Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously reported out an upgraded GI Bill Thursday, keeping an earlier promise to bring the popular program more in line with rising higher education costs.
If signed into law, the most significant provision of the bipartisan Veterans' and Dependents Millennium Education Act (H.R. 4268) would increase the current Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) benefit from $536 to $600 a month on October 1, 2000 for full-time students, and to $720 on October 1, 2002. There would be proportionate increases for part-time students.
"It is this Committee's top priority to see an updated GI Bill signed into law this year," said Chairman Bob Stump (R-AZ). "The original GI Bill of 1944 is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of social legislation ever passed by Congress. Like that original bill and its later versions, this bill makes higher education and training more affordable to military personnel returning to civilian life. We recognize that even after this bill is signed into law, additional action is justified so that the benefit will equal the average cost of attending a four-year state-supported university."
"This excellent bipartisan bill improves veterans' readjustment and builds on the wisdom and foresight of the former Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Sonny Montgomery," said Rep. Jack Quinn (R-NY) Chairman of the VA Subcommittee on Benefits. "This bill will immediately help hundreds of thousands of veterans, servicemembers, and their families who take advantage of the Montgomery GI Bill. I applaud the Committee for their bipartisan support of this important legislation."
"I am glad to be able to send the House a badly-needed increase in the Montgomery GI Bill," said Rep. Lane Evans, the VA Committee's Ranking Democratic Member. "The Administration's support for a 25 percent increase is very welcome. While more remains to be done, today's legislation is an important first step toward a meaningful increase."
H.R. 4268 would also:
* Provide another opportunity to convert from the Veterans' Education Assistance Program (VEAP) to the MGIB. Many active duty individuals either declined the last chance to convert or had zeroed out their VEAP accounts.
* Increase survivors' and dependents' educational assistance benefits for full-time students from $485 to $600 a month starting October 1, 2000, and to $720 a month on October 1, 2002, with proportionate increases for part-time students. The bill also authorizes an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA).
* Permit the award of Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance payments to be retroactive to the date of the service-connected death or award of 100 percent disability rating.
* Allow monthly educational assistance benefits to be paid between term, quarter, or semester intervals of up to eight weeks.
* Allow use of MGIB benefits to pay the fee for a veteran's civilian occupational licensing or certification examination.
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