Army Tuition Assistance SUSPENDED

[35NCO]

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.

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 "

[SF18C]

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

[Richard]

Anybody surprised by this move in today's economic climate? I'm only surprised it hasn't come about sooner.

Richard

[mark46th]

You will notice Congress hasn't mentioned anything about congressional staff cuts.

[Detonics]

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.

[JKL099]

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.

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.

[MiTTMedic]

Here you go...

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pet...on-ta/kSyVdySm

[airbornediver]

signed and informed my whole company of the petition.

[JKL099]

Originally Posted by MiTTMedic

Here you go...

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pet...on-ta/kSyVdySm

Signed also.

[Richard]

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

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

[Richard]

And so it goes...

Richard

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...-by-sequester/