
In choosing to serve her country in uniform, Hayleigh Lynn Perez knowingly accepted a nomadic life. Now, the former Army sergeant says she and thousands of other veterans trying to get a higher education are being penalized for that enforced rootlessness.
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the federal government will pick up the full in-state cost for any honorably discharged service member wishing to attend a public college or university. But, because the often intricate rules governing residency differ from state to state, and even within university systems, many veterans face a bewildering battle to exercise the benefits they’ve already fought for.
“It is part of our contractual agreement when we join the military,” says Perez, who filed a $10 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the University of North Carolina Board of Governors after one of its schools denied her resident status. “It’s been paid for—with blood and sweat and tears and deployments.”…Read More