Bureaucratic Problem Leaves Soldiers Waiting For Education Funds

By: Mireya Garcia

COLORADO SPRINGS- College has started for many veterans and active military, but a bureaucratic problem has left many without the funds they need for their education.

Veterans Affairs has a 45,000 application backlog, and many of those soldiers waiting for money from the GI Bill are students in Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak Community College has 13% active military as part of their student population, one of the highest in the country. Dr. Tony Kinkel says that many of the students at PPCC would have been left unable to pay for school, had the college not chosen to help.

“All that is being held up by bureaucracy, and we start school today. We are saying people need to come. We know they don’t have their money, but we’ll work with you.”

PPCC has plans to give out vouchers to soldiers that have not yet received their funds, and wait to be paid until the funds are dispersed, so their education won’t be compromised.

When Congress passed the latest GI Bill did not provide the VA with additional employees to process the applications. Kinkel says the VA also took a misstep with the software that was purchased. Problems with the software caused VA employees have to process the applications by hand.

With the latest expansion to the GI Bill would also allow for Veterans to bequeath the funds from the Bill to any dependent children.