thedrifter
03-01-07, 02:52 PM
Plan would expand GI Bill for reservists
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 1, 2007 13:49:07 EST
Fifty-four members of the House of Representatives are co-sponsoring a bill that would make it easier for National Guard and reserve members to qualify for active-duty GI Bill education benefits.
The bill, HR 1211, makes one simple change in law. Under current eligibility rules, National Guard and reserve members are eligible for active-duty GI Bill benefits if they serve 24 consecutive months on active-duty. The bipartisan bill would change this to cumulative months, opening the door to better GI Bill benefits for those who have served two or more mobilizations since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. but have not been mobilized for two years at one time.
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, the bill’s chief sponsor, said the problem with GI Bill eligibility was first raised to him by Marine Corps reservists from Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, who told him they were ineligible for GI Bill education benefits — even though they had spent 24 months on active duty — because their service was not performed consecutively.
“Our military men and women have made tremendous sacrifices during the war against terror,” Matheson said. “They’ve earned our gratitude and our support, particularly when they’re trying to resume a normal life following deployment. That’s what this legislation helps provide.”
There is a big difference in benefits for those qualify for active-duty benefits. For someone who completes two years on active-duty, monthly GI Bill benefits are $873. For a reservist, GI Bill benefits are $309 a month at current rates.
There is one additional catch for reservists receiving active-duty benefits: They must pay the $1,200 contribution required of all active-duty duty service members to receive the more generous benefits. There is no such fee for benefits under the separate Reserve GI Bill program.
Matheson’s bill is called the Resuming Education After Defense Service Act, or READS Act. It would apply to Guard and reserve members activated for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, either voluntarily or involuntarily, from Sept. 11, 2001, until the end of fiscal year 2008.
“We continue to rely more and more on the extended service of reservists,” Matheson said. “We should keep our promises to them, and we should compensate them for that contribution.”
Ellie
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 1, 2007 13:49:07 EST
Fifty-four members of the House of Representatives are co-sponsoring a bill that would make it easier for National Guard and reserve members to qualify for active-duty GI Bill education benefits.
The bill, HR 1211, makes one simple change in law. Under current eligibility rules, National Guard and reserve members are eligible for active-duty GI Bill benefits if they serve 24 consecutive months on active-duty. The bipartisan bill would change this to cumulative months, opening the door to better GI Bill benefits for those who have served two or more mobilizations since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. but have not been mobilized for two years at one time.
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, the bill’s chief sponsor, said the problem with GI Bill eligibility was first raised to him by Marine Corps reservists from Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, who told him they were ineligible for GI Bill education benefits — even though they had spent 24 months on active duty — because their service was not performed consecutively.
“Our military men and women have made tremendous sacrifices during the war against terror,” Matheson said. “They’ve earned our gratitude and our support, particularly when they’re trying to resume a normal life following deployment. That’s what this legislation helps provide.”
There is a big difference in benefits for those qualify for active-duty benefits. For someone who completes two years on active-duty, monthly GI Bill benefits are $873. For a reservist, GI Bill benefits are $309 a month at current rates.
There is one additional catch for reservists receiving active-duty benefits: They must pay the $1,200 contribution required of all active-duty duty service members to receive the more generous benefits. There is no such fee for benefits under the separate Reserve GI Bill program.
Matheson’s bill is called the Resuming Education After Defense Service Act, or READS Act. It would apply to Guard and reserve members activated for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, either voluntarily or involuntarily, from Sept. 11, 2001, until the end of fiscal year 2008.
“We continue to rely more and more on the extended service of reservists,” Matheson said. “We should keep our promises to them, and we should compensate them for that contribution.”
Ellie