The Montgomery GI Bill, an educational benefit for United States Military members (and their spouses), has been reconstructed in last few years.
The system that most veterans currently use, The Post 9/11 GI Bill, was implemented in August 2009 to ease the financial burden of attending school full time by adding a housing allowance and living expense benefit. This bill has undergone many major changes in 2011.
The first change of the year took effect March 5, 2011. This change placed veterans in eligibility tiers according to time served. These tiers rank veterans from 40 percent to 100 percent and determine whether the vet will receive a prorated amount of their total net tuition. In previous versions of the bill, the length of service determined the length of time eligible for benefits, not the amount to be received monthly.
The second change took effect on August 1, 2011 and was three fold. This change capped private and foreign school costs at $17,500 annually, allowed ‘kickers’ (additional benefits that were purchased during service) to be prorated and paid out monthly and discontinued all break pay.
In previous versions of the bill a veteran was paid an even amount every month as long as they were continuously enrolled in pursuit of a degree. The benefits flowed smoothly between terms. For example, Southeast Community College’s summer classes end Thursday, Sept. 22, and fall classes begin on Monday, Oct. 3. Under the old program, a veteran would receive an even amount of benefits for both months. Now veterans will lose their benefits during the 10-day break and receive no pay for that period of time.
This change has caused outrage among veterans.
Veteran Nathan Watson is a senior at The University of Denver and speaks of the real possibility of having to drop out of school due to the discontinuation of break pay. “We have families and children to provide for,” Watson said. “My school (University of Denver) has a 6 week break from Thanksgiving till right after the New Year. How do I pay my rent, etc. for that month and a half? And worse, it falls on Christmas. So I guess my son will pay the price also.”
Congress is struggling to find answers to the backlash of angry veterans. Only two days after the cap of private and foreign schools went into effect, a second bill was passed. On Aug. 3, 2011, the Restoring G.I. Bill Fairness Act was signed into law. This act grandfathered students in seven states, allowing them to receive more than $17,500 annually if they were enrolled prior to the changes.
Several other bills have been introduced in support returning benefits to veterans. In early April of 2011, Representative Susan Davis of California proposed The Post 9/11 GI Bill Payment Restoration Act, a bill that would reinstate housing allowances and living expenses during scheduled school breaks.
In addition, representatives from Florida and New York have proposed bills further addressing the $17,500 cap on private and foreign schools.
All three bills have been referred to senate or house committees, but none have been signed into law.