Thompson bill aims to help CA vets

Eureka Times Standard

North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday aimed at bringing equity to the post-9/11 GI Bill.

Passed in the summer of 2008, the post-9/11 GI Bill created greatly expanded benefits coverage for veterans from after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including a provision that would offer them the full cost of attending any public college in their state. If the veterans elect to attend a private college, the bill was intended to reimburse them for the same amount they would have spent attending a public school.

But, due to what Thompson called a “bureaucratic snafu,” California veterans aren't currently eligible to get their fair share.

”Congress passed the new GI bill with the intention of providing educational opportunities for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Thompson said in a press release. “Through their brave service to our country these veterans have earned every single penny of their benefits. We're working in a bipartisan way to fix the bureaucratic snafu that is depriving them of their hard-earned educational opportunities.”

Under California law, public institutions of higher education may not charge tuition to in-state residents. Because the state's public colleges and universities charge no tuition, their fees are often considerably higher than the amount of fees charged by private institutions that are permitted to levy a tuition cost.

Because the post-9/11 GI Bill calculates a veteran's educational benefits based on the public tuition and fees charged to an in-state resident, the Department of Veterans Affairs has determined the maximum tuition benefit for Californians to be $0, while the maximum fee allotment can equal up to $6,586. Thus, California veterans receive no tuition benefit and are often only allowed to use a fraction of their fee allotment at a private school, where fees are generally much lower.

Thompson's legislation, which was co-authored by fellow Californian Congressman Howard McKeon, a Republican, aims to level the playing field, and ensure that all California veterans can benefit from the full educational reimbursement -- up to $6,586 -- to which they are entitled.

In a tele-press conference Thursday, Thompson and McKeon said they are hopeful that the legislation will not even have to become law, and that the Department of Veterans Affairs will take steps on its own to rectify the situation.