Husband lost job

[scaperbuddy]

I feel kind of blah. My husband lost his job and we live in a small town where there aren't alot of jobs. He isn't a skilled laborer. I guess I will be moonlighting as I am a skilled laborer and would get a second job quicker than he would get a first.

Second problem. For some reason the military didn't pay all of my son's college tuition. He was told the governent wasn't paying for college fully for folks this semester and there were cutbacks. Have you heard of this?

When it rains. It pours. I need scaper cheer.

[AgentSun]

i'm sorry for the news, scaperbuddy :( things will improve soon. where do you live?

[grinner]

have him talk to his superior officer. I haven't heard anything about this. There have been articles about how the Military is paying MORE college and Bonuses... so this is peculiar

[NYPinTA]

:hug:
I don't have any good advice though...

[Paul Cousins]

I feel kind of blah. My husband lost his job and we live in a small town where there aren't alot of jobs. He isn't a skilled laborer. I guess I will be moonlighting as I am a skilled laborer and would get a second job quicker than he would get a first.

Second problem. For some reason the military didn't pay all of my son's college tuition. He was told the governent wasn't paying for college fully for folks this semester and there were cutbacks. Have you heard of this?

When it rains. It pours. I need scaper cheer.

First, figure out what skills you and your husband have.

This might be a good opportunity to start an internet business and/or a local small business.

[LT Garrix]

Not knowing your son's circumstances, there many different military college programs and each has different rules and different pots of money, I couldn't say. Also depends service to service.

Best of luck on the job issue.

[scaperbuddy]

My son has drill tonight and I told him to talk to his CO about this because I didn't hear about it either. What happened is when he went to pay for his classes the college said that the military only paid for part of his classes and he had to pay for the rest of his tuition. It's not a grade thing. His GPA is a 3.1 The college said others in the military had their aid cut.

I live in Fishersville, Virginia AgentSun. It's a small town and we don't even have a decent mall here.

Problem with starting a business is that we owe more than I make right now. But that is a good idea.

[AgentSun]

just curious. i go to college in lynchburg, a small town to me, but i guess that's fairly large compared to fishersville?

is there anything he could do? collect unemployment until he finds another job?

[scaperbuddy]

Lt Garrix, my son is in the National Guard and is using the Montgomery GI Bill to go to college. It paid for him the First year. Then the second year he was activated for a years service for Operation Noble Eagle stateside at Ft Meade, Md so that took a year out of college then he went a semester last spring it paid for all of it and this fall there is this cutback.

AgentSun, I've been to Lynchburg and it's definitely bigger than where I live! Much, much bigger. We have cows where I live. The hospital has pastures next to it. Does this give you a clue? :rollin:

[Darth Buddha]

I feel kind of blah. My husband lost his job and we live in a small town where there aren't alot of jobs. He isn't a skilled laborer. I guess I will be moonlighting as I am a skilled laborer and would get a second job quicker than he would get a first.

Sincerely and from the bottom of my heart, best of luck to both of you. Been in similar pinches.. and it SUCKS!

Second problem. For some reason the military didn't pay all of my son's college tuition. He was told the governent wasn't paying for college fully for folks this semester and there were cutbacks. Have you heard of this[QUOTE]

It's only gonna get worse... the recent payraise got a lot of hooplah, but it is merely election year politics. More telling are the proposals out of his office (just like the Bush administration's proposed cut to anti-terrorism that was made only a few days before 9/11 is telling).

Granted, it is a democratic source, but the proposals were quite real.

http://www.wa-democrats.org/site/press_room/press_62.php

[quote]The Bush Record: Cutting Funding for Vital Veterans Programs

Nearly A Quarter Of A Million Veterans Are Forced To Wait Months To Initial Visits to VA Doctors. At least 230,000 veterans are being forced to wait over six months for their initial visit to a doctor at the VA medical facilities. In some parts of the country veterans are waiting nearly two years for those visits. Bush’s VA Secretary Anthony Principi has acknowledged the danger in these delays, stating “I’m concerned [the delays are] causing quality to be degraded.” The “Independent Budget,” an analysis of the VA budget provided by veterans groups, has said “The Department of Veterans Affairs health care system is in critical condition.” Meanwhile, the Bush administration opposed a Senate addition to the Iraq supplemental bill that would have added $1.3 billion to veterans’ health care. [Air Force Magazine, 10/02; http://www.pva.org/independentbudget/pdf/IB_04excsum.pdf; OMB Director Joshua Bolton to Rep. David Obey (D-WI), 10/21/03]

