Senate Approves Legislation to Expand Reach of New G.I. Bill

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) applauded Senate approval of legislation designed to expand the reach of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill so that more service members are eligible for education benefits. Lautenberg, an Army veteran and beneficiary of the original G.I. Bill, was one of the authors of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and cosponsored this new legislation to expand that law and allow more veterans to access its benefits.

"Congress achieved an important victory for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with the passage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill two years ago," said Senator Lautenberg, an Army veteran who attended college on the original G.I. bill. "Hundreds of thousands of veterans have benefitted from the Post-9/11 G.I. bill and today we are a step closer to expanding opportunity to thousands more. Helping those who served our country is not just our responsibility, it's our duty."

The "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act," S. 3447, was approved in the Senate yesterday evening. It expands the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill to include more National Guard members, provides a living allowance for distance learners, and increases the types of eligible education programs to include vocational programs and other institutions.

Signed into law in June 2008, the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill provides education benefits for veterans who have served since 9/11. However, some members of the National Guard did not qualify for the benefits. S. 3447 expands the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill to cover more National Guard members, allowing an additional 131,000 Guardsman nationwide to become eligible for benefits.

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