Collins renews push to pass improved benefits under GI Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, now a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has reintroduced legislation to increase the education benefit for American military personnel and veterans under the GI Bill. The Veterans’ Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2001 is similar to legislation Collins introduced in the last Congress. The original GI Bill was enacted in 1944 and provided a $500 annual education stipend as well as a $50 subsistence allowance. As a result of that initiative, 7.8 million World War II veterans were able to take advantage of post-service education and training opportunities.

Since that time, various incarnations of the GI Bill have continued to assist millions of veterans in taking advantage of the educational opportunities that were put on hold in order to serve their country.

The value of the educational benefit provided by the current GI Bill has greatly eroded over time due to inflation. Military recruiters indicate that the program’s benefits no longer serve as a strong incentive to join the military; nor do they serve as a retention tool valuable enough to persuade men and women to stay in the military and defer their pursuit of higher education until a later date.

The current GI Bill now provides nine monthly $650 stipends per year for four years. The total benefit is $23,400. Under a new benchmark established by Collins’ legislation, the monthly stipend for this academic year would be $1,025, producing a new total benefit of $36,900 for the four academic years.