Southwestern College received a visit from Veterans Administration officials after a congressman complained that South County vets were having too many problems attending school under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.
Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), Chair of the House Veteran's Affairs Committee, urged the VA to fix a number of bureaucratic snags that have hindered SWC student-vets. Filner made it clear it was a federal, not a college, problem.
Two Education Compliance Survey Specialists from the VA in San Diego paid a courtesy call to observe how the school's certification system functions and offer any possible assistance. Their main focus was to evaluate SWC's system to correct and prevent further mistakes in the future.
"We do care," said one of the specialists, who insisted they could not be named due to VA policy. "We are not just government employees. Many are disabled vets and we took this very seriously."
SWC has one of the highest amounts of student veterans in California. In spring 2009 SWC's enrollment was almost 750. This spring, the numbers have increased to 900 affected by this recent stumble in the G.I. Bill certification.
Linda Thrower, SWC Director of Financial Aid Evaluations and Veterans Services, announced the completion of the last veteran's certification on April 15. She and her staff worked long hours including Saturdays, she said, to assure the vets certifications were forwarded to the VA. It will now take just one week through electronic means from the time the school sends the paperwork to the VA until the check is processed, said Thrower.
SWC was awarded a grant from the American Council on Education (ACE) Wal-Mart Foundation for July 2009-2011 allowing the hiring of additional staff including a Veterans Services Project Technician. His focus is on the Post 9/11 GI Bill including website enhancement and development of a handbook.
"The implementation process was challenging but it gave us all a moment to pause to rethink business practices and staffing issues," said Thrower. "2010-11 will be conducted in an efficient manner, as all the pieces to the puzzle are on board to handle the additional workload."
The Military Times newspaper, called the Post 9/11 GI Bill, "one of the most generous military benefits programs ever created with the promise of making a college education an affordable reality for a new generation of veterans."
Filner, Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced H.R. 950, which would remove a section of the Post 9/11 GI Bill reducing benefits for veterans attending online or distance learning classes. Filner has been instrumental in solving problems faced by the new certification system by working closely with the San Diego VA office as well as the headquarters in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Mistakes in Muskogee resulted in mandatory overtime including Sundays for the VA workers, said one of the visiting specialists. Phone unit workers were pulled from their phones to help process the veteran's paperwork which resulted in callers complaining the VA phone lines were not being answered, especially on Thursdays and Fridays.
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