IAVA Endorses Post 9/11 GI Bill Upgrades

IAVA Endorses Post 9/11 GI Bill Upgrades
Posted by Patrick Campbell [1] on September 17 [2] 2009

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Heading to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill?  IAVA has endorsed the following four pieces of legislation that will help upgrade the Post 9/11 GI Bill and help achieve our goal of a simple, equitable and generous GI Bill for all veterans.

• H.R. 1098: OJT/Apprenticeship Increases (Perriello)
• H.R. 3337: Post-9/11 Apprenticeship/OJT Act (DeLauro)
• H.R. 3467: Veterans Education Enhancement and Fairness Act – Distance Learning & NG (Carney)               
• H.R. 3554/S. 1668: National Guard Education Equality Act (Loebsack)

HR 1098 OJT/Apprenticeship Increases (Perriello) [4]

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is honored to offer our support for H.R. 1098, a bill that would increase the amount of money that veterans receive for on-the-job training (OJT) and apprenticeship programs. With the cost of schools and technical training increasing every year it is important that the level of education benefits veterans receive does not fall behind. While your bill provides an increase of money to the veterans who are using older forms of the GI Bill IAVA strongly recommends including OJT and apprenticeship programs within the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) which specifically excludes OJT and apprenticeship programs. 

HR 3337 Post 9/11 Apprenticeship/OJT Act (DeLauro) [5]

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is proud to offer our support for H.R. 3337, The Post 9/11 Veterans’ Job Training Act.   This bill would allow veterans to pursue vocational training programs such Police and Fire Academies under the new GI Bill. Currently the Post 9/11 GI Bill, unlike every other GI Bill, does not provide any benefits for veterans participating in OJT or apprenticeship programs.  The WWII GI Bill sent over 8 million veterans to school, many of whom did not seek college degrees but rather participated in vocational training programs like OJT and apprenticeship. Unfortunately modern veterans who are pursuing vocational training will not be able to access Chapter 33 benefits. IAVA believes that veterans should have a choice on how they use their education benefits, just like our grandfathers did in WWII.

HR 3467 Veterans Education Enhancement and Fairness Act (Carney) [6]

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is honored to offer our support for H.R. 3467, the Veterans Education Enhancement and Fairness Act. This bill will grant veterans pursuing their education through distance learning, a living allowance under the new Post 9/11 GI Bill and compensate full time National Guard soldiers and airmen for their service. Although the Post 9/11 GI Bill is the greatest investment in veterans’ education since WWII, it has some rough edges that need to be ground down to better serve our newest generation of veterans, as they pursue their education. Veterans attempting to earn a degree through distance learning should be entitled to the same benefits as veterans attending traditional brick and mortar institutions. Currently these veterans do not qualify for a living allowance.  Distance learning is a wildly popular form of education for veterans and allows veterans with disabilities and family commitments an opportunity to complete an education. This unfair distinction must be rectified. Your bill will help to rectify this problem by giving veterans, taking distance-learning classes, a comparable living stipend.

HR 3554/S. 1668 National Guard Education Equality Act (Loebsack) [7]

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is honored to offer our support for H.R. 3554, the National Guard Education Equality Act. This bill will compensate full time National Guard soldiers and airmen for their service. Although the Post 9/11 GI Bill is the greatest investment in veterans’ education since WWII, it has some rough edges that need to be ground down to better serve our newest generation of veterans, as they pursue their education. National Guard members who are serving on active duty called active guard reserve (AGR) duty do not receive credit for their service under Chapter 33 and are being denied the education benefits they deserve. It shouldn’t matter if you are in a firefight in Afghanistan or fighting a fire in California, if you are wearing a military uniform you should be compensated for your service. Last year there were almost 30,000 Army National Guard and 13,500 Air National Guard servicemembers serving on Title 32 who will benefit from this legislation.

Visit www.NewGIBill.org [8] to calculate your benefits.

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