2nd GI BILL INCREASE TAKES EFFECT

Robert N. Petucci, Department Commander

Veterans College Educational Benefits Jump Another 12.5% on October 1st. At a morning press conference on the campus of Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4) announced on September 30th that a second major increase in the G.I. Bill college education benefit authorized by his legislation will take effect tomorrow, October 1st, raising the monthly benefit from $800 to $900. The final increase raising the monthly benefit to $985 will take effect next October 1st.

Smith, who was joined by officials from Thomas Edison State College and New Jersey veterans leaders, said he organized the event to, "get the word out that the GI Bill is an unbeatable value for servicemembers looking to pursue higher education or specialized training."

Smith's GI Bill legislation, the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-103), authorized three increases to the Montgomery GI Bill program that will eventually raise the lifetime benefit by 46% from $24,192 (prior to October 1, 2001) to $35,460 on October 1, 2003.

"The GI Bill is one of the most successful government programs ever developed, having benefited over 21 million military veterans and helping to create the modern middle class," said Smith, who chairs the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "However in recent years, inflation and escalating college tuition rates had seriously eroded the value of the GI Bill, causing fewer veterans to participate in the program," he said. The latest statistics show that only about half of all eligible veterans participate.

"Last year, we made modernization of the GI Bill program a top priority of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and with enactment of my legislation we have taken a major step forward to enhance the educational opportunities for America's veterans," Smith said. "With these record increases, many more veterans will find that they can now afford higher education or advanced career training," he said.

Under the GI Bill program, a military servicemember who elects to participate in the program pays $100 a month for 12 months while on active duty. Upon separation, a veteran who served for three years would be eligible for 36 months of educational assistance benefits at a qualified education institution, including vocational and other professional training courses. The monthly benefit, $900 beginning October 1st, can be used to pay for tuition, books, college fees, room and board, and other living expenses while attending school. For veterans who served for two years on active duty, the monthly benefit is slightly lower, rising to $732 beginning on October 1st, and then to $800 next October 1st.

"The GI Bill not only helps our veterans and our educational institutions, it is also the military's top recruitment and retention tool," said Smith.

"With our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines embarked upon a war to defend our nation against terrorism, we must ensure that these brave men and women get all of the assistance they need to help them in their transition back to civilian life. The GI Bill is and will remain a cornerstone of that effort," he said.

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