Filner says further GI Bill changes must wait - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Filner says further GI Bill changes must wait

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is flawed and unfair to some veterans, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman said Thursday, but any major fix in the education benefits plan that takes effect on Aug. 1 will have to be put off until 2010.

After the Deparmtent of Veterans Affairs warned of the complexity of launching the biggest improvement in veterans’ benefits to take effect since World War II, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., said he wants to leave things alone for now.

“I don’t want to be accused of causing problems that screw things up,” Filner said. “There will be major changes, but they will be made in the second year.”

Filner’s pledge to hold off on changes does not apply to one issue, however. He said he will continue to push for a change in law that allows veterans using their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for distance learning to receive a living stipend, just like veterans attending brick-and-mortar schools.

“I am going to try it,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like a hard change to make.”

One of the changes being put off is a revision of basic rates, Filner said. He thinks GI Bill rates will be too low for veterans in states that heavily subsidize tuition, which will discourage people from attending private schools where tuition payments will be capped at the cost of in-state tuition for the most expensive four-year public institution.

Filner said he personally doesn’t understand why VA officials keep warning the new GI Bill is at “high risk” for delays and mistakes.

“This is not that difficult,” he said. “I try to be understanding of the problem, but this is not tough stuff to me.”

VA officials, however, have warned lawmakers that the new program is far more complex than previous versions of the GI Bill because it includes separate calculations for tuition and fees, which will be paid directly to the institution, and a living expense for veterans who are attending school half-time or more based on the military housing allowance in the ZIP code where they attend school.

VA officials have expressed confidence in making the first payments this fall as long as Congress doesn’t change the benefits or eligibility at the last minute.