Our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have endured long deployments and repeat tours of duty. It is time on this Veterans Day to remember these men and women. We must demand that our Congress improve their GI Bill benefits. If these great Americans can make huge sacrifices for our nation, then we have an obligation to repay them with a college education. Furthermore, it should be noted that a 1988 Congressional study found that seven dollars were returned to the national economy for every one dollar spent on the original GI bill. Senator Jim Webb is leading the fight for a GI Bill for post 9-11 veterans and sends this Veterans Day mesage:
As someone who hails from a family with strong military roots, I hold immense personal pride in those who answer our nation's call to duty. My father served our country for 26 years as an Air Force pilot and as a pioneer in the Thor and Atlas missile programs. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as an infantry Marine in Vietnam. My brother served as a Marine helicopter pilot. And my son Jimmy has joined the tradition, recently home from serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq.
If you have served in our nation's military or have friends or family who have served, I want to take a moment to thank you. I'd also like to take this opportunity to share with you an issue I've been working on since my first day in office -- a revitalized GI Bill for our returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Warmest regards this Veterans Day,
Jim Webb
Under legislation sponsored by Webb (S.22 in the Senate, H.R.2702 in the House), returning service members could earn up to 36 months of benefits, equivalent to four academic years, which would include payment of tuition, books and fees, as well as a $1,000 a month living stipend for those veterans whose military service qualifies them for the program.
The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
“Once an enlistment enticement, educational assistance has now become a transition necessity. This legislation is the right thing to do for those who are willing to take up arms and defend this great nation, something less than one percent of Americans are willing to do,” said Frank Yoakum, SGM (ret.), Legislative Director, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS).
“Education is an expensive endeavor; many veterans can not afford to use the current G.I. Bill. The measure proposed by Senator Webb and Congressman Scott is an investment in our troops, an investment in our veterans, and an investment in our nation,” said Eric Hilleman, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Patrick Campbell, Legislative Director for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America shared the following testimony with the U.S. Senate Committee on Veteran's Affairs on July 31, 2007. Campbell makes a good case for why we need to improve our GI Bill benefits for our service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan:
Mr. Chairman and members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, on behalf of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), thank you for this opportunity to address the issue of VA/DOD Cooperation and Coordination on Educational Assistance.
After World War II, nearly eight million service members (more than half of the entire American fighting force) took advantage of the education benefits afforded them by the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. A veteran of WWII was entitled to free tuition, books and a living stipend that completely covered the cost of education. Since 1945 over 21,400,000 service members have utilized at least some of their educational benefits and over the past 10 years at least 66% of active duty and 42% of Reservists and National Guard have gone to school on the "GI Bill."
Sixty years later, we are still reaping the benefits of one of the greatest social investment programs ever implemented. A 1988 Congressional study proved that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue. Today we have the opportunity to renew our social contract with our servicemen and women. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) supports reinstating a World War II style GI Bill (S.22 or S. 1409) that will cover the true cost of education.
The current Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill, as created in 1984, was conceived in peace-time and contains several obstacles to a veteran trying to use their well-earned benefits. First, active duty educational benefits require a hefty $1,200 initial buy-in. Although nearly 95% of active duty service members buy into the program, only 8% of service members use all of their educational benefits and more the 30% never touch their GI benefits (returning over $230 million to the US Treasury).
Second, service members are required to pay tuition, room & board and textbook costs up-front and are then reimbursed over the course of the semester. Before a servicemember can attend a single class they must pay tuition and fees amounting, on average, to $5,836 for a public school and $22,218 for private schools. Servicemembers are faced with the daunting task of taking multiple jobs to raise the money, attending a less prestigious institution, taking out student loans and/or "living on mama's couch" to cut expenses.
Lastly, educational benefits have failed to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of higher education. As per statue, educational benefits are increased yearly based on inflation rates. As evident from the chart below, the cost of education has outpaced inflation by over 100% since 1984.
(Pulled from the College Board's "2006 Trends in College Pricing.")
In 2006, Chapter 30 benefits only covered 75% of the cost of a public school education and 32% of a private school education.
IAVA believes that a World War II style GI Bill is more than just a social investment; it's an important readiness tool. The military needs to recruit an additional 70,000 active duty service members over the next two years. Improving educational benefits for veterans is an important strategy for accomplishing this goal. The alternative is to continue to lower recruitment standards and increase enlistment and retention bonuses. We have already seen the military double the number of GED waivers and increase the number felonies allowable by a new recruit. Enlistment and retention bonuses have already climbed to $20,000 and could grow even higher.
The GI Bill is the military's single most effective recruitment tool; the number one reason civilians join the military is to get money for college. As our military recovers and resets in the coming years, an expanded GI Bill will play a crucial role in ensuring that our military remains the strongest and most advanced in the world.
http://veterans.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?pageid=16&release_id=11177&sub_release_id=11258&view=all
Contact your Senators and Representative and urge them to support S.22 and H.R. 2702.
