GI Bill Extension HR4140 (Eliminatation of 10 yr period)

I came across this the other day. Apparently, a Democratic Congressman, Chris Murphy (Connecticut), has put a bill (HR4140) forward that would eliminate the 10 year deadline for using the Montgomery GI Bill. It will be interesting to see if it passes. If it does it means a lot of veterans may be able to go back to school to retool, as in the example of the 50 something year old unemployed vet on Murphy's page. That could mean a mini boom for schools (and adjuncts).

For those who do not know the GI Bill basically worked like this (was an incentive for joining). You put in $1200 and then get 36 months of full time benefits for school. The catch is that you have ten years after you get out of active duty to use them. If you do not use them you lose the benefit you earned AND the government keeps the $1200. If you went into the reserves/national guard and thought the clocked stopped ticking on your ten years, you were wrong (unless called to active duty). I have seen stats before that a significant number of vets do not use it and so the government makes a profit off of it. You have some servicemen and women who get out and are youngish and not thinking, go to work and put off school and then by the time they decide to go discover they have a month left of benefits before the 10 yrs is up OR like the gentlemen in the story were working and happy until suddenly laid off and need to get new skills to be employable.

Lawmaker: Remove expiration on GI Bill benefits - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Chris Murphy - Murphy Announces

It could mean good things for veterans and for schools in rough economic times. And with all of the money the government wastes on other things it would be nice to give these vets back a benefit they earned.

 

Thanks for posting this info. I'm coming up on my 10-year mark and due to personal reasons have not been able to use as much of the benefit as I would have liked.

 

I agree that it is a good idea and it is a benefit that was earned by veterans. It has not passed yet so if you are interested in it you might want to contact your congressman and ask him/her to support HR 4140. A Democrat sponsored it but it should be able to receive bi partisan support AND would impact a lot of voting veterans (a lot).

 

Good advice, Garp. Thanks!

 

Looks like this bill might be doomed for failure. Gov Track lists chances of the bill becoming law at 1%.

Restore the Promise GI Bill (H.R. 4140) - GovTrack.us

 

Maybe not the good news you hoped for. This sums it up:

Restore the Promise GI Bill - Provides that, if an individual eligible for educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill is enrolled in an educational institution and the period of such individual's entitlement (ten years after discharge or release from active duty) would expire during a quarter or semester of enrollment, that period shall be extended to the end of that quarter or semester. Allows such an extension until the earlier of the end of the course or 12 weeks, in the case of an educational institution not regularly operated on a quarter or semester basis.

 

I'm a vet, and I don't think I agree with the bill. I think removing the ten year cap would bring unsustainable budgetary burdens on the GI Bill program in general. Furthermore, I think a decade is plenty of time to decide if you want education or not. Leaders in government seem hell-bent on removing consequences of bad decisions, which then removes incentives to make good decisions. If limits like the ten year cap remain in place, maybe parents will start raising kids who think and plan ahead before the age of forty. Just my two cents.

And yes, I know these are trying economic times but good grief - you get a decade. A DECADE.

And maybe I'm just disgruntled because I've been busting my rear while on active duty to finish my higher ed, and have no social life. Maybe I'll come up with a nicer opinion later.