VA provides more than tuition money
Did you know that the Veterans Affairs Department provides free educational and vocational counseling? Probably not, according to a Government Accountability Office report released in March.
“Most of the students and veterans service organization officials we interviewed were not aware that VA offered this service,” the report stated.
Little wonder: Education program officials admitted to GAO investigators that they have not done much to promote this service beyond posting information on the GI Bill online.
Now, VA is pushing to promote one source of counseling: its VetSuccess on Campus program, which provides vocational rehabilitation and peer-to-peer counseling. Through emails, posters, college newspapers and social media, VA is spreading the word at the eight campuses where the program runs:
* Salt Lake City Community College
* Community College of Rhode Island
* Rhode Island College
* Arizona State University
* Texas A&M University
* University of South Florida
* Cleveland State University
* San Diego State University
Schools are not just sitting back, either. At the University of Iowa, for example, that counseling is provided by a college staffer. Read how retired Sgt. 1st Class John Mikelson went from full-time student veteran at the university to full-time student veteran adviser here.
