VFW Offers Emergency Assistance Grants to Westech Student Veterans

Apr 11, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is offering up to $5,000 in emergency assistance grants to each of the nearly three dozen student veterans who once attended Westech College, a now defunct for-profit vocational school in southern California. 
 
“The affected student veterans were receiving a monthly stipend to go to school, but with Westech’s sudden closure, they are now left without a school and without an income, yet the bills keep coming,” said VFW National Commander Brian Duffy. “These student veterans are in a financial crisis through no fault of their own, which is exactly why the VFW Unmet Needs program was created — to help veterans and military families through temporary emergency situations.”
 
Since its inception in 2004, the VFW Unmet Needs program has distributed $6.75 million in emergency grants to more than 4,300 families, to include nine student veterans when ITT Tech suddenly shut down last summer. The program is funded by the generous donations of patrons and 62 Burger King franchise owners in 36 states. 
 
“The VFW is working with Congress to restore their lost GI Bill benefits, but the needs of these student veterans are too immediate to wait for Congress to act,” said Duffy. “I encourage them to contact VFW Director of Programs Lynn Rolf at 1-800-VFW-1899, or to logon to VFW’s Unmet Needs program to learn more and to apply.”