GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century
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A MESSAGE FROM RETIRED GENERAL WESLEY CLARK
“The American people have a strong tradition of honoring our war veterans. And Democrats have always led the fight to give our veterans what they deserve for their brave service to our country. We all may not agree with the causes of this current war in Iraq, but we all agree that the brave men and women fighting it, and their families, deserve more than we can ever give them. Now we must focus attention on our veterans and military retirees who have seen the government cut medical benefits, close VA hospitals, double tax disability payments, and more than double prescription drug co-payments, while requiring veterans to pay an annual enrollment fee of $250 to use government health services in the 2006 budget. All of these costs add up to a "GI Tax" on our soldiers and veterans. And it's time to end that "GI Tax" -- once and for all. I was proud to join House Leaders Nancy Pelosi, Ike Skelton, Lane Evans, and John Salazar on Capitol Hill to unveil the new GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century. From the original GI Bill, signed by Franklin Roosevelt, it's always been up to a grateful nation to stand up for veterans and their families. Now it's our turn -- so please help.” – RETIRED GENERAL WESLEY CLARK
GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century
Makes Health Care Accessible and Affordable for Our Veterans
- Improves veterans’ health care.
- Improves mental health for returning soldiers.
- Blocks increases in prescription drug co-payments and enrollment fees for veterans.
- Provides the Benefits Our Veterans Have Earned and Deserve
- Ends the Disabled Veterans’ Tax.
- Reduces waiting times on disability claims and expands outreach to veterans.
Honors the Families of Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice for our Country
- Ends the Military Families Tax.
- Increases survivor benefits for families with minor children.
Strengthens Our Support for Our Men and Women in Uniform
- Provides $1,000 Bonus for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Ensures an adequate number of troops and adequate equipment for our troops.
- Improves military pay for senior enlisted personnel and warrant officers.
Honors Our Debt to Our Servicemen and Women
- Modernizes and enhances the GI Bill Education and Job Training Programs.
- Provides additional funds to assist homeless veterans with employment.
- Protects bonuses and special pay for the permanently injured, and continues combat pay or additional compensation for those recovering from combat injuries.
Improves Health and Education Benefits for Our National Guard/Reservists
- Expands military health care (TRICARE) for National Guard/Reservists.
- Protects the income of activated National Guard/Reservists.
- Ensures recruitment incentives and bonuses for National Guard/Reservists and improve educational benefits.
FACT SHEET: GI Bill Of Rights For The 21st Century
In 1944, the Congress enacted the GI Bill of Rights, first drafted by the American Legion, in order to honor the Greatest Generation, who ultimately won World War II. In doing so, the federal government supported our returning troops with educational benefits, loans to buy a home, and medical assistance. Nearly 8 million veterans went to school under the original GI Bill. In effect, the GI Bill jumpstarted our economy and created a strong middle class. And in each major military conflict since (Korea and Vietnam), we have honored the service of our soldiers through a new GI Bill.
Currently, more than 1 million have served thus far in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. More than 1,500 service personnel have died and another 12,000 have been wounded. And our National Guard and Reserve personnel have made an unprecedented contribution in the effort – providing nearly half of the troops in Iraq. These troops have served our nation with distinction, and now it is time for a grateful nation to honor that service. Now is the appropriate time for a new GI Bill.
House Democrats have announced the introduction of the New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century. This package would improve benefits for our men and women in uniform today and provide long overdue benefits for the veterans and military retirees who have already served. Recognizing that politics and partisanship should never be a factor in how we support our veterans, many of the provisions of this package are bipartisan. For military retirees and the families of those who died in the line of duty, it would fully repeal the Disabled Veterans Tax, and end the Military Families Tax. It would improve veterans’ health care, including mental health care, to meet the needs of our returning troops.
