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July 9, 2009

Pitt participating in vets program

Pitt is one of some 500 U.S. higher education institutions voluntarily offering tuition remission and other benefits under the Yellow Ribbon GI education enhancement program, part of the new GI Bill.

Under the new GI Bill — officially the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 — all eligible veterans receive an amount equal to the cost of attending a public four-year college such as Pitt at the in-state undergraduate student rate.

Under the Yellow Ribbon program, the federal government will match all financial aid that participating institutions agree to provide veterans above the base educational benefits offered in the new GI Bill.

For those veterans eligible for the full benefit, Pitt, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has agreed to make up the difference between the in-state undergraduate tuition and fees, and the tuition and fees for out-of-state students and students enrolled in graduate programs. The University also is waiving its $45 application fee for all veterans.

Benefits under the new GI Bill, to be fully implemented in August, are prorated according to length of active duty service. Veterans with three or more years on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, as well as veterans with 30 consecutive days on active duty who were discharged due to service-connected disability, qualify for the full benefit — a total of 36 months of education benefits, or the equivalent of four academic years.

Active duty veterans serving more than 90 days, but less than three years of post-9/11 active duty service, are eligible for a percentage of the full benefits.

To accommodate an expected influx this fall of veteran applicants under the new GI Bill, Pitt has revamped its veterans services. The new Office of Veterans Services, to be housed in the College of General Studies, will be a one-stop resource that will assist veterans in receiving their military benefits, according to Kelly Otter, associate dean of CGS.

“CGS as the college of adult and nontraditional students is a perfect match for Veterans Services,” Otter said. “[Our] comprehensive service-oriented program will meet the unique needs of veterans and their families and help them take advantage of all Pitt has to offer — academic advising, counseling, on-campus support and career services. Our goal is to develop a more cohesive veterans community on campus.”

Pitt staff member Delia Kreiling, who formerly handled the University’s veterans services in the Registrar’s office, will continue as the VA certifying official who evaluates veterans for benefits eligibility. In addition, this summer Pitt expects to name a new full-time director of the Office of Veterans Services, who will coordinate campus-wide student support services of interest to veterans. The director will assist with outreach to military installations, National Guard offices and such organizations as AMVETS and the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.

Otter said Pitt also will partner with the neighboring VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, which comprises a major medical facility, a behavioral health facility, a community living center and a veterans recovery center, as well as five community-based outpatient clinics.

Pitt will rely on its two major Pittsburgh campus ROTC units for counseling and mentoring new veteran-students, Otter added.

All of Pitt’s graduate schools and programs, except dental medicine, are Yellow Ribbon participants, as are all of Pitt’s undergraduate programs at all five campuses.

Participating institutions determine the number of students they will accept under the Yellow Ribbon program, and the new law allows institutions to limit the amount of aid they offer under the program, as well as the portion of the students’ costs.

In Pitt’s case, under the Yellow Ribbon program the University will accept up to 100 new students (counting all five campuses) on a first come, first served basis, Otter said. “That’s the number for the first year, as we see how this plays out,” Otter said.

Matched by the VA, Pitt will pay up to $5,500 per eligible out-of-state undergraduate student per year, and $7,800 per eligible graduate student per year, she said.

Currently, 250 veterans are enrolled in Pitt programs, Otter said. While to date only a handful of vets have applied under the Yellow Ribbon program, that number is expected to increase as word gets out, she said.

For additional information on the Yellow Ribbon program, visit www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Yellow_ribbon.htm.

Pitt also is offering aid to veterans who are not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon program due to completing fewer than three years of active service. For out-of-state undergraduate students who receive 70 percent or more of the full educational benefit from the VA, the University will accept the amount allowed by the VA as full payment. For those out-of-state veterans receiving a lower percentage, the University will issue a grant for the difference between the in-state and out-of-state rates.

Pitt’s Office of Veterans Services has a new web portal — www.veterans.pitt.edu — that is accessible through Pitt’s home page.

—Peter Hart


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