By BOB AUDETTE, Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO -- The biggest boost in education benefits for military veterans since the end of World War II was signed into law Monday by President Bush.

The new GI Bill makes available to any post-Sept. 11 veteran up to $90,000 for tuition, housing and books, more than double the current level of assistance.

Sen. James Webb, D-Va., a Vietnam veteran and former Navy secretary, was the lead sponsor of the new GI Bill. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, was a co-sponsor.

"This is a major step forward for our veterans," stated Sanders, in a press release announcing the bill's authorization. "It means that any soldier who served since Sept. 11 will be able to get a college education regardless of his or her income."

The legislation provides $63 billion over 10 years. In addition, the new legislation allows service members to transfer their education benefits to their spouses or children.

During a visit to the VA Medical Center in White River Junction June 23, Sanders told veterans and hospital staffers that education assistance and medical care for veterans should be considered a cost of war.

"We are spending nearly $12 billion a month in Iraq," stated Sanders shortly after the Senate forwarded the bill to Bush. "Surely we can spend a little more to provide a college education for the brave men and women we send to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The new program doesn't take effect until Aug. 1, 2009.
People who serve three years on active duty are eligible for the full benefit. Those with shorter enlistments would receive between 40 and 90 percent of the benefit.

The new GI Bill provides full in-state tuition and fees for enrollment in a public college along with a monthly housing stipend and $1,000 per year for books and supplies.

Assistance is not restricted to those enrolled in a public college. Those attending private colleges will be eligible to receive an amount equal to the highest rate of tuition for an in-state public school. They would be responsible for any remaining costs.

The funding is not just for an undergraduate degree either. It can also be used for an associates degree or post-graduate study.

Reservists and guard members have to serve a full three years on active duty to get the full benefit, however they would be eligible for some level of benefit proportional to the amount of time on active duty. To qualify for some form of assistance under the new bill, reservists and guard members have to serve at least three months on active duty.

The president and some members of the Senate, including presidential-hopeful John McCain, R-Ariz., initially opposed the increased benefits for fear it would encourage service members to leave after their enlistments were up.

The Congressional Budget office predicted that loss could reach 16 percent per year but also concluded that a revised GI Bill could boost enlistment of new recruits by 16 percent, saving the military $5.6 billion in enlistment bonuses over the next five years.

For those currently enrolled in college or who have already completed their college education, the new GI Bill will not retroactively pay their tuition or other costs.

Under current assistance programs, veterans receive $40,000 or less for college-level education. Those who qualify for assistance through current programs will continue to get the benefits they qualify for until the new bill takes effect.

Spouses would be eligible to receive 36-months worth of transferred benefits after the service member has reached six years, as long as the service member promises to serve a full 10 years.

To transfer those benefits to his or her children, the service member would need to serve the entire 10 years before transferring his or her benefits. Written into the bill is a provision allowing the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to write regulations changing the years of service required.

There are also provisions creating a similar transferability program in the three existing GI educational benefit programs -- the Montgomery GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill-Select Reserve and the Reserve Educational Assistance Program.

Those veterans who would like to learn more about the revised bill are encouraged to call Vermont's Office of Veterans Affairs at 802-828-3379.