Best GI aid ever starts Aug. 1

By Catherine Pietsch
Staff Writer

Clark Dyrud, Commissioner of Minnesota Department of Veterans’ Affairs, who rarely makes public speaking appearances, was the keynote speaker.

His message was clear and urgent. The highest tuition grant money and educational benefits package ever offered to U.S. military will become available Aug.1, and the people serving veterans in Minnesota’s post-secondary schools have to get ready now.

Over 130 people from around the state attended the first-ever “Serving Veterans ‘Best Practices’” event held Feb. 18 in the Normandale Lorenz Fine Arts auditorium. “In addition to updating our core programs, we’re able to start new programs to help veterans connect with the services for which they are eligible,” Dyrud said. “We need to serve those who have served.” The most exciting and historically unprecedented parts of this new program address those issues that were ignored in the former veterans education programs. This new GI Bill pays the college 100 percent of the veteran’s tuition costs, lab fees, all books and supplies.

Clark Dyrud, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans’ Affairs

“This has never been done before,” said Jeremy Wolfstellar, Normandale’s Veterans Resource Center advisor.

Wolfstellar also said that, for the very first time, veterans can receive up to $1000 additional funds per month to help pay housing costs while the veteran is enrolled in school.

Don Pfeffer, our state’s Director of the Higher Education Veterans Program, explained to the audience how Minnesota’s veterans program is confusing and often misunderstood. The portions of the new legislation he wanted people to be aware of was that the state will pay up to $1000 a semester ($3000 per year) to veterans who served at least one day in active duty, with a lifetime cap of $10,000, which ends at age 62. However, after one turns 62 Minnesotans receive free tuition anyway.

He told the crowd about other state benefits, like dental, optical, housing assistance, veterans care facilities and hospitals. Pfeffer promoted the web site MyMilitaryEducation.org contains a power point that walks people through the maze of the state’s benefits package. He also said that there is the Veterans Preference office that works exclusively for the rights of veterans and their families.

Mary Solverson, NCC’s marketing and public relations specialist, stated that Normandale already has one of the highest populations of veterans enrolled than any other 2-year college in Minnesota.

According to Wolfstellar there are currently about 250 veterans/military personnel on Normandale’s campus, though there could be many more that never make themselves known to the NCC Vets Resource Center.

Pfeffer said that 80 percent of the state’s National Guards say they want to go to school and finish their education.

When news about this exciting new benefits program becomes widely known, it is expected that more veterans than ever before will continue their education at NCC.

This premier state-wide, veterans educational benefits conference was hosted by NCC to help train advisers, educators, counselors, disability coordinators and social workers for this expected influx of veterans into colleges and universities across the state and nation-wide.