The Ticker
Obama brings back GI Bill
By Cynthia Via
Contributing Writer
Published: Monday, August 31, 2009
Updated: Monday, August 31, 2009
In the beginning of August, President Barack Obama unveiled a new post-9/11 G.I Bill that will
offer college tuition assistance to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The reinstated G.I Bill plans to offer $78 million in benefits to veterans and their families
nationwide. It’s a significant upgrade to the original, which was signed by Franklin D.
Roosevelt for WWII veterans.
The legislation has been broadly praised by veterans groups, but there are concerns that
universities and the Department of Veterans could be overwhelmed, in part, because of the
complexity of the benefits.
The Department of Veterans affairs has already processed more than 100,000 applications,
and more than 25,000 service members have applied to use the transfer benefit.
According to
newgibill.org, the new legislation also gives veterans the option to transfer
benefits to their spouse or children with eligible service members needing to have served at
six years active duty, National Guard or select reserves and agreeing to commit to four more
years of service.
The benefits range from 40 percent of the state tuition for those with at least 90 days but less
than six months of service since 9/11, to 100 percent for those with at least three years of
aggregate service, or 30 continuous days and a discharge because of a service-related
disability.
For those attending a private institution or graduate school, the Yellow Ribbon Program, a
provision under the G.I Bill, will offer scholarships from 1,100 schools. The schools may enter
into an agreement to fund up to 50 percent of the tuition and the Department of Veteran Affairs
will match every dollar funded by the schools. This program is only available to individuals who
served an aggregate of three years of active duty service or who were released for a
Page 149 of 179
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177