In case you missed it on our site, columnist Tom Philpott has a good interview with Keith M. Wilson, director of education service for the VA, that tackles some more questions related to the new GI bill benefits. You can read it here.
Among the highlights, Wilson said he believes the Pentagon will agree to offer the transferability benefit to "anybody who will qualify.” That would be big news to soon-to-be retiring servicemembers, who might not have to re-enlist to give their benefit to a spouse or child.
It's a decision that will be made by the Pentagon, not the VA, but it's still encouraging news.
No Answers
I asked a few questions to the VA and here is what I got.
Rob:
The Post - 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Title V of Public Law 110-252) was signed by the President on June 30, 2008. As of right now, we have not received any directives on how to examine or process any cases under this newest Act.
At this time we cannot offer any advice on any aspect of the Law.
The most accurate and up to date information on the progress of this program is available on the gibill website. Please continue to refer to this site for additional information.
Cheryl
RE: No answers
Congress agreed to give the VA a year to implement the new benefits, and it has only been a few weeks. So it's not surprising that the VA still doesn't have a great handle on the changes.
That said, I'll be disappointed too if they don't have a lot more information up on their site in the next few weeks, because clearly there are alot of confused folks out there.
Here's the site -- they do have a short Q&A page up, as well as a pdf with some more information. Hopefully that's just the start.