Troops 2 College

Never trust single source intel.

That’s one of the first things they teach you at intel school. No matter how good the intel sounds, if it’s only coming from one place, you should take it with a grain of salt.

What does that have to do this blog and the topic of VA education benefits? Well, it means that, as much as I’d love you all to keep reading my blog and trusting what I’m telling you, I don’t want to be your only resource. I want you to go out and find other sources of intel, so that you know, without a doubt, what information is true and can make the best decision possible on whatever the topic is. To that end, today I’m going to tell you about another blog that discusses VA education issues.

Troops 2 College was started in 2012 by Chryssa Jones. Ms. Jones is a Veterans Services Coordinator at the University of California, Riverside. Before she took that position in 2011, she served as Hawaii Pacific University’s Director of Military/Veteran Support Services and Training. Additionally, she’s been a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Veteran’s Program Administrators (NAVPA), a professional organization for school certifying officials and other veterans-related/higher education entities, since 2010. Basically, she’s been working with servicemembers and veterans in higher education for quite some time and has a good idea of what she’s talking about. Which is why Troops 2 College is so useful.

Troops 2 College is a blog that aims to answer some of the most common questions veterans have about higher education. This includes understanding their VA education benefits, understanding how those benefits mesh (or don’t) with school policies and requirements, and even how service-connected conditions play into degree completion. For example, she’s covered questions such as:

• What happens to my VA education benefits if I want to take a semester off of school?
• What happens to my VA education benefits if I fail a class?
• What do I do if my PTSD and/or TBI are causing me trouble in the classroom?

Ms. Jones answers each question thoroughly and covers both the VA benefit side and the academic side of each question, since those two sides aren’t always on the same page. Her answers are easy to understand and, if there’s something you don’t understand, she responds to comments posted. (And she remains professional, even when some posters are just plain rude.)

She only posts every couple of months (I imagine she’s a busy lady), but what she posts is good information. She also has a Twitter and Facebook account for Troops 2 College, so I’m sure she’s pretty open to feedback (as I am!), if there are specific questions you have that she hasn’t answered yet. If you are looking for answers to the questions I mentioned above, you can find the answers here.

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