In 1944, veterans benefits changed forever with the passage of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, more commonly known as the G.I. Bill, and no major improvements had been made until President Bush signed the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill into law on June 30.
    The original G.I. Bill provided educational benefits, guarantees for loans and unemployment pay to soldiers returning from World War II. In subsequent years, veterans from the wars in Korea and Vietnam also became beneficiaries of the G.I. Bill. 
    Reforms to the original bill were made in 1984. No other reforms were made until 2008 when Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., began championing the new bill.
    The new program will take effect Aug. 1, 2009, and how it will affect soldiers like those at Fort Riley remains to be seen.
    “The current one can pay as much as the new one,” said Shelton Small, Army guidance counselor at Fort Riley. “There are many nuances in the new program where the soldier may want to transfer.
    “Generally the thinking is the new one will pay more. It depends on where the soldier is going to school. You have the option of staying with the old one or going to the new. The soldier gets to decide.”
    According to the 2008 G.I. Bill’s Web site, to qualify for the benefits, a veteran must have served “at least 90 days of active duty post-9/11 and have remaining entitlement.”
    These benefits are only available for active duty served since the Sept. 11 attacks. The available benefits include a $1,000 per year book and supply stipend and a monthly living stipend. Tuition payments, while still being made, are capped at the cost of the most expensive public school in the state.
    Reservists also will receive a certain percentage based on their time on active duty service. Both reservists and veterans will have 15 years to use their benefits. Additional plans for the bill will allow the transfer of benefits to a spouse or children.
    The inclusions that are unique  to the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill are the living stipend, the absence of an enrollment fee, the extension from 10 to 15 years to use the benefits, and the ability to transfer benefits to a spouse or dependents.
    These new benefits have been an improvement, said Mike Ryan, Veterans Service Representative for the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars at Fort Riley.
    “There’s a lot more funding available,” he said. “In the old system, you had 10 years of eligibility, and in the new one, you have 15. When comparing the bills, the older versions got progressively leaner [to] where a soldier couldn’t go to school without having a job full-time.
    “I believe the new G.I. Bill is comparable to the old G.I. Bill.”
    Fort Riley is doing its part to spread the word about the new program. Small said the Fort is making a concerted effort to inform soldiers.
    Eric Zenk, media relations assistant at Fort Riley, said the local office of Veterans Affairs speaks with soldiers leaving the Army as they go through the career transition program.
     Larry Moeder, director of Student Financial Assistance at K-State, said the bill is a great opportunity for veterans and their dependents to go to any university.
    “The nice thing is they are able to transfer to their dependents,” he said. “It’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for those serving in the military and their dependents.”

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