New GI Bill greatly expands education benefits for veterans of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan

New GI Bill greatly expands education benefits for veterans of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan
By Scott Travis | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
June 15, 2009

They spent years fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now many Florida veterans will have a new mission: to earn a college degree.

A new federal GI Bill, which takes effect in August, will pay college and living expenses for those who have served in the military since Sept. 11, 2001, including military reservists and National Guard members.

And a new state program, "Boots to Books," provides support for those veterans by offering an online clearinghouse of information at www.flbootstobooks.org.

The new GI Bill greatly expands benefits offered under the current Montgomery GI Bill, established in 1985 as a peacetime bill and which pays $1,320 a month.

The new one picks up full tuition and fees for a public university or community college. It also allots $1,000 a year for books and supplies, and a monthly housing stipend of $1,200 to $2,500. The benefits are good for 36 months for those who have served for at least 36 months.

Many private schools, including Nova Southeastern University in Davie and Northwood University in West Palm Beach, say they plan to participate in a "Yellow Ribbon Program" in which they help defray some or all of any extra costs with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"The new GI Bill basically takes away any excuse not to pursue higher education," said Derek Hollcroft, 23, an Army veteran and sophomore at Broward College.

There were 36,088 veterans enrolled in Florida colleges in 2007-08, up from 33,963 the year before. State officials predict those numbers could double or even triple during the next few years as Florida's 160,000 eligible post- 9/11 veterans take advantage of the new benefits.

While many universities and community colleges have been battling crowding, they say they welcome these new students.

"Veterans are some of the most equipped students we'll ever get," said Randy Goin, chief of staff at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, which has 300 veterans out of 26,000 students. "They have lived lives and done things a lot of students haven't experienced."

At Palm Beach Community College, about 300 of the 30,000 students are veterans and Patty Anderson, vice president for student services, said she expects that to double this fall.

She said the veterans may create a need for mental health services.

"My dad was career Army. My husband was in Vietnam. We didn't senMany private schools, including Nova Southeastern University in Davie and Northwood University in West Palm Beach, say they plan to participate in a "Yellow Ribbon Program" in which they help defray some or all of any extra costs with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"The new GI Bill basically takes away any excuse not to pursue higher education," said Derek Hollcroft, 23, an Army veteran and sophomore at Broward College.

There were 36,088 veterans enrolled in Florida colleges in 2007-08, up from 33,963 the year before. State officials predict those numbers could double or even triple during the next few years as Florida's 160,000 eligible post- 9/11 veterans take advantage of the new benefits.

While many universities and community colleges have been battling crowding, they say they welcome these new students.

"Veterans are some of the most equipped students we'll ever get," said Randy Goin, chief of staff at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, which has 300 veterans out of 26,000 students. "They have lived lives and done things a lot of students haven't experienced."

At Palm Beach Community College, about 300 of the 30,000 students are veterans and Patty Anderson, vice president for student services, said she expects that to double this fall.

She said the veterans may create a need for mental health services.

"My dad was career Army. My husband was in Vietnam. We didn't senMany private schools, including Nova Southeastern University in Davie and Northwood University in West Palm Beach, say they plan to participate in a "Yellow Ribbon Program" in which they help defray some or all of any extra costs with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"The new GI Bill basically takes away any excuse not to pursue higher education," said Derek Hollcroft, 23, an Army veteran and sophomore at Broward College.

There were 36,088 veterans enrolled in Florida colleges in 2007-08, up from 33,963 the year before. State officials predict those numbers could double or even triple during the next few years as Florida's 160,000 eligible post- 9/11 veterans take advantage of the new benefits.

While many universities and community colleges have been battling crowding, they say they welcome these new students.

"Veterans are some of the most equipped students we'll ever get," said Randy Goin, chief of staff at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, which has 300 veterans out of 26,000 students. "They have lived lives and done things a lot of students haven't experienced."

At Palm Beach Community College, about 300 of the 30,000 students are veterans and Patty Anderson, vice president for student services, said she expects that to double this fall.

She said the veterans may create a need for mental health services.

"My dad was career Army. My husband was in Vietnam. We didn't send people on tour after tour after tour," she said. "Some of these veterans have been in stressful situations for several years in a row."

Broward College has 533 veterans and expects an increase of 20 to 25 percent more, said Marcia Conliffe, associate vice president. The college is hiring a designated veterans affairs coordinator to help them.

Many students are still unaware these benefits exist, said Rivka Spiro, a public relations specialist at Broward College. She said several veterans at Broward College's graduation who were planning to transfer to four-year universities were shocked when she told them about the new GI Bill.

"You can get free tuition, books and living expenses. It's like winning the lottery, and none of them knew about it," she said.

Hollcroft, who served in South Korea and Iraq, is starting a Student Veterans of America chapter on Broward College. He said one of his goals is to increase awareness of the benefits.

Steve Lopez, 24, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, plans to study civil engineering at the University of Florida this fall. He said he intends to take advantage of the benefits.

"It's helping me out a lot," he said. "After four years and two tours of Iraq, the least the government can do is pay my way through school. It's making it a lot easier to achieve dream of getting a degree."

Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6637.