Bill would boost education payments for some - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Bill would boost education payments for some

A federal student aid reform bill passed by the House on Thursday includes provisions that would change some payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The legislation, HR 3221, would create a supplemental education grant payable to private-school students if their fees are less than the Post-9/11 GI Bill fee caps for the state in which they are enrolled. It would not apply to students at public institutions.

For some veterans, the increase would be significant. The Congressional Budget Office estimates about 25,000 veterans would be eligible for the grant because their fees are lower than undergraduate fees at the in-state tuition rate for the most expensive four-year public school in their state. The average payment would be $9,000 a year, according to the estimate.

The grant would make the Post-9/11 GI Bill more like previous education benefits in which students received the same basic payment no matter how much their education cost.

Grants would be paid to the student, while the school would continue to receive a payment for tuition and fees. The grant would not change the payment of book allowances or living stipends for students who are eligible for those benefits.

Also included is a provision that would provide grants for institutions to hire veterans resource officers to work as advocates for student-veterans. Grants would be available for colleges and universities that have 100 or more full-time students who are veterans.

The bill also would:

• Expand student loan forgiveness for students whose college education is interrupted by military mobilization.

• Attempt to make it easier to transfer college credit earned on active duty.

• Make veterans a priority in receiving grants for graduate education.

• Give priority for innovation grants to programs helping veterans complete degrees and certification programs.

Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Va., who pushed for the veterans provisions, said one reason he wanted so many included is because Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are having trouble finding work.

“Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have a 21 percent higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country, and as we work to rebuild our economy, we must not leave our veterans behind,” said Nye, a member of the House armed services and veterans affairs committees.