Last night's government shutdown will affect veterans across Ball State relying on Veteran Affairs services.
More than 400 Ball State students currently receive benefits from Veteran Affairs, since Indiana laws identify military service members as veterans.
Two work-study students, classified as veterans, will have to wait to receive their paychecks due to the reduced workforce in positions responsible for sending the checks, said Beck Hannaford, veterans benefits and financial assistant coordinator.
Hannaford also said he got a call from one student in the Indiana National Guard who had been furloughed, but has yet to hear of any others. The student was deemed nonessential to the government.
About 100 students on campus who receive aid through the National Guard or another branch of the reserve service will not receive monetary aid next semester if the shutdown continues.
Hannaford said every military student turned in the necessary paperwork on time for this current semester before the shutdown occurred.
“Veterans are impacted a lot by the government shutdown, and it could have a big impact if it continues,” Hannaford said. “A hundred students not getting their tuition paid, that’s a big deal.”
