The new GI Bill properly rewards National Guard and Reserve members

February 17, 1:16 PMCollege Admissions ExaminerLauren Starkey

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When the new GI Bill takes effect in August of 2009, servicemembers in the National Guard and Reserve will be eligible for the most comprehensive, generous educational benefits Uncle Sam has ever offered them. The Army Times says with the enactment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, “veterans’ education benefits will undergo a life-changing transformation that will suddenly make a four-year college degree affordable for a new generation of wartime veterans.”

Under the old Montgomery GI Bill SR, those who served in any branch of the military other than the National Guard and Reserves were rewarded with close to $48,000 in tuition benefits. National Guard members and Reservists got about a quarter of that.

Keith M. Wilson, VA's education service director, said "previously the Guard and reserve members didn't really have a stake in the GI Bill per se. Now, we have one program that covers both the active duty and the Guard and reserves." Everyone who entered the military on or after Sept. 10, 2001, and has at least 90 days of active service is eligible.

There are a range of benefits to the new bill. It covers tuition and fees equal to what each state's most expensive state-run school charges for in-state, undergraduate study (although servicemembers who chose a more expensive private college are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program, in which the VA and the host school split the difference between the benefit and the actual cost).

A monthly housing allowance based on the Defense Department's basic housing allowance, and dependent on school location, is also part of the benefit package. The Bill provides a stipend of up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies, up to $1,200 in tutorial assistance, up to $2,000 for licensing or certification tests and up to $500 to help cover transportation costs for people in remote areas.

It’s about time we treat those in the National Guard and Reserve, who number more than half of those returning from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, as we do other veterans.  In less than six months when those benefits are made available, the promise of a college education, with Uncle Sam footing the bill, will be another way the American people can thank all of our men and women in uniform.

High school guidance counselors: share your insights in an upcoming column. Contact Lauren at lauren@laurenstarkey for more information..com