New GI Benefits Vary Widely by State

Associated Press via North County Times ^ | July 6, 2009 | JUSTIN POPE - Associated Press

[Lancey Howard]

When the new GI Bill kicks in Aug. 1, the government's best-known education program for veterans will get the biggest boost since its World War II-era creation. But the benefit is hardly the "Government Issue," one-size-fits-all standard the name implies.

In fact, depending on where service members and veterans decide to attend college, they could receive a full ride, or very little.

An Associated Press review of state-by-state benefits under the new bill shows huge discrepancies in the amount veterans can receive.

(snip)

But Congress also wanted to help veterans attend often pricier private schools. So the new bill offers them an amount equal to the tuition at the most expensive public college in the same state.

That penalizes veterans going to private colleges in states that have kept their public university tuition low.

(snip)

Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., has introduced legislation that would correct the discrepancy in California.

"California's generosity on state tuition was intended to keep college costs down, not inadvertently increase costs for the state's veterans," said Lindsey Mask, a spokeswoman for McKeon.

[Lancey Howard]

(( ping ))

[Alex Murphy]

Ping to read later

[Beagle8U]

Let Vets attend any college they choose, and a liberal art major will be assigned to clean their dorm rooms and carry their books!

[TSgt]

In some states like Ohio you can join the Air National Guard or National Guard and get 100% tuition paid plus a couple hundred each month from the G.I. bill. I actually had better tuition benefits than my active duty counterparts though I still ended up spending a lot of time on active duty during my military career in the Ohio Air Guard.

[rednesss]

This new post 9/11 GI bill should be avoided like the plague. It gives with one hand and will take with the other. It has many, many pitfalls that will see soldiers having to repay $$$$thousands that they don’t have back to the fed gov. My school will be having soldiers read a document listing all of the bad things that can happen and have them sign it before certifying them into the post 9/11 benefits. It’s that bad.