Meanwhile, Bush Administration Is Closing Seven Veterans Hospitals. In early August 2003, the Bush administration announced it was closing hospitals in its efforts to “restructure” the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hospitals to be closed are in “Canandaigua, N.Y.; Pittsburgh (Highland Drive); Lexington, Ky. (Leestown); Brecksville, Ohio; Gulfport, Miss.; Livermore, Calif.; and Waco, Texas. The administration does plan to open new hospitals in Las Vegas and Orlando. But Joy Ilem, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, “questioned the need for closures and other cutbacks. ‘Everyone is aware of the difficulty VA has meeting demand,’ Ilem said. ‘When we have hundreds of thousands of veterans on waiting lists (for medical appointments), we don't want to see facilities closed due to fiscal problems.’” There are currently 163 VA hospitals in the US. [Associated Press, 8/4/03, 10/28/03; Department of Veterans Affairs]

Bush Proposed Doubling Costs of Prescription Drugs for Veterans. This year Bush proposed increasing prescription drugs costs for veterans. The Bush plan would have included a new $250 enrollment fee and a co‑pay increase from $7 to $15 for veterans earning over $24,000. On July 21, the House Appropriations Committee agreed to a Democratic amendment to reject the Bush fee increases and recoup the $264 million in costs by reducing administrative funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. [Reuters, 7/14/03; Washington Post, 7/22/03]

Bush Decided To Cut Benefits For Middle-Income Veterans. On January 16, 2003, the Bush Administration announced it would cut access to health care benefits for 160,000 middle-income veterans due to budget constraints. John Pettyjohn, an Oklahoma veteran who served in Vietnam, said of the cuts, “On one hand, we're sending our sons and daughters out to war and possibly to die, yet on the other hand we're punishing a certain class of veterans who've made money in their lives. The government made a promise to us. What they're doing now is wrong.” [Associated Press, 1/16/03; The Daily Oklahoman, 1/18/03]

Bush’s 2004 Budget Cut $200 Million From Impact Aid, Denying Education Funds For Children In Military Families. Bush’s 2004 budget cut $200 million from Impact Aid, a program that helps military children receive a quality education. While Bush requested $1.2 billion for the entire Impact Aid program, most of that funding went to non-military groups. The military portion of Impact Aid would fall in Bush’s budget from $635 to $435 million. Bush tried to cut $3 million from Impact Aid in 2003 as well. [House Appropriations Committee, Minority Staff, 6/17/03, 6/16/03; Washington Post, 6/17/03; Omaha World Herald, 2/5/02; State News Service, 2/4/02]

Bush’s Tax Cut For The Wealthy Excluded Child Tax Credits For Many Low-Income Military Families. Bush’s 2004 tax cut failed to extend a child tax credit to 200,000 low-income military families. Soldiers whose “with taxable incomes below $26,625 are ineligible for the increase in the maximum child tax credit from $600 to $1,000 that was part of a tax bill signed into law in May.” Among those whose families are left out of the Bush tax cut are soldiers serving in combat zones. [Washington Post, 6/17/03; Army Times, 8/11/03]

Some Children Of Soldiers In Iraq Rely On Charity. The charity group “Feed the Children” organized food drives for children whose parents were fighting in Iraq. Between December 2002 and April 2003, the group “delivered 600,000 pounds of food and other necessities to more than 6,200 military families at 12 bases.” In April, people “lined up for a half-hour near Fort Bragg [North Carolina] to get free boxes of supplies and food, from cereal and spaghetti sauce to baby food and potato chips. Among the needy were some of the 1,200 families living near the Army post and Pope Air Force Base whose breadwinners are off fighting in Iraq.” Even in peacetime, many militaries families rely on such efforts, and qualify for food stamps. “Feed the Children is best known for providing food and medical assistance in developing countries. It began aiding families of deployed military during the first Gulf War.” [Tulsa World, 4/7/03; Associated Press, 4/9/03]

Bush Proposed Huge Cuts For Military Construction And Other Important Programs. In FY 2004, Bush proposed cutting $1.5 billion from his budget for military construction, from $10.7 billion to under $9.2 billion. Programs included in this cut were schools, physical fitness centers, barracks for personnel and hangers for planes. Democrats in the House proposed reducing the Bush tax cuts for millionaires by $5,000—from a massive $88,000 average tax break to a still-massive $83,000. Reducing such aid to millionaires would have restored $1 billion of the Bush cuts to military personnel, but the House GOP defeated that Democratic plan.

[LT Garrix]

Check out this web site. http://www.gibill.va.gov/ It has pretty much all the information you could want on the GI Bill. I know that there is a cap to annual education benefits and it could be that the tuition at his college now exceeds that. Worst case, there are some contact numbers on the site that maybe you can get a good answer from someone.

[Antrobus]

We have cows where I live. The hospital has pastures next to it. Does this give you a clue?

I have cows in the fields all around my house! My brother is a dairy farmer. So the locale you describe sounds very familiar.

Sorry to hear about your husbands loss of his job. Today's job creation numbers didn't make things look too good either. When I lost my job a year and a half ago I was devastated, but somebody picked me up within two weeks and I make more $ now than I did at the other job, so think good thoughts. Sometimes things work the way they do for a reason.

