our country, their focus in the coming days and weeks should be on their new classes-not whether they’ll be forced to withdraw because of an administrative snafu.”

The expanded GI Bill, signed into law last year, pays for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to attend in-state public colleges at no cost to them. They can also apply the funds towards the cost of an out-of-state or private college.

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“GI Benefits Could Arrive After Tuition Payments are Due.” 19 August 2009. The Chronicle of Higher Education. < http://chronicle.com/article/GI-Benefits-Checks-Could/48024/>

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