Veterans find financial relief
Tyler Allen
Issue date: 9/28/09 Section: News
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But actually receiving the benefits proved difficult.
"I came from Metropolitan Community College and … I was getting the Montgomery GI Bill and they were just absolutely a terror when it came down to getting my cash and paying off school to the point where they would not let you attend classes till the government coughs up cash for it," McCracken said.
McCracken was running into the same types of problems many veterans are still facing today.
With the large influx of veterans seeking GI Bill benefits and with the implementation of the new post-9/11 GI Bill, which seeks to expand the number of veterans who qualify for education support, many are not receiving their funds in time to pay tuition.
With the introduction of some new financial relief options for veterans, UMKC is seeking to assist those who still have not received federal aid.
Through these options, veterans who have not yet received their GI Bill benefits can defer tuition payments until they have received their federal funds.
After attending two other schools prior to UMKC, McCracken is very satisfied with the relief UMKC is providing.
"[UMKC is] going to defer payments [and] they'll allow me to go to class right now without having to worry about the government not taking care of its responsibilities," McCracken said. "They're doing an excellent job, being very forthcoming and the communication is excellent. I couldn't ask for anything more. They are a hell of a lot more helpful than the other two schools I've been to so far."
Besides deferring tuition payments, UMKC is also offering short-term loans to veterans and waiving the application fee. The one percent finance charge can also be waived as long as the veteran requests it.
However, the relief options are not available to every veteran.
"This is only applicable to the veterans who are receiving GI Bill benefits," Amy Cole, assistant registrar, said. "It wouldn't be applicable to veterans who have exhausted their GI Bill benefits because they're not waiting on the [Department of Veteran Affairs] to pay for school."
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