View Full Version : Army Tuition Assistance SUSPENDED
Well there goes the rest of this semester for me....
I just tried to apply for the rest of my TA since the letter states not until 1700 today. However, after calling the education center, the ENTIRE Army is on Hold status, so that no-one can apply before 1700 today. :mad:
Note to self, in the future apply for ALL TA at once and not in a per class basis.
"Fellow Soldiers,
LTG Bromberg, the Army G1 reports due to the current fiscal challenges, the Secretary of the Army has approved the suspension of Tuition Assistance (TA) effective 1700 EST Friday, 8 Mar 13. The suspension applies to all components and will remain effect until the fiscal situation matures.
Effective 1700 EST 8 Mar 13, Soldiers will no longer be permitted to submit new requests for Tuition Assistance through the GoArmyEd portal. Soldiers currently enrolled and participating in courses approved for tuition assistance are not affected and will be allowed to complete current
course(s) enrollment.
Soldiers can continue to access their GI Bill benefits, if applicable (either the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) or the Post 9/11 GI Bill), or use another funding sources (i.e. grants, scholarships, or Army National Guard Soldiers using state Tuition Assistance). Soldiers should be encouraged to contact their local education centers for additional information. Updated information will also be posted to www.goarmyed.com <http://www.goarmyed.com> .
The Army understands the impacts of this decision and will re-assess as the fiscal situation matures.
XXXXXXXXXX "
The email:
Leaders,
Due to the current fiscal challenges, the Secretary of the Army has approved
the suspension of Tuition Assistance (TA) effective 1700 EST Friday, 8 Mar 13.
The suspension applies to all components and will remain effect until the
fiscal situation matures.
Effective 1700 EST 8 Mar 13, Soldiers will no longer be permitted to submit
new requests for Tuition Assistance through the GoArmyEd portal. Soldiers
currently enrolled and participating in courses approved for tuition
assistance are not affected and will be allowed to complete current course(s)
enrollment.
Soldiers can continue to access their GI Bill benefits, if applicable (either
the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) or the Post 9/11 GI Bill), or use another
funding sources (i.e. grants, scholarships, or Army National Guard Soldiers
using state Tuition Assistance). Soldiers should be encouraged to contact
their local education centers for additional information. Updated information
will also be posted to www.goarmyed.com <http://www.goarmyed.com> .
The Army understands the impacts of this decision and will re-assess as the
fiscal situation matures.
Army Strong!
HQDA G1
Anybody surprised by this move in today's economic climate? I'm only surprised it hasn't come about sooner.
Richard :munchin
mark46th
03-08-2013, 11:15
You will notice Congress hasn't mentioned anything about congressional staff cuts.
Detonics
03-08-2013, 11:36
In an administration where they close the White House tour office (9 staff members) and retain Moochelle's 24 member personal staff, this makes sense.
I just tried to apply for the rest of my TA since the letter states not until 1700 today. However, after calling the education center, the ENTIRE Army is on Hold status, so that no-one can apply before 1700 today. :mad:
I called at 1100 that day to find out why I was on hold while trying to register for a last few classes, and found out it was effective at 1000. I'm going to start carrying around lube for these troubling times. :munchin
MiTTMedic
03-11-2013, 10:57
Here you go...
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/reinstate-military-tuition-assistance-ta-and-block-armed-service-branches-any-further-suspension-ta/kSyVdySm
airbornediver
03-11-2013, 15:23
signed and informed my whole company of the petition.
Here you go...
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/reinstate-military-tuition-assistance-ta-and-block-armed-service-branches-any-further-suspension-ta/kSyVdySm
Signed also.
Some schools care. I took several courses at Methodist when in the 7th SFGA and the school was extremely supportive of our scheduling issues due to training, additional duties, deployments, etc.
A "thumb's up" for their stepping up to the plate on this one.
Richard :munchin
Methodist University Announces Free Tuition for Active Duty Military Members Taking Courses on Fort Bragg
MUniv, 13 Mar 2013
FAYETTEVILLE, NC—In response to the recent announcement regarding the immediate suspension of Military Tuition Assistance (TA) offered to the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, Methodist University is pleased to announce a new initiative that will make free tuition available to active-duty personnel. Active-duty service members, many of whom previously received assistance but were unable to apply for or receive TA due to the suspension of benefits, will now be able to take up to four courses on post free of charge.
"This initiative demonstrates the sincerity of our commitment to military service members and their families," said President Ben Hancock. "The immediate halt of tuition benefits caused hardship for many of our students and their access to higher education, and we hope this initiative will assist them during this period."
Eligible terms in which an active-duty student can apply to receive free tuition include MU at Night Spring Term II, beginning March 18, and Summer Evening Term IV, beginning May 20. Currently, future course offerings in the eligible terms will include Skills Development in English (ENG 1000), English Composition I (ENG 1010), College Algebra (MAT 1050), and World History I (HIS 1030). Course offerings may be added or changed to accommodate the needs of the students who sign up to receive the benefit. The free tuition benefit period will conclude July 15.
