Washington Wire

This month, Veterans Advantage offers a roundup of financial and benefit-related news around Washington DC that can impact your wallet.

NEW POST-9/11 GI BILL UPDATE
The Post 9/11 GI Bill continues to garner a lot of attention and concern. Momentum has been building over the spring and summer to update the landmark "GI Bill 2.0" which was enacted last summer, and has since helped 300,000 Veterans and their family members. In September, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs' (Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity) hosted leaders from Veterans Service Organizations including Veterans for Modern Warfare, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to discuss ways to improve the bill's benefits, as well as facilitate veteran access to the benefits.

“While these legislative accomplishments are significant, we must continue to provide the needed oversight while addressing the shortfalls of existing education programs to assure that student veterans receive their benefits in a timely manner without delay or undue hardship,” said Subcommittee Chairwoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD).

However, according to a Navy Times report, Sandlin said Improvements in the Post-9/11 GI Bill may have to be put off until next year if lawmakers cannot find a way to pay for changes. The report goes on to say the Senate has also struggled to find a way to pay for the upgrade - and part of the reason why the bill is being held by the committee and not yet brought to the Senate floor for a vote.

Also along these lines, in August, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced an agreement with over 1,100 schools for this current year under the “Yellow Ribbon Program.” The Yellow Ribbon program, a key provision of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, allows VA and participating educational institutions to share in supporting students attending high-cost schools. 

OBAMA URGES VETS TO GET STOP LOSS PAY
Earlier this month, the White House, Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs jointly released a new web video in which President Obama encourages active duty troops and veterans whose service in Iraq or Afghanistan was involuntarily extended or retirement was suspended due to ‘stop loss’ to apply for the special retroactive pay to which they are entitled.

This follows earlier outreach by DoD officials in July to get the word out as well about Stop Loss payment eligibility, reminding eligible vets to file before an October 21, 2010 deadline. 

“As your Commander in Chief, I’m here to tell you that this is no gimmick or trick,” President Obama says in the video.  “You worked hard.  You earned this money.  It doesn’t matter whether you were Active or Reserve, whether you’re a veteran who experienced ‘stop loss’ or the survivor of a service member who did—if your service was extended, you’re eligible.”

For more information -- Eligible servicemen and women should submit their applications for this retroactive pay to www.defense.gov/stoploss. Even if you are not sure about whether you are eligible, it still worth confirming. 

SPECIAL DC JOB FAIR: SEPTEMBER 29
The job picture may be bleak, but don’t tell that to about 100 corporations who are eager to hire vets. This coming Wednesday, September 29, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is hosting its MOAA / Corporate Gray Career Fair.

Calling the “largest military-focused job fair” in the country, MOAA has brought together a group of employers that includes IBM, Lockheed Martin, 3M, Raytheon, Amazon, Transportation Security Administration, and many other companies and government agencies. The event will provide employment seminars and tips such as how to interview and apply for Federal Jobs, including a seminar on the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

The event will be held in the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. For more information, go to the special career fair site hosted by MOAA.

More recent news out of Washington:

• President Obama to Award Medal of Honor to Living Afghanistan Veteran – September 10, 2010
   
• President Obama to Award Medal of Honor to Dead Afghanistan Veteran – September 9, 2010
   
• VA Publishes Final Regulation to Aid Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange – August 29, 2010