American Legion Applauds Proposed Legislative Enhancements to Servicemembers Education Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Feb. 15, 2007) -- American Legion National Commander Paul A. Morin today voiced his support for the “Total Force Educational Assistance Enhancement and Integration Act of 2007.”  The bill sponsored by Senators Blanche Lincoln and Susan Collins, and Representatives Vic Snyder, John Boozman and Stephanie Herseth modernizes the Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB) to more effectively support armed forces recruiting, retention, and readjustment following service, and to better reflect a “Total Force” concept that ensures members of our Reserve and National Guard receive educational benefits that match their increased service to the nation.

“The American Legion played an active role in the draft and enactment of the original GI Bill of Rights (the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944),” Morin said.  “When our young men and women returned from WW II to protect our freedom, we fought to take care of them.  Today, our country needs to once again ensure that those who volunteer to go in harms way are able to enjoy the liberty that they fight so hard to protect,” Morin added.

Morin explained that active duty service members currently have up to 10 years after their separation of service to utilize their MGIB benefits, while members of the Guard and Reserve must forfeit ALL of the educational benefits they have earned once they separate from the Guard or Reserves.  Those who have served in the Guard and Reserve and activated to duty in the Global War on Terror are having their benefits unfairly terminated once they complete their term of service. 

This legislation provides a month-per-month active duty rate for service rendered for mobilized members of the Guard and Reserve and provides them with 10 year portability of Chapter 1607 benefits once they become veterans at separation from service or retirement.  Individuals that are called up two or more times could accrue active duty MGIB benefits up to the maximum allowable in law (36 months at $1075 per month, currently).

“Today's National Guard and Reserve members are so busy training and deploying that they have little time to actually use their MGIB benefits,” Morin explained.  “Their ability to use the benefits while serving is curtailed because of repeated deployments and denied entirely once they finish their service.” 

The Total Force Educational Assistance Enhancement and Integration Act of 2007 would establish one program with one set of rules that would eliminate inconsistent and inequitable structuring of benefits by combining both Selected Reserve MGIB programs (1606 and 1607 of Title 10) under the same umbrella as the active duty program (Title 38).  It would also provide a cleaner, simpler arrangement of GI Bill benefit levels with standardized tiers of eligibility.

Unlike active duty benefits which are paid by the VA through mandatory funding, both reserve programs are funded out of annual discretionary pay and benefits accounts through the Department of Defense.  When Congress has increased active duty benefits under Title 38, traditionally proportionate action has not been taken to raise the rates for the reserve programs.

Founded in 1919, the 2.7 million-member American Legion is the nation’s preeminent service organization for veterans of the U.S. armed forces, including active duty, National Guard and Reserves, and their families.  A powerful voice for veterans in Washington, The American Legion drafted the original GI Bill and was instrumental in establishing the agency that today is the Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more information, or to join The American Legion go to http://www.legion.org/join.