To help our soldiers become a productive part of a prosperous economy and help in recruiting new service members, the package would modernize and enhance the GI Bill – providing the full cost for college or job training for those who serve four years or more of active duty. It also includes provisions to ensure an adequate number of troops and to make sure they have adequate equipment, and to provide a $1,000 bonus to the nearly 1 million who have served in imminent danger in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan. Finally, it recognizes the great sacrifice of our National Guard and Reserve -- by expanding military health care to cover all reservists, making sure they do not suffer a pay cut while deployed, and improving recruitment and retention incentives.
The New GI Bill of Rights ensures that health care is accessible and affordable for our Veterans. Currently, more than 50,000 veterans are waiting for more than six months for health care, and that problem will only get worse with the growing numbers of returning soldiers. The measure increases funding for VA health care, including an additional $3.2 billion over President Bush’s budget for FY 2006. To help the 17 percent of troops returning with mental health problems, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the package improves mental health services with a range of provisions, including expanding PTSD services to all VA medical facilities. The package also blocks increases in prescription drug co-payments and enrollment fees for veterans that would raise the health care costs for 2.2 million veterans.
The New GI Bill of Rights provides the benefits our veterans have earned and deserve. Our soldiers fight for all Americans and they should be supported by all Americans when they come home. That is why the New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century would fully repeal the Disabled Veterans Tax, which forces disabled military retirees to give up one dollar of their pension for every dollar of disability pay they receive. This is critical to the nearly 400,000 military retirees who were left behind by the Republican compromise and continue to pay it. It would also include provisions to improve the timeliness and accuracy of benefit claims; veterans with a service-connected disability claim have a right to expect timely resolution of their appeals as their quality of life depends on it.
The New GI Bill of Rights honors the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. It is not enough to support the troops; we must also support their families. The New GI Bill of Rights would end the Military Family’s Tax which penalizes survivors, mostly widows of those killed as a result of combat. Under current law, widows lose their survivor benefits if they receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation benefits because their spouse died of a service-connected injury. The New GI Bill also increases benefits for surviving children of those who die in service to our country.
The New GI Bill of Rights strengthens our support for our men and women in uniform. The American people are fully backing our soldiers, and yet our troops do not have the needed manpower or equipment. So the new GI Bill of Rights includes provisions to ensure an adequate number of troops and to make sure they have adequate equipment, so that our troops are well protected and not stretched too thin. More than 340,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves have been called up over the last two and one-half years, and nearly 45,000 soldiers have seen their deployments extended. The package would also provide a $1,000 bonus to the troops who have served in imminent danger in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan as a thanks for a job well done, along with increased pay for senior enlisted and warrant personnel.
The New GI Bill of Rights honors our debt to our servicemen and women. We must provide first-rate education benefits to reward those who have served and to recruit our most able young men and women to serve our nation in the Armed Forces. The package would modernize and enhance the GI Bill and Job Training Programs and improve education benefits for Guard/Reserve. Specifically, it would provide the full cost of tuition and fees, and a living allowance for 36 months of schooling for those who enlist for four years of active duty military service. Right now, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) pays less than two-thirds of the average cost of attending a four-year public college. It would also increase the basic benefit for those currently in the MGIB or who serve less than four years to $1,300 per month, and eliminate the current reduction in their basic pay to get the educational benefits. Further, it would assist homeless veterans with employment, protects bonuses and special pay for those who are permanently and severely injured or wounded or killed in service, and continue combat pay or other additional compensation for those recovering from combat injuries.
The New GI Bill of Rights will improve benefits for our National Guard/Reservists. The National Guard and Reserve have made unprecedented contributions – making up about 50 percent of the troops in Iraq, and sometimes having served three tours of duty. The New GI Bill of Rights honors that contribution with provisions that protect their income to help the more than 40 percent of those called up who have suffered a pay cut to serve our country. It also expands military health care to provide full access to TRICARE -- the military health program – to all members of the Guard and Reserve and their families for a low fee. Finally, the package improves recruitment and retention incentives and bonuses for the Reserve, so they are more equitable relative to Active duty colleagues. This is not only more fair, but also is needed given the recruiting and retention problems facing the Reserve and National Guard.
