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President Obama on Monday called a new GI Bill offering college tuition assistance to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “an investment in our own country.”
The new law is expected to offer veterans $78 billion in benefits over the coming decade. It is the most comprehensive education benefit offered to veterans since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the original GI Bill for World War II veterans in 1944…
The maximum benefit available under a law that took effect Saturday will cover the full tuition at a public college or university for four years for each eligible veteran, reservist and National Guard member. It also offers a monthly housing stipend and as much as $1,000 a year for books.
For those attending a private institution or graduate school, about 1,100 schools are offering additional scholarships matched by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the new GI Bill, support is available for tuition that exceeds the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition…
“While our discourse often produced more heat than light, especially here in Washington, they have put their very lives on the line for America. They have borne the responsibility of war,” Obama said.
“And now, with this policy, we are making it clear that the United States of America must reward responsibility, and not irresponsibility. Now, with this policy, we are letting those who have borne the heaviest burden lead us into the 21st century.”
Not enough beancounters may have been consulted?
Beancounters? You mean “blivets” don’t you?
Rewards are nice, but shouldn’t you be trying to entice people to sign up? Or is that already covered by the old GI Bill?
so if these Vets are residents of California, they can not use the new bill to attend a UC system school because there is no tuition, correct?
MikeN,
You don’t think a 4yr college tuition is an incentive to sign up?
I don’t like much of what the Government spends it’s money on, but I have no complaints about anything given to the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country.
It’s about time veterans were recognized for their service.
Sometimes I wonder if Heinlein didn’t have it right in Starship Troopers by only allowing citizenship and voting rights to those who had served in the military for two years or more.
(No, I would consider more than just military service but not political service.)
Obama playing nice after calling them all terrorist.
As a veteran who exited service before 9/11 and husband to an Iraq War vet, I have to say that this is a long time in coming. I was lucky enough to enlist while a resident of Illinois which has its own Veteran’s Grant that covers all tuition to any public school in Illinois. So, with the my G.I. Bill money I could afford food and housing without going into debt or finding a part time job.
However, my wife is from Pennsylvania. Here in PA her Veteran’s Grant was a measly $500 a semester. With her G.I.Bill benefits we still had to pay out of pocket just for tuition for her to go to nursing school.
Now, any service member who qualifies for G.I. Bill will be able to get an undergraduate degree with ZERO cost to them. And they get money to help them pay for food, housing and books.
This is an awesome thing. I heard on NPR on the way home last night that for every $1 that is spent on the G.I. Bill the government gets back about $7 in taxes from those veterans.
and if you decide to study something that is the slightest bit out of your military job, no money for you. the G.I. Bill is the biggest bait and switch in history.
And then there were the heroes of all the neocons – like Reagan. Who cut off VietNam era vets – who didn’t re-enlist – from unemployment compensation because they could have re-enlisted.
#8 you’re an idiot.
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After serving 5 years in the USMC with 2 deployments to Iraq, my son is going to UNC in Wilmington on the GI Bill.
Daughter is active duty Air Force and while in 100% tuition paid. Once out, she’ll get the GI bill.
If someone gripes about the pricetag, $78 – that’s over the next 10 years.
And which is more rewarding – sitting on your as$ applying for “Give me some Free Money Grants” – or serving your country, learning skills, maturity and discipline, and going into college 4 years later at 22 with some hard fought life lessons under your belt?
ya know college is nice but how about 2 billion more in pay for our soldiers instead of the cash for clunkers. I think our soldiers could use a raise alot more than people need a car
orangetiki, can you substantiate your claim?
The GI bill helped bootstrap the American economy after WWII, and is a pretty good way to guarantee that motivated individuals recieve the education they need to become contributors to our society.
All of our education should be free or heavily subsidized to degree level. It isn’t about giving anything away, it is ab out ensuring that the next generation is able to participate in the future.
#4, maybe I’m misunderstanding the bill.
It is a nice incentive if it applies to people who sign up now. It is not an incentive if it applies to people who are already signed up.
#3 Sparky
I heard a radio report that they had fixed that problem. A rare bit of sanity from Sacramento!
#3, No, they would still receive the BAH and book stipend. In fact, I believe that there has been some problems initiated by the states, like California I would guess, who want to receive the G.I. Bill money, even though the residents don’t have to pay for school.
