Veterans Benefits GI Bill

Rosa DeLauro presented new legislature yesterday to amend the Post 9/11 GI Bill so that it offers job training programs and apprenticeships as part of its benefits, similar to the Montgomery GI Bill.

Previously, MGIB was considered a superior alternative for military personnel seeking job training instead of a college degree. There are active duty, reserve, and veterans that do not qualify, however, for the MGIB benefits, and if the Post 9/11 GI Bill is the only financial benefit package  they have available, they cannot receive funding for job training programs.

“This [legislation] will provide those veterans who do not pursue an academic course of study opportunities to advance in their jobs, whether they are with private sector companies, local law enforcement or otherwise, just as previous veterans have,” wrote Ms. DeLauro.

Ten percent of MGIB benefactors use their financial aid to pursue job training  and apprenticeships. There are predictions that a similar ten percent are being neglected by the current Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Rosa DeLauro is currently looking for co-sponsors in Congress for this legislation. You can find the Congress members in your area through Military.com Legislative Center. If you would like to see this amendment go through Congress, contact your local Congress members and ask them to co-sponsor Rosa DeLauro’s new GI Bill legislation.

This is not DeLauro’s first active involvement in the Post 9/11 GI Bill. As an active supporter of the military, DeLauro participated in Southern Connecticut State University’s Friday program discussing how the Post 9/11 GI Bill works and walking applicants through the process.

The New Haven Independent described a wave of frustration sweeping through military personnel, DeLauro, and Jacques (an education liaison representative for the Veterans Administration that aided DeLauro in the presentation.) Jacques expressed support for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, but quoted he would “like to wring the neck” of whoever wrote the confusing regulations.

This meeting was when DeLauro realized job training legislation needed to be implemented. Quoted from the New Haven Independent:

“There’s a lot of uncertainty about it; there’s a lot of misinformation,” said [Jack Mordante, director of Veterans Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University]. “You know, there are people in Washington who call this the greatest GI bill since World War II. It’s not true; it has some issues. If you are a college student going full-time, you get the maximum benefits. After that there are some problems. I think they’re going to be fixed, but I think it’ll take an act of Congress. This bill does not include apprenticeship and on-the-job training. Now, a veteran should be able to choose the kind of education he wants; not everyone goes [for] higher education.”

To help Rosa DeLauro support the Post 9/11 GI Bill, contact your Congress members today and proactively support filling the cracks in the Post 9/11 GI Bill military personnel are falling through.