New GI Bill Will Ensure That Troops Receive the Respect They Deserve (Rep. Tim Walberg)

Last Friday I introduced a bill to end inequality in military education and aid veterans left behind.  The Montgomery GI Bill Enhancement Act of 2007, H.R. 4130, already has strong bi-partisan support, as 13 Republicans and 4 Democrats have signed on as original co-sponsors.

This bill will help provide our military personnel and veterans with every opportunity to succeed by ensuring that our soldiers and veterans are treated with the respect they deserve. Providing a proper education for our soldiers is one of the ways Congress can show support for our troops.

In 1976, Congress created the Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) as a recruitment and retention tool for the post-Vietnam era.  Congress greatly expanded education benefits in 1984 and allowed individuals with VEAP accounts to transfer their benefits to the new Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) in 1996 (P.L. 104-275).  The opportunity to convert to MGIB is very important because the benefits now available are much greater than those under VEAP.

However, those individuals who were on active duty before 1985 and did not participate in VEAP were not eligible to sign-up for MGIB, leaving a gap in available coverage for certain career military personnel.  Congress has voted several times in the last decade to allow VEAP participants opportunities to transfer to MGIB. Yet, there has never been an opportunity for those who did not have VEAP accounts to sign up for the new program, excluding them from taking advantage of these great educational benefits.

My legislation will correct this inequity and allow individuals falling into this gap to attain the benefits they deserve. Congress has an obligation to care for America’s soldiers. Providing more educational opportunities is the least we can do for the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.