New, "New GI Bill" to Cover More Programs & Servicemembers

When it was introduced in 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill greatly expanded education benefits for veterans, servicemembers, and their families. With new benefits like the GI Bill transfer to dependents and the Yellow Ribbon Program, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is paving the way for thousands of veterans to complete their educations.

Today, a new wave of veterans' benefits is on the horizon. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) introduced new legislation (S.3447) in May that calls for significant and widespread modifications to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee sent the legislation--known as The Veterans Educational Assistance Improvement Act of 2010--to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for a cost estimate after approving the bill in August.

The CBO report, released earlier this month, details how if the bill is enacted it could put even more funds for education into the hands of veterans. The total amount of additional funds? Over one billion dollars between 2011 and 2015, the report estimates, and approximately $2.3 billion between 2011 and 2020.

GI Bill 2.0: The Updated Post-9/11 GI Bill

Although The Veterans Educational Assistance Improvement Act of 2010 includes a number of benefits changes, the central components include increased eligibility categories, new monthly housing stipends, and coverage for additional training programs.

New Eligibility. The crux of the legislation is to provide Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to new servicemembers, specifically servicemembers in the National Guard and Active-Guard Reserve Program.

Certificate and non-degree programs. Under S.3447, non-college and certificate degree programs would be covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Servicemembers can study at non-degree granting institutions, enroll in flight school, enter into apprenticeships, and receive funding for on-the-job training.

These eligibility and program coverage changes would dramatically increase the number of veterans who are eligible for benefits. For example, benefits would cover:

• An additional 6,000 veterans per year at non-degree granting institutions
• An additional 6,800 veterans per year to pursue apprenticeships or on-the-job training
• An additional 160 veterans per year to pursue flight training

Currently, National Guard and Active-Guard Reserve Program servicemembers performing duties in either service are only eligible to education benefits through the Montgomery GI Bill and REAP. Under this new provision, an additional 131,000 National Guard servicemembers would become immediately eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Subsequently, another 8,000 National Guard servicemembers would qualify for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits each year.

A second, but impacting provision, seeks to delay eligibility of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for Coast Guard Academy graduates until they fulfill their service obligations, as is required of graduates of other military academies. The CBO estimates direct spending from this eligibility change would be reduced by $1 million between 2011 and 2010.

The proposed expansion of coverage to include guard members sits well with Jeffrey Dunn, an Army veteran who is using his GI Bill benefits to attend the Master of Business Administration program at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

"Anybody that puts their life on the line for the defense of their country should be entitled to help with their education," he says.

Bryant Paz, a 22-year-old former petty officer third class with the U.S. Navy who is also attending Fairleigh Dickinson under the GI Bill agrees. Furthermore, Paz feels that students who complete military service are better prepared for the rigors of academic life, and are more focused than students who have not served. Reservists, he says, should be entitled to the same military education benefits as other veterans.

"Going through the military can give you maturity and let you realize what you want to study," Paz says. "We served our country, and now we want to expand our horizons and serve in a different ways. Expanding it is a great idea; it benefits (Guardsmen) and benefits the U.S. in general to have mature, disciplined students that will be taking advantage of this and bettering themselves and the country."

The Current Post-9/11 GI Bill in Action

Paz and Dunn both say that without their military education benefits, they would never be able to afford tuition at a private university like the one they attend. Using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits along with the Yellow Ribbon Program, however, their tuition is paid in full.

"If I were using the Montgomery GI Bill, I would have gone to a community college, but having the opportunity to take advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill has given me the opportunity to go to prestigious school such as Farleigh Dickinson," says Paz who is majoring in international studies.

Dunn earned a bachelor's degree using funds provided by the New Jersey National Guard Tuition Assistance program before drawing on the Montgomery GI Bill. He transitioned to the Post-9/11 GI Bill the first semester it became available in the fall of 2009.

"It puts a pretty well-recognized private school in my financial reach, and without this new bill I would not be able to afford to go to," Dunn says. "Compared to old GI Bill, I would be getting about $1,500 a month; here I have a housing allowance and my tuition is covered. It has really allowed me to focus on academics and focus on being the best student I can be."

Share This

Email