Senator Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, applauded a decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will order emergency checks for students awaiting education benefits. On Friday, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki authorized checks for up to $3,000 to be given to students who have applied for educational benefits through the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, but have not yet received their payment.

“This means that returning service members will not have to battle with bureaucracy to receive the education benefits they earned,” Brown said. “We passed the new GI bill to ensure that all new veterans have access to a quality, affordable education. This action by the VA means that more Ohio veterans will be able to continue classes without having to worry about how they will pay for them.”

Brown helped pass the 21st Century GI Bill, landmark legislation to improve education benefits by indexing the maximum award for a veteran to the cost of the most expensive in-state public school. The increased aid provides full in-state tuition and fees for enrollment in a public college, along with a monthly housing stipend and $1,000 per year for books and supplies.

More than 27,500 students nationwide have already received education benefits under the new GI bill, while approximately 25,000 claims are currently pending. It is estimated that the delayed claims affect 83 percent of veterans enrolled at Cleveland State University, about 56 percent at Cuyahoga Community College, and about 88 percent at The Ohio State University.

The VA will issue advance payments for housing and books, which will be deducted from future education payments. Starting on Oct. 2, 2009, checks will be distributed to eligible students at VA regional offices across the country. The Cleveland Regional Loan Center, which services Ohio veterans, is on 1240 East Ninth Street and can be reached via phone at 1-800-729-5772 or fax at 1-216-522-8262. A student must present a photo ID, a course schedule, and an eligibility certificate to request advance payment of their housing and book allowance. The VA expects to send representatives to schools with large Veteran-student bodies that are not close to regional offices and to work with Veteran Service Organizations to help students with transportation needs.

Brown is a leading proponent of modernizing education benefits available to veterans. He passed a provision in The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 that will provide grants to colleges to establish campus Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success. These centers would serve as a single point of contact for veteran student support with admissions, registration, financial aid, veterans’ benefits, academic advising, student health, personal or mental health counseling, career advising, and disability services.  This legislation is based on a program initiated at Cleveland State University.

Earlier this year, Brown introduced two initiatives to strengthen our nation’s commitment to our veterans by improving education reimbursements and expanding employment protection for former service members. Brown’s Veterans Education Tuition Support (VETS) Act of 2009 would foster new educational support for service members whose higher education is suspended due to service. In addition, Brown’s Wounded Veteran Job Security Act would improve employment protections for veterans in their civilian careers.

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