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WASHINGTON — Veteran advocates and House lawmakers rallied Thursday on Capitol Hill to oppose cuts to the Post 9/11 GI Bill that they say would break a “sacred” trust.

The national groups, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and nine Democrats decried an effort to balance budgets by slashing housing payments to college students using their parents’ GI Bill benefits.

More than one million veterans who served on active duty since the 9/11 attacks and their family members have used the GI Bill benefits to get an education since it was created in 2009. Despite the popularity, the House cut a section of the benefits in February to pay for a massive veteran reform package and the Senate is now weighing whether to take up the measure.

via www.stripes.com

While I would agree with the suggestion later in the article that a better place to start is with eliminating bonuses for VA personnel, let's step back a moment.

The original GI Bill after World War II provided for the tuition for an honorably discharged service member. Of course, post-secondary education back then was a lot cheaper.

When I (and a good many of you) joined, it was during the era of what was known as the Montgomery GI Bill, in which a service member would have $100 a month deducted from his or her pay for the first 12 months of service. In return, the the VA would pay a monthly stipend provided you were actively enrolled in an approved post-secondary education program, for up to 36 months, that is, four education years.

As a kicker, the Army had the Army College Fund, which boosted the payout of the Montgomery GI Bill, provided you scored 50 or better on the AFQT portion of the ASVAB, and enlisted in an MOS that was eligible for the Army College Fund.

As an example, I enlisted for a two year initial active duty obligation. After my $1200 contribution to the MGIB/ACF, when I began to attend university, I had a total benefit available of $17,000. Divided by 36, this gave me a monthly benefit of $472.22. That money was sent directly to me, and was tax free. I was free to spend it on pretty much anything I wished. In my personal case, my parents paid my tuition and I covered the costs of room and board and sundries.

Today, after successful completion of 36 months of service, a servicemember is elegible for the full cost of tuition at the in-state rate of any public university he or she chooses to attend. In addition, a housing stipend equal to that of an E-5 with dependents is paid based on the cost of living associated with the zip code of the school.

That's a really good deal for a guy that joins the Army right out of high school, and intends to get get out after his first hitch, and go to school.

But for a lot of people, particularly career soldiers, it isn't all that attractive. If, say, a career Air Traffic Controller plans on getting hired by the FAA after retirement, the new GI Bill holds no attraction for him. Nor does it do much for officers, who already have their bachelor's degree.

And so, the new GI Bill includes a provision for transferability to a spouse, or after 10 years of service, to a child.

To use an example of a reader here, friend Esli already used his Montgomery GI Bill benefits to pay for his college. And he's had sufficient time in service since then that he's *again* eligible for New GI Bill benefits. And he's got college aged kids.

Cutting in half the housing benefit (and mind you, that's all the Congress is looking to cut, NOT the tuition payments) will impose a burden on him. But not an especially onerous one. And don't forget that when submitting a FAFSFA, GI Bill benefits may not be used to determine eligibility for aid under Federal (and most state) programs.

More generally, I worry sometimes that we who served become captured by the very same entitlement mentality that we are so quick to complain about in other.

To serve our nation in uniform is a privilege, not a right. And the costs associated with veterans benefits are enormous, so much so that the DoD has to look very closely at them when arguing for increasing the size of the force.