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Webb wants to help survivors with education

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., the lawmaker behind the Post-9/11 GI Bill, has introduced another education assistance bill aimed at the survivors of veterans.

The purpose of his bill, S. 847, is to allow someone eligible for Dependents Educational Assistance — survivors of veterans who died of a service-related cause — to also be eligible for full veterans education benefits that they earn in their own right through military service. Current law allows just 48 months of total benefits when someone is eligible for more than one education program.

Dependents Educational Assistance is available to the spouse or child of a veteran who dies or is permanently and totally disabled as a result of a service-connected disability, or of someone still on active duty who is permanently and totally disabled and is likely to be discharged because of that disability. Also eligible are the spouse and children of a service member who is declared missing in action or held captive as a prisoner of war.

DEA provides 45 months of benefits, with the current maximum payment set at $915 a month for full-time students. Because of the Veterans Affairs Department rule that limits total education benefits to 48 months, a survivor who serves in the military and earns 36 months of GI Bill benefits would get to use just three months under that program before reaching the 48-month limit.

In a statement, Webb said the restriction needs to be lifted.

“If a member of our armed services is killed or seriously disabled in the line of duty, the compensation VA provides for spouses and dependents should not be counted against any educational benefits that a survivor has earned through his or her own service to our country,” Webb said. “We have a commitment to fulfill our promises to our men and women in uniform and their families. By eliminating this benefits penalty, we ensure the proper reward for service that these military men and women deserve.”

The bill was referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which is scheduled to hold a hearing next week on benefits legislation.