As someone who hails from a family with strong military roots, I hold immense personal pride in those who answer our nation's call to duty. My father served our country for 26 years as an Air Force pilot and as a pioneer in the Thor and Atlas missile programs. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as an infantry Marine in Vietnam. My brother served as a Marine helicopter pilot. And my son Jimmy has joined the tradition, recently home from serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq.
If you have served in our nation's military or have friends or family who have served, I want to take a moment to thank you. I'd also like to take this opportunity to share with you an issue I've been working on since my first day in office -- a revitalized GI Bill for our returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Warmest regards this Veterans Day,
Jim Webb
Under legislation sponsored by Webb (S.22 in the Senate, H.R.2702 in the House), returning service members could earn up to 36 months of benefits, equivalent to four academic years, which would include payment of tuition, books and fees, as well as a $1,000 a month living stipend for those veterans whose military service qualifies them for the program.
The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
“Once an enlistment enticement, educational assistance has now become a transition necessity. This legislation is the right thing to do for those who are willing to take up arms and defend this great nation, something less than one percent of Americans are willing to do,” said Frank Yoakum, SGM (ret.), Legislative Director, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS).
“Education is an expensive endeavor; many veterans can not afford to use the current G.I. Bill. The measure proposed by Senator Webb and Congressman Scott is an investment in our troops, an investment in our veterans, and an investment in our nation,” said Eric Hilleman, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Patrick Campbell, Legislative Director for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America shared the following testimony with the U.S. Senate Committee on Veteran's Affairs on July 31, 2007. Campbell makes a good case for why we need to improve our GI Bill benefits for our service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan:
Mr. Chairman and members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, on behalf of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), thank you for this opportunity to address the issue of VA/DOD Cooperation and Coordination on Educational Assistance.
After World War II, nearly eight million service members (more than half of the entire American fighting force) took advantage of the education benefits afforded them by the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. A veteran of WWII was entitled to free tuition, books and a living stipend that completely covered the cost of education. Since 1945 over 21,400,000 service members have utilized at least some of their educational benefits and over the past 10 years at least 66% of active duty and 42% of Reservists and National Guard have gone to school on the "GI Bill."
Sixty years later, we are still reaping the benefits of one of the greatest social investment programs ever implemented. A 1988 Congressional study proved that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue. Today we have the opportunity to renew our social contract with our servicemen and women. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) supports reinstating a World War II style GI Bill (S.22 or S. 1409) that will cover the true cost of education.
The current Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill, as created in 1984, was conceived in peace-time and contains several obstacles to a veteran trying to use their well-earned benefits. First, active duty educational benefits require a hefty $1,200 initial buy-in. Although nearly 95% of active duty service members buy into the program, only 8% of service members use all of their educational benefits and more the 30% never touch their GI benefits (returning over $230 million to the US Treasury).
Second, service members are required to pay tuition, room & board and textbook costs up-front and are then reimbursed over the course of the semester. Before a servicemember can attend a single class they must pay tuition and fees amounting, on average, to $5,836 for a public school and $22,218 for private schools. Servicemembers are faced with the daunting task of taking multiple jobs to raise the money, attending a less prestigious institution, taking out student loans and/or "living on mama's couch" to cut expenses.
Lastly, educational benefits have failed to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of higher education. As per statue, educational benefits are increased yearly based on inflation rates. As evident from the chart below, the cost of education has outpaced inflation by over 100% since 1984.
(Pulled from the College Board's "2006 Trends in College Pricing.")
In 2006, Chapter 30 benefits only covered 75% of the cost of a public school education and 32% of a private school education.
IAVA believes that a World War II style GI Bill is more than just a social investment; it's an important readiness tool. The military needs to recruit an additional 70,000 active duty service members over the next two years. Improving educational benefits for veterans is an important strategy for accomplishing this goal. The alternative is to continue to lower recruitment standards and increase enlistment and retention bonuses. We have already seen the military double the number of GED waivers and increase the number felonies allowable by a new recruit. Enlistment and retention bonuses have already climbed to $20,000 and could grow even higher.
The GI Bill is the military's single most effective recruitment tool; the number one reason civilians join the military is to get money for college. As our military recovers and resets in the coming years, an expanded GI Bill will play a crucial role in ensuring that our military remains the strongest and most advanced in the world.
http://veterans.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?pageid=16&release_id=11177&sub_release_id=11258&view=all
Contact your Senators and Representative and urge them to support S.22 and H.R. 2702.
1 comment:
The G.I. Bill gave us the most advanced and educated work force in the world. Then they said there is no money to be made with the American invented VCR, no $ with the DVD. We pioneered PCs and gave the business away. Companies resent training employees. Only the rich are entitled to an education.
G.Bush would just as soon teach the returning vets personal responsibility by cutting benefits amd health care. Remember the problem with the latter day Roman Empire....Mercenaries because the military was no longer honored or paid. The government had reduced land gifts and stopped pensions.
I am a left wing, tree hugging, owl kissing, NRA member and regardless of my beliefs on the war. The pragmatic thing to do is to support this bill.
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