The extent to which today's combat veterans are succeeding in their education plans is hard to tell. Available data can't tell the whole story but do raise some questions: • Though 95% of active-duty service members sign up for the GI Bill (which costs $1,200), as many as 29% of those who are eligible when they separate from the military never use the benefit, Defense Department data show. • Last year, about 7% of service members who separated from the armed forces before 1997 had used up all their benefits by the 10-year limit, Department of Veterans Affairs data show. • Preliminary studies of students entering college in 2003-04 found that veterans were twice as likely as non-veterans (21% vs. 9%) to have not enrolled in a degree program, recent Department of Education data show. Non-veterans were more likely than veterans (41% vs. 15%) to be enrolled in a bachelor's program. In 2006, veterans who had entered college in 2003-04 were more likely than non-vets who entered that year (12% vs. 5%) to say they don't expect to earn a postsecondary degree. Keith Wilson, director of the VA's education service, says his office has received funding and hopes to soon "fill in those blanks. Whether it is a problem or not is the first thing we want to identify." For example, while the GI Bill provides 36 months of benefits — roughly a four-year degree — veterans on average use about 17 months of benefits, VA data show. For some, that may be enough; the VA doesn't track whether vets already have some college under their belts. And Education Department data show that about 47% of veterans who entered college in 2003-04 planned to pursue a two-year degree (vs. 36% of non-veterans), which takes about 18 months, and 17% planned to pursue a certificate (vs. 13% of non-veterans). Others may stop using benefits not because they couldn't cope, but because their priorities change. "A lot come back with the intention of going to school but get caught up in getting married, buying a car and having a kid," says Vietnam veteran Manuel Martinez, a counselor at East Los Angeles Vet Center, a federal VA program. Some, including Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat, suggest that money provided by the GI Bill benefit is inadequate to today's college costs. Others say the 10-year window given most service members to use their benefit isn't enough. "Soldiers need time to transition back into their old lives," says Patrick Campbell, legislative director of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C. Of the 10 members of his Louisiana National Guard unit who were in college when deployed, only one has returned to school, he says. Martinez, like other counselors, suspects dropout rates among combat veterans are higher than average if for no other reason than many return home with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. In June, the Defense Department released findings that show 31% of Marines, 38% of soldiers and nearly half of National Guard troops have psychological symptoms. Those with physical injuries also face limitations. Under a program created this year by the American Council on Education, a non-profit group, volunteers are working with veterans at three military hospitals. Of 156 service members who have received counseling, 49 have sought admission and been accepted into a study program this fall. Others are still in recovery, says ACE's Jim Selbe. The group plans to track their progress. Julia O'Dell, associate director of the University of Kansas Veterans Upward Bound, part of a federal education program, says this generation of recent veterans brings new challenges to colleges. "The issues combat veterans face … is something we haven't had to deal with in a while," she says. "It's going to take all of these institutions a while to figure out what is exactly the best way to provide services to this particular group." Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.