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VA Comes Down on Detroit College

By VVAW

VA PLAN: SAVE A NICKEL, SCREW A VET

Here and there around the country, in little ways and in big ways, the VA is out to get vets. Not get us the things we need like decent medical care, disability pensions and educational assistance. They're out to get us the shaft--get us off the GI Bill. Money is tight, so the ruling class is cutting back on programs for vets; they need the money to spend on things like B-1 bombers, tanks, railroads, and other projects to shore up their faltering economy. For the VA this means screwing a vet here or there to save a few thousand, or screwing a bunch of vets to save a few million.

Vets at the College of Life-long Learning at Wayne State University in Detroit recently got the word--cutback on their GI Bill payments. The CLL is a program at the university where working people can go to school to obtain a bachelor's degree in general studies. The program is set up so students can take TV classes on week nights and attend two all-day Saturday and Sunday conferences during each quarter.

The VA's latest line of nonsense is that TV time and conferences don't count for as much as they used to, and therefore the vets in the program (about 80% of the students) are only entitled to benefits as part time students. This means that single vets will be reduced from $292 a month to $146 a month, and married vets reduced from $347 a month to $174. The benefits paid out will only amount to about 50% of what the vets in the program are entitled to.

What's the VA's game here? It's more than just a 50% cut which is bad enough. Most of the vets have jobs and families; few could afford the time that would be needed to take the added courses which would be necessary to be full time. Few of the vets will be able to sign up for the program with the pay cut. The VA knows this. Combined with the already implemented restrictions of sign-in sheets, minimum grade average requirements and the forfeiture of two months pay for an incomplete, this new attack means that vets would be dropping out faster than GIs leaving a base on a 2-day pass. This would mean that the CLL would be in danger of closing its doors for lack of students. With all those vets out of the school, the VA stands to save $12,000,000.

Like so many other vets in other places around the country, the 2800 vets at CLL are pissed off and fighting back. There is plenty of anger and desire to fight this abuse, but the best way to fight has not been too clear due to the wimpy ideas put forward by some so-called leaders. For instance, leaders from the local united Auto Workers union (UAW--most of the students are auto workers) want the fight to take the form of a show to lobby Congress. Aside from the fact that even if Congress did act it would be too late, this tactic would only be asking one part of the ruling class to overrule another part. Sort of like asking your first sergeant to countermand the company commander's orders to keep your boots shined.

Other misleaders wanted to take the problem to the courts but this idea was quickly dropped because most of the vets understand whose side the courts are on. Still others wanted to pressure the UAW to pressure Carter because the attack is coming from Carter. This problem with this tactic is that it means relying on a few saviors in the union, which is hardly where strength lies.

Our strength in such battles is our numbers and out unity in attacking the bureaucracy from which the attack came. As one vet put it, "We've got to take it right home to the VA. We need a demonstration at the VA to let them know we won't stand for this."

Relying on ourselves and our strength is the only way. This was shown recently at the University of Massachusetts in Boston where the VA cut vets off the GI Bill because the school used a "pass/fail" grading system. The vets organized and showed their power--and go the VA to back off and say "they made a mistake."

In Detroit there have been two demonstrations of 50 and 150 people. The vets are angry and willing to fight, and if that fight is directed at the VA it can be won. We learned from the experience in Boston and countless other times that a united show of force aimed at the proper target--the VA and the whole rotten system of which it is a part--can win victories in these battles.