Congressman Steven Horsford and Senator Cory Booker Announce Legislation to Increase GI Bill Assistance to Veterans

Statement

Ahead of Veterans Day, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) introduced the Veteran Education and Transfer (or "VET") Extension Act, which will increase the months of assistance veterans can receive from the Post-9/11 GI Bill, allow veterans to transfer those benefits to a dependent after leaving active service, and prevent interference in these benefits from the Department of Defense (DoD). Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation in the Senate.

"Since the birth of our nation, untold numbers have answered the call to put their country above themselves. With this bill, I hope we are able to repay a small portion of the debt to these brave souls for the sacrifices they've made for our country and our freedoms," Congressman Horsford said. "I've heard from veterans in my district who have had to jump through hoops just to access the benefits that they have been promised by our government. It is my honor and my responsibility to remove any barriers that these brave men and women face in accessing the benefits that they have earned."

Currently, there are 6,635 veterans in Nevada and 7,521 veterans in New Jersey who utilize Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Nationally the number is 986,577. Around 1,800 veterans currently attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and another 1,550 attend the College of Southern Nevada. This bill would ensure these veterans are not deprived of the assistance they need or the ability to transfer their benefits to members of their families.

In July 2019, the DoD announced a policy requiring service members who served 16 years or more to commit to serving an additional four years in order to transfer the education benefit of their GI Bill. Though the policy has been delayed until January 2020, the threat of this policy has negatively impacted thousands of service members and their dependents who may make family planning decisions based on the availability of their benefits. The VET Extension Act would officially block and eliminate that policy and ensure veterans and their families across the country can access the benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill that they are owed.

"While the GI bill is one of the boldest and most consequential pieces of legislation to support veterans, many student veterans today exhaust their limited benefits before they can reasonably complete a degree, and face red tape when they try to transfer their hard-earned benefits to their children after they separate from the military. This bill will make much-needed updates to the GI Bill to close these loopholes to bring the GI bill more in-line with what its original architects intended. Our nation's veterans risked their lives to defend our freedoms -- it's our responsibility to ensure they receive the benefits they've earned when they return home," Senator Booker said.

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