"The suspension of TA funding came as a complete shock to everyone," said Yasmin Rivera, director of Methodist University at Fort Bragg. "For many active-duty soldiers, it put a halt to the educational goals they work so hard to achieve while defending our country. We want to show our service members that we appreciate their sacrifices, both on the field and off, and we are willing to do what we can during times of uncertainty. 'Military-friendly' is not just a tagline—it's a commitment we take seriously."
The courses that will be offered in Term II, beginning Monday, March 18, are Introduction to Psychology (PSY 1010) and World History II (HIS 1040).
"We want to respond to the immediate demand for assistance with immediate action," said Rivera. "We are willing to fill the remaining seats in the two courses being taught this spring on Fort Bragg for free, in addition to the free summer courses offered on post."
"We will work diligently to accommodate all active-duty students who would like to take courses on post," said Dr. Delmas Crisp, executive vice president and academic dean of Methodist University. "One additional step we are prepared to take is to expand our course offerings and increase the class sizes to maximize the benefit for all active-duty students who would like to register for courses."
http://www.methodist.edu/pub_media/releases/bragg13.htm
And so it goes...
Richard :munchin
Senate lawmakers voted Wednesday to prevent the Obama administration from making painful sequester-tied cuts to military tuition assistance as well as meat and poultry inspectors.
The votes, which came in the form of amendments to a spending bill, marked the first by Congress aimed at easing the impact of the sequester.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/20/senate-backs-money-for-military-tuition-assistance-program-hit-by-sequester/
DIYPatriot
03-20-2013, 21:27
And so it goes...
Richard :munchin
Senate lawmakers voted Wednesday to prevent the Obama administration from making painful sequester-tied cuts to military tuition assistance as well as meat and poultry inspectors.
The votes, which came in the form of amendments to a spending bill, marked the first by Congress aimed at easing the impact of the sequester.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/20/senate-backs-money-for-military-tuition-assistance-program-hit-by-sequester/
Thank you for posting this...just had a discussion last night with the wife about this exact topic. She wants to pursue a masters in CJ upon her return. I started to look into this, and thought, "Why not search among the QP's and see if anything is buzzing, first?" and boom...knowledge. That search button is a wonderful friend.
Ah yes, "sequestration". No money for men and women in uniform; but how many MILLIONS did our new SOS promise to the Muslim Brotherhood wonks in Egypt? Refresh my memory, it's that Alzheimer's setting in...
Senate Moves to Restore Tuition Assistance
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/03/21/senate-moves-to-restore-tuition-assistance.html?comp=1198882887570&rank=1
The Senate voted Wednesday to restore tuition assistance for servicemembers in a move that was expected to gain support from the House and reverse the suspension of new enrollments in the program for continuing education in the military.
By a voice vote, the Senate approved a bi-partisan amendment offered by Sens. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., to the Continuing Resolution for the funding of the government that would spare the tuition assistance programs in which hundreds of thousands of servicemembers are enrolled.
In a statement issued after the voice vote, Hagan’s office said “the House is expected to pass the legislation without further changes,” possibly as soon as Thursday.
In her own statement, Hagan said “I’m so pleased that we came together, Democrats and Republicans, to pass this important amendment.”
A previous effort by Inhofe and Hagan to save tuition assistance by the amendment process had failed. They had introduced a stand-alone bill as a substitute, but the Senate leadership instead revived their amendment Wednesday and it quickly gathered support on both sides of the aisle.
The amendment from Inhofe and Hagan, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was aimed at reversing the suspension of new enrollments in TA programs by the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. Servicemembers currently enrolled were also advised that they would not be approved for future courses.
The Navy has yet to act on the popular tuition assistance plans for continuing education, but Navy officials have said they are considering proposals that would require sailors to pay for a percentage of the aid they receive.
In a joint statement, Inhofe and Hagan said their goal was to prevent the termination of tuition assistance while limiting the funding of the program from being cut beyond the overall percentage reduction of the services’ Operations and Maintenance accounts.
“We are doing our brave military members and America a disservice if we take away a program that can be critical in assisting their re-entry into the civilian workforce,” Inhofe said.
“Around 60 percent of our men and women who join our all-volunteer Armed Forces do so in order to pursue a higher education," said Inhofe. "This is a moral issue; not a partisan issue.”
Denying educational benefits to our men and women in uniform is not the way to get our fiscal house in order,” said Hagan. “Many of our servicemembers join the forces with the goal of advancing their educations, and we must keep our promises to them.”
The cuts to tuition assistance were part of the $46 billion in cutbacks the Defense Department has been ordered to make before Oct. 1 because of sequestration.
Under sequestration, the cuts must be made across the board in all accounts. The Defense Department has been urging Congress to grant the military flexibility in making the cuts to spare programs such as tuition assistance.
The remarks of Hagan and Inhofe echoed the complaints and frustrations of veterans service organizations who have pushed for the preservation of tuition assistance as a major factor in enhancing recruitment and retention for the military.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will hold a roundtable meeting with representatives of the VSOs on budget issues, vets’ employment, the mental health of the force and family assistance matters, DOD officials said.
Hagel will also discuss with the vets their concerns about the new Distinguished Warfare Medal, which is now ranked higher than the Bronze Star with Combat “V” and the Purple Heart, the DOD officials said. Oh really???