Josh Williams, coordinator of the Office of Veteran and Military Student Success for Murray State, said the DOD Tuition Assistance program has not been given budget approval, and has been paused as a result.
The government has been shut down for 29 days and since the announcement on Oct. 1, many programs requiring government assistance or funds have been cut off, with social security, medicare and medicaid, SNAP benefits and even Veteran Affairs facing threats. The military is also having to continue duties without pay during the shutdown.
“We got paid this 15th,” Army Specialist Gage Dick said. “But even then I think it’s disgusting that politicians are willing to sacrifice our funding but not their wages when they shut down our government, because our army schools and training activities that require government funding are still halted from the shutdown.”
Williams also said the Chapter 35 Dependents Education Assistance beneficiaries have not been paid as a result of a glitch in the VA payment system and despite furloughing the call center, GI bill benefits and VA educational services are unaffected.
For perspective, based on information on the DOD’s website, the DOD TA program compensated $139,250 in tuition fees across 70 participants at Murray State during the 2023 fiscal year. At an estimated $9,084 per person, the program covers around 22% of tuition fees for the average participant.
VA Certification Specialist Jeremy Vaughn said with this lack of financial support, combined with infrequent pay, many service members are unable to make tuition payments. As a result, they may be forced to invoke Chapter 33 of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
If activated, the bill will cover all tuition fees, housing and other academic costs for eligible members on a month-by-month basis. However, these benefits can come at the detriment of their dependents.
“This is a last resort for many people,” Vaughn said. “If you use it during your time in the military, it can’t be passed down to your children.”
Vaughn explained that most who pursue higher education choose to forego these benefits in favor of tuition programs, so that they can be transferred to their children instead. The chapter is single-use by nature, and cannot be switched for another plan. To pay for a brief lapse in financial assistance, many are having to decide between their own future or their children’s.
Vaughn added that these factors will cause many taking classes electronically to become disenrolled. Without in-person resources, many will be forced to drop out if they are unwilling to activate Chapter 33.
Murray State University has yet to send out collection letters to those using the GI bill. It is unclear how many students have abandoned tuition assistance programs or if the University has any plans in place to assist those in the military during this time. VA services for healthcare, education and funerals remain open.
