English Touts Better Benefits for Local Veterans
Press Release
English Touts Better Benefits for Local Veterans
New Law Expands Education Opportunities for
Guard and Reserve Members
Local veterans returning home from service finally have easy access to 21st century educational benefits, said U.S. Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.).
Today, English, joined by local veterans at the Butler VAMC, touted the Post 9/11 Educational Assistance Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen and expand the original Montgomery GI Bill and increase benefits for Reserve and Guard members. The legislation, which was included in H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, was signed into law on Monday, June 30th.
"The veterans of western Pennsylvania have long served our country with distinction and honor, and it is our duty to reaffirm the commitment to those who have fought to preserve our freedom," said English. "Our men and women in uniform now have peace of mind that the resources they need to build a brighter future for themselves and their families will be readily available for them when they return home from duty and begin to readjust to civilian life."
The Montgomery GI Bill was originally created to help World War II veterans get educational benefits upon their return from war. Over the past 60 years, the bill has been modified time and time again, but it has never been updated to adequately support members of the Reserve and National Guard, who make up a greater percentage of America's Armed forces today than in the past. English, an original cosponsor of the Post 9/11 Educational Assistance Act, advocated efforts in Washington to have the bipartisan, bicameral legislation folded into a broader spending bill, H.R. 2642, which was signed into law earlier this week.
Specifically, the new law will give members of the military who have served at least three years on active duty since September 11, 2001, a maximum educational benefit equal to the highest tuition for a public college or university in their state. The federal government will also match, dollar for dollar, a private college's financial contributions toward a veteran's tuition. Finally, veterans, including National Guard and Reserve members, will have 15 years to use their educational benefits and will have the option to transfer unused educational benefits to their spouses and dependents.
"This new law makes clear that this Congress is committed to protecting veterans in America," English said. "By rewarding their service and investing in their future, we can make certain that this new generation of veterans are well taken care of."
*Summary of the new GI Bill Follows:
POST-9/11 VETERANS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT
Signed into law June 30, 2008
SUMMARY
The bipartisan Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act is designed to expand the educational benefits that our nation offers to the brave men and women who have served us so honorably since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The bill would closely resemble the educational benefits provided to veterans returning from World War II.
BACKGROUND
Our country has a tradition - since World War II - of offering educational assistance to returning veterans. In the 1940s, the first "G.I. Bill" helped transform notions of equality in American society. The World War II G.I. bill paid for veterans' tuition, books, fees, a monthly stipend, and other training costs.
Approximately 7.8 million veterans used the benefits given under the original G.I. bill in some form, out of a wartime veteran population of 15 million. For every dollar invested in veterans, seven dollars were generated. Over the last several decades, Congress passed a number of other G.I. bills that also gave educational benefits to veterans. However, benefits awarded under those subsequent bills have not been as expansive as our nation's original G.I. bill. Currently, veterans' educational benefits are administered under the Montgomery G.I. Bill. This program is designed for peacetime - not wartime - service.
MAJOR PROVISIONS
Increased educational benefits would be available to all members of the military who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001, including activated reservists and National Guard. To qualify, veterans must have served at least three to thirty-six months of qualified active duty, beginning on or after September 11, 2001.
The bill provides for educational benefits to be paid in amounts linked to the amount of active duty served in the military after 9/11. Generally, veterans would receive some amount of assistance proportional to their service for 36 months, which equals four academic years. Veterans would still be eligible to receive any incentive-based supplemental educational assistance from their military branch for which they qualify.
Benefits provided under the bill would allow veterans pursuing an approved program of education to receive payments covering the established charges of their program, up to the cost of the most expensive instate public school, plus a monthly stipend equivalent to housing costs in their area. The bill would allow additional payments for tutorial assistance, as well as licensure and certification tests.
The bill would create a new program in which the government will agree to match, dollar for dollar, any voluntary additional contributions to veterans from institutions whose tuition is more expensive than the maximum educational assistance provided under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
Veterans would have up to fifteen years, compared to ten years under the Montgomery G.I. Bill, after they leave active duty to use their educational assistance entitlement. Veterans would be barred from receiving concurrent assistance from this program and another similar program.
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