At SUNY, Delgado Hears

Student Veteran Struggles

SUNY Oneonta student Matthew Williams, an Army veteran who served for five and a half years and recently enrolled at the college, addresses his financial struggles at a meeting with Congressman Antonio Delgado, D-19. Delgado met with student veterans today at the Morris Conference Center on campus to discuss methods to support them, both financially and in legislature.

“My main grievances are with the V.A.,” said Williams, who told the Congressman he was not getting the housing allowance he was promised after enrolling in classes at SUNY Oneonta. He left the Army early in order to start school in September and has relied on his wife, who works a full-time job to support him and his two children. “We will try and figure out what we can do on that front,” says Delgado, who has been actively trying to implement legislature aimed at helping veterans. SUNY Oneonta president Barbara Jean Morris, pictured left, was also in attendance.

He is part of a large number of veterans that aren’t getting the financial assistance they need once they return home. Even the few that get back on their feet will still be burdened by their financial history because their credit score will have been negatively affected by their struggles. In a lot of states, your credit history can have a big impact on your homeowner’s insurance rates and also any rates on things like auto loans. This means that they need to look for one of the Credit Cards to Build Credit and take steps to improve their credit score once more. While it’s good the veterans have this option, it can often take a long time to get their credit score to a place that will allow them to start saving money because of it.

(James Cummings/AllOTSEGO.com)