House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, R-Tenn., introduced the idea of changing the GI Bill to have service members buy into the benefit. This quickly became a debated topic with strong opinions on both sides.
Later, a meeting was scheduled to hear points from multiple interested parties, but that was quickly called off as well. Finally, last month 35 veterans groups were able to peacefully discuss changes to the GI Bill.
At the conclusion of that meeting, the groups were able to agree on 4 key changes to the GI Bill but could not agree on how to fund them.
Currently, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is a free benefit to service members that meet certain criteria. There is no fee to participate in the program. The GI Bill is estimated to cost the government about $100 billion over the next 10 years.
New service members may be required to pay into the GI Bill if proposed changes occur. Four changes are being considered, but funding for them may come from service members directly.
The idea introduced is that new service members would have to buy into the GI Bill benefit if they wanted to have access to it. This fee would only apply to service members that enter the military after a set point, not current or former service members.
The GI Bill tax is proposed to be $100 a month for the first 2 years of service. While that might not sound like a lot of money to those in Washington, it is substantial to lower enlisted men and women. Once the $2,400 has been paid over that period of time, service members would be eligible to use the GI Bill. The government estimates that this buy-in fee would bring in $3.1 billion over 10 years.
The money taken in from this GI Bill tax would be used to finance adding other groups of service members and their families that do not, under the current GI Bill, qualify for the program. Adding these groups to the GI Bill benefit is what all parties can agree on, but funding it through this tax is not.
As it stands, the groups agreed on 4 changes to the GI Bill.
The first is permitting National Guard and Reservists who deployed under Title 10, Section 12304b and should of qualified for benefits, but didn’t, to be eligible for the GI Bill. Roughly 4,700 service members fall under this category.
The second thing they agreed on is to broaden the eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program to include surviving spouses as well as children of service members that were killed while serving their county. The Yellow Ribbon Program provides extra money to put toward education, which allows recipients to attend schools or take classes that would otherwise cost more than the GI Bill would cover.
The third thing all parties could agree on was to give full GI Bill benefits to every Purple Heart recipient. Sadly, every Purple Heart recipient does not currently qualify for these benefits. As it stands, the service member must be medically retired from the military if they don’t have 36 months of active duty. There are about 1,500 Purple Heart recipients who do not meet these qualifications.
Finally, those at the meeting agreed that there should be assistance for students when a school they are attending closes. Under the current GI Bill, if a school closes its doors before you graduate, you simply lose the money that the GI Bill benefit paid to the school. You don’t get to start over at a new school with new money.
Thousands of veterans were hit hard when ITT Tech closed last year. They weren’t able to recoup any of the money or even transfer credits.
These 4 changes to the GI Bill are great improvements. The only problem is how to fund them. The VFW strongly disagrees with charging service members for the GI Bill but other groups, particularly the Student Veterans of America, are for it.
Just another benefit the Republicans want to take away from the military. They tampered with our healthcare, are charging us more to shop at the commissary, and now they want to take away education benefits for the military. Are the rich elite Republicans not aware that most people enlist in the military to get the GI Bill help with college education? How long is it going to be before people stop enlisting and we have no military unless we resume the draft. How popular is that going to be? When my husband enlisted in the Air Force in 1974, he was promised if he stayed in for 20 years he would have FREE healthcare for life, base privileges like using the commissary, and access to free education. Well, he stayed in 27 years and we now have to pay for healthcare, and prices have gone up in the commissary under the new commissary pricing. I think it is disgusting that you tamper with healthcare and education with people who put their lives on the line for this country. Why don’t they start taking away benefits from the members of Congress before they hit up veterans?
We use pay a 100 dollars a month for the GI Bill so shut the hell up if you did not serve and don’t know what your talking about..
CJ is 100% correct
Preposterous!!!!! This is disgusting! I BELIEVE it is HIGH TIME WE ALL AGREE on CUTTING ALL POLITICIANS INCOME & OVER TAXING THEM!!!!! They receive FREE HEALTHCARE, FREE EDUCATION, their Salaries carry on for life! Appalling & disrespectful to all those that serve OUR COUNTRY! There may be just a handful of politicians that “MAY HAVE SERVED” in the military; however overall NO! Sad thing is, World wide spread; it is the WEALTHY that run this world. Then they wonder why most of our US Military Service Members & Vets are on Government Assistance; which there are talks of taking away from those that work but barely make enough to even survive anymore. (RE: College Educated, Career Oriented, and Our Active Duty/Retired/Reservists/Vets & families; included Surviving spouses.) Don’t EVEN get me started on the VA issues! UGH!!!!!
Currently active duty. paid in for the montgomery GI Bill, switched to the post 911, and now may transfer the bill to the kids. Big reason I decided to stay on–the transferability. I’m a big believer of taking ownership of something and nothing makes you value something more than if you have to put your own money into it. However, the post GI Bill is meant to be a benefit, I think it’s appropriate to have military members pay some nominal percentage, something that is felt, but not too much to put someone into financial hardship. Then, when the member goes to use the benefit, they will recall that they themselves put a couple thousand or so into it. They will be less willing to waste the benefit.
All military service men and woman should not have to pay a benefit! They did their time and service! Please, don’t take that away from them! They are more than deserving of this benefit!!!
My husband also came in under the Montgomery GI Bill in 1987 and then switched. I agree with the idea that you value anything more if you have some stock in it. $2400 is nothing to pay for a college education.
In an era when we see so much taken away from the military, this is about the only one I can see some sense in. Our son invested in his G. I. Bill (paying so much a month for 1 or 2 years). It served him well and it encouraged him to continue his education when he got out of the service. Had he not invested in it, he might not have been as apt to go to college.
This isn’t about Republicans taking away benefits as stated by one. But, we do have to understand that we just don’t have the money to do what we are presently doing. And yes, Congress members should be the first to give up stuff.
Its easy to see the people that haven’t served or just plan dumb. I fully 100% believe in these new measures. What I don’t understand is where it was “free”. I paid 100 dollars for 12 months and in return I’ am currently using my Post 9/11 getting my degree and its great. The talk on having to pay additional year isn’t that much of a hard ship if service men and women are smart with their money. Not to say people don’t make mistakes or blow money on stupid stuff. There is a time when you need to own your life and joining the military should be one of those times. I saw too many times when I was in that guys didn’t pay into the benefit and complained about it. My answer to them was what did you spend that 100 bucks on? Or why aren’t you using the free TA that you can get now in the AF. To me this is something that is of little consequence, if service members come in knowing all the facts then this wont be a issue. For all the above idiots this article was about educational benefits not about your or your brothers, sisters, boyfriends commissary price hike. Please read the articles before you post your ignorant rants. That is all God Bless America…..
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