As for your son, have you considered contacting your Federal Reps and Senators. Bug them until you get an answer out of them. Make them explain what's going on and then ask them if they can help you. The squeeky wheel gets the grease!

[BrowderChick]

Sending good vibes your way. :hug:

I hope it will soon all work out for you. :)

[Zantar]

Im sorry that this happended. Hopefully he finds a better job soon.

[AgentSun]

AgentSun, I've been to Lynchburg and it's definitely bigger than where I live! Much, much bigger. We have cows where I live. The hospital has pastures next to it. Does this give you a clue?

yeah thats a big clue!! hahaha. it's a pastime for us college kids in lynchburg to sit around whining about how there is nothing to do. how far are you from lynchburg? i have to say, small towns intrigue me, cause i've never really been in a small town...lynchburg is small to me, haha.

lynchburg itself has more residents than my town, but i'm surrounded by other towns that are equally as populated, each less than 15 miles away. lynchburg is a big town in one place, with no neighbors. except for cows.

[who45]

Sorry to hear this...hope he finds something soon.

[Clarsax]

:hug: Hang in there. Something will turn up. Who knows? Maybe he'll find an even better job.

As for your son, I'd look into it and get some more information about what's going on, just in case there is a way he can get the full tuition paid. Good luck! I hope things work out for the best in the long run. :hug:

[scaperbuddy]

Fishersville is about 65 miles north of you AgentSun. It is near Wintergreen Ski Resort if you have heard of it. I am also not too far from Massaneutten Ski Resort which is to the north of where I live. I don't know about unemployment. He'll find out Monday.

LT Garrix, my son goes to the cheapest college in the area. I don't if that could be the problem Most people go to this community college Blue Ridge then transfer to a four year because it is alot cheaper.

I do plan to write my elected officials as it is an election year and also my local newspaper to encourage others to do so. I think if you can put your life at risk for your country then you are entitled to what the Govt promises and I'm also talking about what Darth Buddha posted above as well. Those soldiers deserve better treatment.

[AgentSun]

yeah i've heard of wintergreen and massaneutten.

hope the situation with your husband and son improves.

[scaperbuddy]

Both good ski resorts.

[Third EYe]

Terribly sorry to hear this scaperbuddy. You will all be in my prayers.

[Mike0812]

Sorry to hear about this :(. Hope everything works out for you and your family.

[Mrelia]

So, what kind of education and skills does your hubby have? The reason I'm asking is that we've got a pretty diverse group here and maybe someone will have some ideas that might not have occurred to ya'll yet.

[ChianaMuse]

I'm sorry to hear that scaperbuddy! :hug: My mom lost her job almost two years ago, and hasn't been able to get a decent job since. Only thing she's gotten is an at home job for a one man company who is a little behind in paying her (and she hasn't been working for him for six months) and a job answering phones at a software distributing place. I hope your hubby has better luck than my mom!

The hospital has pastures next to it. Does this give you a clue?
where I live, we have a cemetary right next to the hospital. very convenient, eh? :rollin:

[scaperbuddy]

Cemetary next to the hospital. That's scary. There's a cemetary next to my doctor's office. My husband did factory work.

[sny]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. But, if your son has had such a radical change in circumstances (cut in GI aid AND lowering of the possible family contribution because of job loss) it may be worth him getting an appointment with a financial aid counselor at his school.

The college where I work often does a "reworking" of aid when there is some sort of situation impacting the family pocketbook, adjusting your cost of attendance, and they can find sometimes obscure extra aid that you don't know about. The student comes in, explains the situation, maybe fills out a bit of paperwork, and finds that they don't owe as big a bill at the end of the semester. I believe they've even done something of the like when a parent retired. It's worth asking, anyway. These finaid folks can often sniff out grants and such I never heard of.

[Jeff O'Connor]

I'll keep you, and your husband, in my thoughts, scaperbuddy. I hope everything goes well. Much Scaperlove. (((((((scaperbuddy))))))

[scaperbuddy]

Thanks Jeff and everyone. My thoughts have been with you too Jeff. I know you are going through some hard times too.

[JadedLegend3]

Sorry to hear this. I don't know how I missed this thread. :hugz: to you and your family. Prayers, too.

[scaperbuddy]

There is a glimmer of hope on the part of my son. The National Guard sent a letter and sent it was paying his tuition for college. It contradicts what the college said. Will have to call the school today.

[LT Garrix]

Yay! That's great news. Keep on that to make sure both sides are on the same sheet of music. If not, hopefully the link I sent you can help get them there.

Hopefully you'll get good news on the job front soon.

[trinamick]

Hope things turn out for the best. Hang in there! :hug:

[Clarsax]

Good luck! I hope it all turns out for the best. :hug: