The government shutdown is over and veterans at UNA said they were anxious to see their benefits check on Nov. 1. These students said they rely on their benefits to not only pay for their education, but to pay for other critical expenses, too.

“I have not heard of any student veterans that have been adversely affected by the shutdown,” said Veteran Affairs Specialist Jeannie Kilpatrick. “However, there were many that were nervous about the possibility of not receiving their monthly benefits on Nov. 1.”

Many student veterans on campus spoke about how uneasy they felt during the week of Nov. 1. They did not know that they would be affected by the shutdown until closer to the end of October, when there was talk about the next benefit check not coming.

“I rely on my benefits to not only pay for school but also my living expenses,” said Pedro Maldonado, an Army veteran. “I had money saved in the event the shutdown did not end before Nov. 1.”

The Veterans Benefit Administration has gone back to work and tried to prevent the delay of check distribution by the Nov. 1 deadline. The veteran affairs claims processors were unable to work during the shutdown, which led to a backlog of claims that caused a scare for no checks on Nov. 1.

“With the shutdown over, we are all very grateful that the Nov. 1 benefit checks will go out to approximately 5 million veterans and other beneficiaries as scheduled,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. “In the coming weeks and months, we will fight hard to regain ground lost as a result of the government shutdown. We remain committed to eliminating the disability claims backlog in 2015.”

Veterans like Maldonado say they rely on these benefits, and in most cases they are their only source of income. These students assume it will be “business as usual” until January 2014, when the debt ceiling comes up for a vote.

Student veterans say they are worried about another possible government shutdown in January which could put a hold on their education. They are preparing for the worst by saving and taking on part-time jobs, they said.

“If things go bad in January before I receive my benefits, I will not be able to go to school in the spring,” Maldonado said. “My VA benefits are my total support.”