Vet benefits to expand in new GI bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) announced yesterday the introduction of a revised Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, expanding college aid for military veterans and allowing new veterans to use the educational benefit later in life, if they want to.

Sablan, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined with every Committee member, Republican and Democrat, as an original cosponsor of the legislation.

Committee chair Phil Roe (R-Tennessee) is expected to bring the bill, H.R. 3218, to the committee for approval this week. Majority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) has promised a vote by the House of Representatives this month.

Expanding educational opportunity is a hallmark of Sablan’s work in Congress. “Education is important for young and old,” Sablan said, “for an individual’s personal success and for the success of the Marianas community as a whole.

“Veterans especially, returning from service, can benefit from getting more education to help them re-enter civilian life. And being able to wait to use that benefit beyond the current 15-year limit, as this modernized Post-9/11 G.I. Bill allows for new veterans, gives them even more flexibility.”

The bill also fine-tunes benefits in response to concerns brought to Sablan’s attention by Marianas veterans. “We have had veterans, who lost their education benefits when they enrolled in a school that then closed in the middle of a semester, for instance,” Sablan explained. “Under our new bill veterans would regain those benefits, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2015.”

Post-9/11 reservists and guardsmen, who spent time on active duty under orders that did not allow for accrual of education benefits, will now be able to count that time toward the G.I. Bill. And the minimum benefit for veterans with less than 36 months of qualifying active service increases to 50 percent of the maximum amount payable.

“One of the best ways for members of Congress to understand how federal law may need to be changed is by listening to constituents,” Sablan explained. “We are very fortunate that so many veterans in the Marianas have been willing to participate in the listening sessions that their congressional office has hosted. As a result, we know more about what vets need and could translate their needs into legislative action.”

H.R. 3218 is the largest expansion of college aid for military veterans in over 10 years. It builds on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill guarantee of a full-ride scholarship at public universities or the cash equivalent for veterans attending private institutions.

And there is a bonus for veterans studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. “STEM degree students would be eligible for either an additional nine months of study or a lump sum of $30,000,” according to Sablan.

“We should do everything we can to help veterans get more education. They are an untapped resource for the Marianas economy, which needs trained, well-educated workers.

“Only about half of veterans nationwide go on to get a degree after service. But those who do have much better graduation rates than non-veteran students.

“This revised Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is going to get more veterans into college. And we will all benefit from that investment in the long run,” Sablan said. (PR)