Why so much money? About 1.5 million soldiers have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan – that’s $52,000 per soldier. $78b might be close (given a typical 30% administrative overhead) IF every soldier took advantage of the program. But only about 20% of vets take advantage of such programs, and only a minority of those complete a university program (vs. community college or trade school).
I don’t agree with #11 that a better use for any money would be to give it to soldiers. But, he almost had a point – it would be more efficient to give this $78 billion directly to soldiers and let them spend it however they want (or, even better, give it back to the taxpayers).
But maybe there is something I don’t know? The numbers are spot on if, by the time it is all said and done, about 3.5 million solders have been deployed. Should we take this as a clue that the conflicts aren’t expected to end anytime soon?
# 10 Stan said
#8 you’re an idiot.
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“After serving 5 years in the USMC with 2 deployments to Iraq, my son is going to UNC in Wilmington on the GI Bill.
Daughter is active duty Air Force and while in 100% tuition paid. Once out, she’ll get the GI bill.”
And you and the country should be very proud of them. They deserve all they get.
Good luck to them.
Alan B,
PMitchell said it would be nice to give more $’s to the military in addition to this. That the $’s to soldiers would be better than other spending plans. As far as just giving them the cash. “Give a man a fish feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime”
Will mentioned the return on college spending, 1-7 I believe he said. At best you would get a 1-1 return if you just gave them the money. It would be spent and gone in no time at all.
MikeN,
The benefits are over the next 10 years, the term of enlistment is for 4. So new recruits would have to qualify. Maybe you should go down to your local recruiter and have a talk.
Encourage law school enrollment above all. We need more lawyers. Engineers, not so much.
#18 Emhodew,
No, unless you think the soldiers are less able to decide what is best for them than the government. Assuming you think they are capable decision-makers, then you have to concede that their welfare will be higher if the set of things on which they can spend their benefit is not artifically limited.
By forcing them to “learn to fish” you are assuming not only that our soldiers need to know how to fish in the first place, but also that YOU know what is best for them.
I am glad the Military will be getting an updated GI Bill.
the Folks and America Benefited from a good GI Bill after WW-II.
But anyone in the Military under the Reagan Years did not get Squat… I was in for 6 years, 82-88 and what was on the table was BS. I am happy for them. If they live to collect?.. The Guys prior to 1977 had a respectable GI Bill.
>in order to access what should be provided to all for all our benefit.
That’s why college costs have been rising so fast. The more the government guarantees, the more the colleges charge, and then the government says costs are rising, we need to spend more money.
#23–Mike==you are so uniformly wrong, it is only proper to note when you half way for the wrong reasons stumble onto a factually correct statement.
Just as you have done.
Step Two: make it relevant to anything interesting.
I don’t think anyone should sign up for military service but I begrudge our veterans nothing. I think if our veterans need any extra funding they should take it from the pay checks and slush funds of our politicians and national political parties.
Let’s see tuition assistance, so what the hell is new about that. Far as I know that’s always been the number one recruitment incentive, especially among low income families. This is all just a recruitment exercise. After all when you know you’re gonna need more troops, it just makes good sense. What they’re planning to do with the new troops, we’ll just have to guess. Maybe use them on an unruly citizenry, if FEMA finally gets it’s way.
#8 orangetiki
You are an idiot.
#22 Ridin the short bus
I did mine from 74-80 and used the GI Bill for my degree. You are correct in that the Bill sucked not long after the end of my enlistment. Mine was still covered because of when I served.
#27 Thanks for letting the truth be seen..
I had older guys (few years older) I worked with that were able to use the GI Bill, but what we had was useless.. It was a self Contribution program. VEAP
But that was then and this is now… I believe they deserve a good GI Bill..
I am a Engineer Now, but it was a long road to the Job I presently have.
#19
The world has too many Lawyers Now..they end being Politicians…when successful…getting rich off the misery of others.. We need people in America who actually DO Something and Produce Something for our Economy..not Suck the Life out of it?…
🙂
My dad joined the Army the day he graduated from college. He had been in ROTC all four years, so he went in as a 2nd Louie and worked his way up to Captain before being demobbed a little over three years later, in 1945. So he never got to use the GI Bill, but I still feel that our family and indeed the nation and the world all benefitted greatly from that program. It’s about time it was reinstated.