05 January 2010

The New & Improved %$#@&*^ VA college benifits....

From the former College Student side: Many, many years ago I was in the Regular Army. I joined within a few months after graduating from high school. My high school graduation was more of an “sort of honorable discharge” because I didn’t really do much but go to auto shop class in my senior year.

After I got out of the Army, I didn’t now what I was going to do. I figured my skills as an Infantrymen would either get me a job as a hit man for the Mafia, or into Police work. Some of my buddies from high school were going to the local Community College and said that the Administration of Justice (A.J.) classes were easy and you could meet "chicks."

(A point here, guys think about this…would you want to meet a chick who’s taking classes to become a cop?)
I was at an advantage over my friends who stayed home, getting drunk and smoking weed…I had VA benefits that would help me through college! I had it made in the shade.

I was about to learn how incompetent and fouled up one Federal organization could be on a daily basis. Almost as bad as FEMA is today.
I went to the college and talked to the college VA rep. He was pretty helpful and explained the tight procedures that I had to follow to get VA money to go to school. I was not going to be enough to live on, but my dad was going to let me rent a room from him until I could find a job etc.

I don’t remember in great detail all I had to do, but there was a lot of forms to be filled out…nothing any soldier wasn’t used to. There was an order of things to do, who to talk to, more forms, talk to this person, more forms, etc, etc.
I had a plan, filled out all the forms correctly and even spelled everything right. This was going to be easy.

I was given an approximate date, within a 4 week time frame on when I should start getting a check in the mail. It never came. I sold my favorite rifle to pay rent and buy gas. I sold tools, I was working a part time job that paid crap knowing I could count on the VA money.
I finally talked to the VA rep at the college and he let me use his phone to actually call the VA office in wheretheheck USA. I got ahold of a VA worker who must have been a brain injury patient from the VA hospital. He asked for my SS Number. I told him. I could here the keyboard on the (at the time) new computer system they were using. I could here the keys clicking away…a pause…then he’d ask: “Can you give my your SS number again?”

I did….I gave it to him 20 more times. I think each time he’d type it in, then hit “DE-f---ing-LETE” each time. After 20 tries, I suggested that he write the number on a sheet of paper. He sounded like I had just called his mother a name---and I was being nice an polite the whole time!
After 22 tries, he said: “I don’t see any files for you in our system.”

I felt like just telling him to forget it…I just spent all those years in the Army for nothing and then to have to deal with such retards was more than I could handle.
2 months later, they finally got things fixed. I almost dropped out of college, but my dad was smart enough to tell me to stay in. Things eventually got fixed and I got a little money each month.  It wasn't much, but it paid for most of my college expenses. 

So, for all those new former military folks going to college now and having to deal with a fu--ed up VA, just remember “The US Government, 200 years of tradition unchanged by progress.”
Never give up! Don't let the idiots win!

10 comments:

Coffeypot said...

I keep reading about all these college benefits. I didn’t have any of this. When I applied for school, I called the VA, they mailed me the 12,000 pages of paperwork and I had to talk to one dude. I had my first check a week after I started classes and got one every month I was in school. I never had a problem.

But back then people worked hard and had pride in their job. Not like some of the lowlifes the VA hires today. My problem was I started late in life and ran out of time before I got to use all my eligibility.

Anonymous said...

Never give up. Good attitude :)

AJ

Red said...

Thanks for this post, Dude! I don't feel quite so bad any more... but I still want to punch someone in the face at the Admin Office at the Univeristy of We Suck Hard :D

CI-Roller Dude said...

Take AJ's advice...never give up...

Anonymous said...

1. So long ago, can't remember anything about the VA sign up process.
2. Got my checks regularly.
3. Benefits ran out just when I graduated.
4. Was informed no scholarships or assistantships for white males, so went to work instead of grad school.
5. Screwed that up so wound up back in the military.
6. VA handles some of my medical stuff. The local outfit tries really hard, even if the docs are mostly foreigners.
7. There are worse government agencies as far as I'm concerned.
V/R JWest

el chupacabra said...

Been there! Plus I got screwed and was placed under a lower paying program than the recruiter told me (people have no idea if they think they know about shenanigans with todays recruiters). Once it started paying it was like clockwork ( a bad, cheap clock) and I wouldn't have survived without it. As it was I finished my last semester sleeping in my car.

CI-Roller Dude said...

The funny thing is: In CA a recovering crackjunky unemployed unmotived turd can go to the Comm College and get free finac aid...with not written goals...they can fail all the classes by not even showing up, then come back again and get more free money....

Oh, I have to think "Positive" things..... I'm positive that I want to move out of CA when I retire.

Coffeypot said...

Side bar, One Time…., top right hand corner of the salad bar, Purple Heart? Combat Comic badge? Care to share the story?

CI-Roller Dude said...

Coffeypot,
I'm sorry, I forgot wtf they were all for. Most of them are for "been there" medals...don't mean much except for the brand new 2nd Lts stare in awe...

Anonymous said...

Yeah. I'm with CP. Share the story Roller Dude. Pleeezzzee?
\-AJ