Tuesday, May 13, 2008
GI BIll change just around the corner?
Posted by Joe Coastie
Again I come across a story that's not entirely Coast Guard, but Military in general. It was announced yesterday, or at least reported on via GovExec, that a Congressional change, the first dramatic one since WWII, to the GI Bill may be just around the corner.
...a plan that would essentially guarantee a full-ride scholarship to any in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend, for individuals who serve the military for at least three years.That would rock! This would more than likely convince more recruits to join the ranks of the military.
The proposal would give veterans 15 years to use the benefit, instead of the current 10-year limit, and would set up a new government program that matches financial aid by more expensive private institutions.
For a pricey public school -- such as Miami University in Oxford, Ohio -- that benefit might be worth as much as $31,000 per school year, compared to the maximum $9,900 benefit that veterans are given now.
So the next question is cost:
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the proposal would cost $51.8 billion in the next 10 years.However, there is always a catch...
President Bush is expected to veto the measure if it is sent to him with added domestic spending...Oh well, it will be nice if they can get 'er through.
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Labels: by Joe Coastie, Education
1 comments:
- At Wednesday, May 14, 2008 9:46:00 PM EDT Anonymous said...
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Allow the GI Bill to be transferred to dependents!
While I would never look a gift horse in the mouth on this one, it looks like a great deal. However as one who has already completed my four year degree,(using tuition assistance) and dumped my money into the GI Bill, what can I do with it? On the GI Bill claim form, there is a spot for transferring the Bill to a dependant. When I asked a USCG Admiral in charge of education if this was a possibility in the future, he stated that "The GI Bill is purely a recruiting tool" and that "Tranferring the bill to dependents would not seem to bolster military members to join up." Lastly he stated that "The DOD looked at making it transferrable, and that even though the miltary member signed on for a 100K Bill, family members would only likely see 36K out of that" and "That it wasn't a good deal for military people."
No offense to the Admiral who stated that, but I have been saving for my kids education, and as a senior enlisted, I only have just under 6K saved up after 8 years of scrimping. At this point even that 36K is looking pretty good right now!!!
Thanks to TA, I may have wasted my money on the GI Bill if it can't be transferred.
-USCG MSTC
