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Changes to Post 9-11 GI Bill Will Pay for Vocational Training

Veterans who have served in the last decade are eligible for benefits under the Post 9-11 GI bill. As WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, recent changes to the bill will help veterans pay for vocational training.

Under the current GI bill, veterans can get all or part of their college tuition paid for depending on years of military service. But not all veterans chose four-year schools.

There are several thousand veterans in the community college system in Connecticut. David Welsh is a Veterans Advisor at Tunxis Community College in Farmington.

"As with all community college students , a pretty good number of our students are adults who have families and are attending part time and that includes our veterans as well."

On October 1, several changes went into effect that will help veterans who choose a more non traditional education track. The law will now pay for non degree college programs, on the job and apprenticeship training, flight programs even correspondence training or learning lessons through the mail.

Again, David Welsh:

"It does open up more opportunities to veterans who are interested in advancing their career prospects through some means other than a traditional college program."

Welsh says if veterans are no longer eligible for GI bill benefits, they can still apply for a Connecticut tuition waiver at public colleges.  He adds, nothing precludes them from applying for more common financial aid programs like grants and student loans.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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