PLANS TO EXPAND GI BILL BENEFITS DESERVE SCRUTINY

Efforts are being made in Congress to both expand and increase benefits available under the GI Bill. Hundreds of thousands of veterans have taken advantage of college funding over the years. As a result, higher-education opportunities have been provided for a large segment of the American population that might otherwise never have walked into a college classroom.

One current proposal, in the U.S. Senate, would allow eligible military personnel to transfer unused educational stipends to their spouses and children.

Another proposal, in the U.S. House, would increase monthly benefits for those using the GI Bill to go to school.

Both plans are efforts to provide incentives to keep key members in the armed forces rather than leaving for higher-paying civilian jobs. With an all-volunteer military, the Pentagon has learned that it makes sense to keep valued personnel rather than training new recruits.

What is commonly known as the GI Bill is actually a collection of bills beginning with the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. At that time, World War II veterans were starting to return home, many of them with few skills other than what they learned in basic training.

It was with commendable foresight that Congress saw the potential of young men, many of them seasoned by combat, who could make significant contributions to their communities, states and nation as college-educated professionals or technically trained workers.

It would be all but impossible to quantify the impact this program has had on America, but suffice to say that this country's place as a superpower is in no small way a result of the educational benefits of that first GI Bill and the others that followed.

In 1952, the Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act extended benefits to Korean War veterans. In 1966, another act was aimed at men and women who served in the military after the Korean conflict. Men and women who entered military service in 1977 qualified for Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance. The Montgomery GI Bill, which took effect in 1985, created two programs. The first is for military personnel who began active duty after June 30, 1985, and the second gives benefits to members of the Reserves and the Army and Air National Guard.

For the returns beyond calculation the investment of the GI Bill program has produced, it only makes sense to use those dollars wisely through programs like those being considered in the Senate and House.