Category Archives: General

The military Basic Allowance for Housing changes January 1, 2013, how does that affect the GI Bill Monthly Housing Allowance?

VA recently began automating electronic certifications for Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients enrolled at degree granting schools. We are currently automating over one-quarter of the electronic submissions but this number can be increased with the assistance of School Certifying Officials by minimizing the use of free-text remarks.

President Obama signed Executive Order 13607 on April 26, 2012, directing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Education to undertake a number of measures to stop deceptive and misleading promotional efforts that target the GI Bill educational benefits of Servicemembers, Veterans, and eligible family members and survivors. Trademarking GI Bill was part of that order to protect military families from being misled by schools that target their federal education benefits.

Today GI Bill is an officially registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

We hit 45,000 approved applications for the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP)! We’re excited so many Veterans have taken the opportunity to achieve their educational goals. Help us continue the momentum. We are still accepting applications for VRAP. If your application is approved, you will be eligible for VRAP benefits beginning October 1, 2012. Do you know anyone who might qualify? If so, let them know about this great program and our website.

We are accepting VRAP applications now. Please visit eBenefits to apply. Remember, to complete the application, you will need to know your direct deposit information (bank routing number and account number), the name and location of your school, the program you wish to pursue, and the applicable high demand occupation.

You can now sign up to be notified of new developments in the VRAP program and receive a reminder email when we will begin accepting applications.

The Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) website is now available, providing a wealth of information on the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. It includes details about the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), tax credits for employers, vocational rehabilitation services, transition assistance programs, and Department of Labor (DOL) resources.

VA and DOL are dedicated to outreach efforts to ensure information about the Veteran Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) reaches qualified Veterans and provides information on eligibility and how to apply.

Qualified Veterans will be able to apply for VRAP directly from the site beginning May 15, 2012.

Yellow Ribbon Program agreements and related documents are now posted to the School Resources Yellow Ribbon Program information page.

The School Resource Page now has a link to the American Council on Education “Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions.” This online resource is designed to help institutions of higher education build effective programs for veteran students and share information.

DEA recipients can now sign up to have their benefits delivered via direct deposit. Click on the title of this feed for more information.