House passes GI Bill

[Wezil]

Always a damn catch.

[snoopy369]

You can buy up for better benefits, though (according to Wiki)...

[Apocalypse]

I did not get that option and never heard of it.

[snoopy369]

Rates for buy-up:

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/rates/600_buyup.html

Info on buy-up from the same site:

Question
Who can participate in the $600 contribution or “Buy-up?”


Answer
Members eligible for the active duty GI Bill, or REAP are able to participate in the additional $600 contribution program. Eligible members may contribute up to $600 total (in increments of $20) to their service branch. Based on the amount of their extra contribution, members may receive up to an additional $150 per month in their GI Bill payments. To see a chart detailing the additional monthly amount, please click here.

ACTIVE DUTY GI BILL PARTIPANTS must be on active duty to contribute.

REAP PARTICIPANTS must be part of the Selected Reserve, Individual Ready Reserve or Inactive National Guard to contribute.

If you have additional questions, please contact VA using the “Ask a Question” tab or by calling 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

[Verto]

WASHINGTON-A bill to expand education benefits to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - paid for by a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans - passed the House Thursday.

The next hurdle is the Senate, where Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., introduced the GI Bill. Debate on the measure has grown increasingly contentious.

"With this bill you can go to college and you can go full-time," said bill sponsor Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd.

The House passed the bill 256 to 166, with conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats coming on board only after the GI bill was funded through what Democrats dubbed a "Patriots' Premium."

The premium increases an individual's taxes by a half-percent on all income above $500,000 and would generate an estimated $56 billion over ten years.

"Today's House vote places veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars one step closer to realizing the first-class future that they are due," Webb said in a statement.

Link

[snoopy369]

Hmmm, reading more on the McCain bill, I think a compromise could be the best result, myself... the point of his bill is to encourage longer enlistments (giving a per-year bonus, rather than a flat amount). I think that's not a half bad idea; one of the biggest challenges for the Army (etc.) is to get enlisted soldiers to re-up for more than the initial 3 year committment.

Something like:

3 year committment: Tuition up to $3k/year, $1k/mo stipend
5 year committment: Tuition up to $5k/year, $1500/mo stipend
8 year committment: Tuition up to $8k/year, $1800/mo stipend

Seems reasonable to me (though the numbers would need some crunching of course)... the idea being to reward people for staying in longer.

We'll see where McCain ends up on this... I suspect this is to some extent a political tool by the Dems aimed at doing just what it seems to have in your case, Apo - a plan that is not the best plan that could be made (hence McCain's opposition), so he has to oppose it at least briefly, but something that will cost him votes in November.

The democrats seem to have won this round... unless McCain comes out with a brilliant compromise of course We'll see what comes up in the Senate, I guess.