Senator Webb's bill is a monumental benefit. It is not inexpensive, and it is difficult to get Congress to completely overhaul benefits.
We are close. It has passed the Senate and the House, and is attached to the war funding bill. It is currently being hashed out before it goes to the President's desk for a signature to become law.
Decisions pertaining to the bill's progress can come in three forms: policy, politics, or procedure.
Policy: decisions and outcomes affect lives of Americans
Politics: Who gets credit? Who does it hurt? Who does it help:
Procedure: How does it get done?
We have all worked together to bring together support among our elected officials. Why are we sticking by S.22, the new GI Bill? There are senior officials
Webb's bill, 16 months in the making, with bipartisan support and with the help of the VA and Veterans Service Organizations, is not a piece of cake. But is it the absolute best for veterans? A resounding YES. Active duty will see a great increase in their benefits, and Guard and reserves will get the benefits they have coming to them: benefits will not be based on individual continuous deployments, but rather cumulative active duty. For example, Marines serving 7 months in, 7 months out for 2 full years have not seen the education benefits similar to an Army Reservist who served one continuous year to reflect their service. The new GI Bill will rectify this.
The new GI Bill will also give a monthly living stipend based on E-5 BAH and and an annual payment of $1,000 to cover the cost of books and fees. The 21st Century GI Bill, crafted by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) will improve the financial situation of virtually every veteran. Make no mistake: this new GI Bill is a brand new way of thinking about veterans' education benefits. But $1,100 simply does not cover the cost of education, and today's veterans deserve more.
Budget/Appropriations Process
Attached to the war funding supplemental: Essentially, the nation's credit card. The GI Bill will be part of this. It is expensive, but it is an INVESTMENT: the original GI Bill returned $7 to our nation's economy for every $1 invested.
Policy implications:
Money will be paid directly to your school from the VA. The VA has been tasked with a huge endeavor, and this will not be a simple process. Fees will be funded as part of the annual $1,000 book stipend, not paid directly to your school. You will receive the new GI Bill regardless of other scholarships, and you should be able to receive Pell Grants as well. This is an EARNED benefit.
Challenges:
So how does our nation reward service members who have been injured? The new GI Bill will in several ways, be more generous than Chapter 31, Voc Rehab, currently is. Shouldn't we reward these individuals more than veterans who have not been injured?
Questions: What about online schools? Is payment based on my residence or the ZIP code where my school resides?
Chapter 30 will still exist as is for those enrolled in online courses as well as trade schools. They will see a 20% increase in their Chapter 30 benefits. Therefore, distance learning benefits will be ramped up, but distance learning students will not have the variable BAH or annual book stipend. The new GI Bill places emphasis on traditional classroom learning. Anyone enrolled in IHL, (institution of higher learning) will receive the current CH 30 GI Bill with the 20% increase.
Advocacy:
The VFW worked with SVA. SVA, a freshman organization (official since January), has done tremendous things in a very short period of time. We have the utmost respect for SVA leadership and have worked very closely with them. Local SVA folks have met up with VFW representatives, and have sent them forth into senator's local offices. This splashed all over the local papers, and caused quite a stir in Washington. We had young and old veterans together, talking about why or why not a Congressman was supporting veterans. This Senator or Representative will remember this when veterans issues get brought up again. The VFW also sends out weekly emails and email alerts to particular districts regarding veterans benefits issues. A few phone calls a day will make representatives offices pay attention. You can sign up for these alerts online.
Question: Is the bill retroactive?
How will it interact with Vocational Rehab, Chapter 31?
Chapter 31 benefits will remain the same. No proposed changes to Vocational Rehab at this time.
How will it be covered in CA? You are guarenteed free tuition, but must pay fees. Therefore some people have to pay $25,000 in fees annually, but not tuition.
The VA is working through issues such as this. It is unclear how the new GI Bill will be implemented at this time.
How does S22 affect eligibility? I am running out of GI Bill before this is implemented, will I get the new GI Bill?
If you have used your 36, you have used your 36. If you are eligible to file for Voc Rehab, Ch31, you can exhaust this and then use months of CH. 30, which will hopefully by then be upgraded to the new 21st Century GI Bill. If you use CH31 benefits, you can then use up to 48 months total of benefits. How it's combined is up to you. Each chapter is eligible to pay for 36 months, and may be used in combination for 48 months.
Will I have to buy-in?
No, you will not have to buy into the new GI Bill.
Private institutions with out of state tuition:
Highest in state tuition cost. If institution forgives any dollars, the federal government will match dollar per dollar to make up the difference. So if Harvard forgives $15,000, the government will match the other $15,000. This will allow veterans to attend more expensive, high quality schools without causing them to go thousands of dollars in debt.
No comments:
Post a Comment