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(Trenton) - At a morning press conference on the campus of Thomas Edison
State College in New Jersey, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4) today announced
that a second major increase in the G.I. Bill college education benefit
authorized by his legislation will take effect tomorrow, October 1st,
raising the monthly benefit from $800 to $900. The final increase raising
the monthly benefit to $985 will take effect next October 1st.
Smith, who was joined by officials from Thomas Edison State College and New
Jersey veterans leaders, said he organized the event to, "get the word out
that the GI Bill is an unbeatable value for servicemembers looking to pursue
higher education or specialized training."
Smith's GI Bill legislation, the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion
Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-103), authorized three increases to the Montgomery GI
Bill program that will eventually raise the lifetime benefit by 46% from
$24,192 (prior to October 1, 2001) to $35,460 on October 1, 2003.
"The GI Bill is one of the most successful government programs ever
developed, having benefited over 21 million military veterans and helping to
create the modern middle class," said Smith, who chairs the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs. "However in recent years, inflation and escalating
college tuition rates had seriously eroded the value of the GI Bill, causing
fewer veterans to participate in the program," he said. The latest
statistics show that only about half of all eligible veterans participate.
"Last year, we made modernization of the GI Bill program a top priority of
the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and with enactment of my legislation we
have taken a major step forward to enhance the educational opportunities for
America's veterans," Smith said. "With these record increases, many more
veterans will find that they can now afford higher education or advanced
career training," he said.
Under the GI Bill program, a military servicemember who elects to
participate in the program pays $100 a month for 12 months while on active
duty. Upon separation, a veteran who served for three years would be
eligible for 36 months of educational assistance benefits at a qualified
education institution, including vocational and other professional training
courses. The monthly benefit, $900 beginning October 1st, can be used to pay
for tuition, books, college fees, room and board, and other living expenses
while attending school. For veterans who served for two years on active
duty, the monthly benefit is slightly lower, rising to $732 beginning on
October 1st, and then to $800 next October 1st.
"The GI Bill not only helps our veterans and our educational institutions,
it is also the military's top recruitment and retention tool," said Smith.
"With our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines embarked upon a war to
defend our nation against terrorism, we must ensure that these brave men and
women get all of the assistance they need to help them in their transition
back to civilian life. The GI Bill is and will remain a cornerstone of that
effort," he said.
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