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Veteran Resource News: GI Bill Fairness Act Passes Congress

With little time to spare, Congress recently passed changes to the payment of the educational benefits provided veterans with the "GI Bill Fairness Act." Thousands of veteran-students have been waiting for Congress to pass "fixes" to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The changes passed through the House without issue, garnering a 424-0 vote. The fix will ensure all currently enrolled veterans will be given the same amount or more in tuition funding from the GI Bill this coming semester as they were given last semester.

Last fall, Congress made changes to the GI Bill affecting veterans enrolled in private and out-of-state colleges; their maximum tuition payout was capped at $17,500. Those changes were set to go into effect on Aug. 1. Private colleges in at least 7 states, however, raised their tuition above the $17,500 cap.

Veterans enrolled in such colleges lobbied Congress to grandfather them into being able to use the old rates. There was concern that veterans already enrolled in the private colleges would have to take out new student loans in order to graduate.

The GI Bill Fairness Act will help approximately 6,000 veterans in private colleges and around 4,000 enrolled in out-of-state universities. There were concerns implementing last-minute changes would negatively affect the entire processing system to the extent of affecting payments to every veteran using the GI Bill to attend school. The VA now believes that only veterans affected by the changes will see any delay in their payments.

Contact a South Florida Veterans Disability Attorney

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied veterans disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.