Troops Now Pay For Benefits
New GI Bill | Photo Credit Fox News Recently, there have been several reports about mistreated veterans at VA hospitals, but now, it looks like troops are also going to need to start paying for their benefits. The new legislation wants to charge these heroes $2,400 to be deducted from paychecks.
Specifically, the bill would deduct $100 per month to cover all new enlistees. Overall, the GI Bill Proposal would bring in approximately $3.1 billion in ten years. This bill isn’t entirely new, but they are bringing it back.
Ex-Marine Said This Isn’t New Bill
Concerned Veterans For America members Dan Caldwell weighs in:
“First of all, it’s important to point out that this is a legislative proposal and its part of a larger package to ensure that the GI Bill remains viable in the future. It extends some benefits and makes the GI Bill a lifetime benefit [rather than one] with an expiration date. It also fixes some loopholes in the bill.”
“Now, this is not a new concept and I don’t think it’s really fair to call it a tax. In fact, what I was in the Marine Corps and when I went to Iraq, I had to pay into the GI Bill, since I wanted to use it. This is not something that’s new. This has been the standard for about twenty years. They got rid of it and now they’re bringing it back. You can opt out of it. You don’t have to pay into it.”
Current, Post 9/11 Requires No Fees Or Deductions
New GI Bill | Photo Credit Fox News
Military Times reports:
“Currently, the post-9/11 GI Bill offers full tuition to a four-year state college (or the equivalent tuition payout for a private school) plus a monthly housing stipend to any service member who spends at least three years on active duty, and to reservists who are mobilized to active-duty for extended periods. Troops wounded while serving are also eligible.”
“Unlike the older Montgomery GI Bill benefit, the post-9/11 GI Bill does not require any fees or pay reductions for eligibility. The new proposal would change that, taking up to $100 a month from new enlistees’ paychecks for the right to access the benefit after they leave the ranks.”
