Back in January 2007 in his first act as senator, decorated Vietnam War veteran and former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb, the then-junior senator from Virginia, proposed a massive and desperately needed update to what many have called one of the most important pieces of legislation ever to be enacted into law. Despite initial opposition from the likes of President Bush and and Sen. John McCain, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act was overwhelmingly approved and signed into law in June of last year. This past weekend, the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill finally went into effect.
It certainly was a monumental feat for Sen. Webb. To get an idea of the magnitude of the program:
The new benefit is available to people who have served a minimum of 90 days on active duty since Sept. 10, 2001 — as little as 30 days for those separated or retired because of a service-connected disability — who will be eligible for a combination of tuition, fees, living stipend, book allowance and other benefits based on their length of service.
For those with three or more years of service, the program fully covers basic tuition and fees up to the maximum cost in each state for undergraduate education at the most expensive four-year public college or university for in-state students.
In addition, the program pays out a yearly $1000 book stipend, as well as a monthly housing allowance based the cost of housing in the area of the institution. For instance, a veteran attending the University of Georgia on the new G.I. Bill would get $983/month in addition to the tuition and book stipend benefits.
The only caveat is with private and graduate schools which usually are more expensive than public ones, and as such, won’t have tuition completely covered by G.I. Bill benefits. However, those institutions have the opportunity to enroll in what is called the Yellow Ribbon Program, in which the institution covers the difference. Here is a list of Georgia institutions that have enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon Program (as an aside, Georgia Tech seems to be leading the pack as far as state schools are concerned).
With almost half a million veterans eligible to take advantage of the legislation’s benefits, the program is expected to cost $78 billion over the next decade. With that said, a quarter of those eligible have already had their claims processed by the Veteran’s Administration.
Earlier today, America 6 said:
This generation of servicemen and -women has already earned a place of honor in American history. Each of them signed up to serve, many after they knew that they would be sent into harm’s way.
Over the last eight years, they have endured tour after tour of duty in dangerous and distant places. They’ve experienced grueling combat, from the streets of Fallujah to the harsh terrain of Helmand province.
They’ve adapted to complex insurgencies, protected local populations and trained foreign security forces.
So by any measure, they are the authors of one of the most extraordinary chapters of military service in the history of our nation. And I don’t make that statement lightly, for we know that anyone who puts on the uniform joins an unbroken line of selfless patriots that stretches back to Lexington and Concord.
Hear hear. Not since the days of antebellum America have our warfighters been an entirely volunteer force. And not since Vietnam have they and their families sacrificed so much. Congress certainly did right with this one.
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