COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Leaving Military: Veterans
Lawmakers Urge GI Bill Extension
Terry Howell, Military.com
May 09, 2007
Veterans
who want to take advantage of the Montgomery GI Bill but have found
their eligibility has expired may soon get a second chance with new
legislation introduced on Capitol Hill last week.
In an effort to extend the time veterans have to take advantage of
their GI Bill benefits, Washington Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell
introduced the GI Bill for Life Act that would eliminate the 10-year
time limit placed on GI Bill benefits.
The GI Bill for active duty servicemembers and veterans is a "pay to
play" benefit that requires each servicemember to make a $1,200
non-refundable contribution up front. In return for the contribution
they can use their entitlement-up to $1,075 per month for 36 months-to
help pay for education, apprenticeship, and job training.
The catch is the GI Bill automatically expires 10 years after the
veteran leaves active duty service. It's this "use it or loose it"
aspect of the GI Bill that has left many veterans feeling misled and
cheated.
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs reports, nearly 30
percent of eligible veterans are unable to use any of their education
benefits and most eligible veterans are only able to access a portion
of their GI Bill before the 10-year limit is reached.
"GI Bill benefits should not come with an expiration date," Cantwell
said in a May 1 press release announcing the bill. "When our
servicemembers leave the military, family obligations, work commitments
and economic difficulties often get in the way."
Many veterans postpone going to school due to several factors
including, employment constraints, family obligations, illness and
disabilities associated with military service. In many cases 10
years have pass and they simply lose their benefits.
"We need to remove this arbitrary time limit and make sure our veterans
can get valuable skills training when the time is right for them,"
Cantwell added. "Veterans should have access to their education
benefits for life."
On the other side of Capitol Hill, House Armed Services Committee
member and fellow Washington lawmaker Rep. Rick Larsen (D), will soon
introduce identical legislation in the House.
"Times have changed, and we owe it to our veterans to keep up," Larsen
said a press release. "In today's changing economy, veterans should be
able to get the education they need when they need it."
The Montgomery GI Bill includes active duty as well as reserve
component programs: The Montgomery GI Bill for Selected Reserve and the
Reserve Education Assistance Program. Unlike the GI Bill for active
duty, the Reserve GI Bill does not require a $1,200 contribution, but
it does require a service commitment of six or more years.
In addition, enrollees in the reserve program receive up to $309 per
month for 36 months in education benefits, and the Reserve GI Bill
expires after 14 years - or when the individual leaves the service. In
other words, veteran reservists who are out of the service aren't
eligible to receive any GI Bill benefits.
The so-called "Cantwell/Larsen Montgomery GI Bill for Life Act of 2007"
- S. 1261 - which is cosponsored by Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), would repeal both the 10 year and 14 year
deadlines. It doesn't address the reserve component programs'
expiration upon leaving the service, however.
With a renewed focus on veterans' issues on Capitol Hill and large
influx of war veterans, advocates feel that such legislation has a
better momentum this year.
"This legislation will allow veterans that have earned their GI Bill
entitlements to use those entitlements to keep up with changes due to
technology over the course of their lifetime, thus keeping them more
employable," veteran and former Washington VFW commander Frosty Hulsey
said in the Cantwell release. "This bill is a long time overdue. It
makes sense and is the right thing to do."
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