‘Total Force GI Bill’ now law, Lincoln says
Posted on Thursday, July 3, 2008
BENTON COUNTY - All provisions of her "Total Force GI Bill"are now law, U. S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., announced in a Monday press release.
The bill was introduced in 2006 to better reflect the Selected Reserve's increased service to our country. Improvements to the National Guard and Reserve members'educational benefits were signed into law Monday under the emergency spending supplemental bill, Lincoln said.
"Today is a historic day for all members of our armed forces. We owe our returning veterans the tools they need - and have earned - to build a bright future. Now, all members of our armed forces will have a better opportunity to reach their educational goals to provide a better future for themselves and their families," Lincoln said in the press release.
She introduced her "Total Force GI Bill"better to reflect a comprehensive "total force"concept that ensures that members of the Selected Reserve receive educational benefits that match their increased service to the nation, Lincoln said.
All provisions, intended to modernize the Montgomery GI Bill, are now law, Lincoln said.
Under the new law, National Guard and Reserve members who have served on activated duty since Sept. 11, 2001, can now access their educational benefits up to 10 years after they leave the military, just like active-duty members, Lincoln said.
This was included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Bill, signed by the president in late January 2008, the Arkansas senator said.
Before the provision which is becoming law, members of the Selected Reserve forfeited all of the additional educational benefits they had earned while fighting overseas once they left the military, Lincoln said.
Under the new law, the educational benefits Selected Reserve members earn from activated duty (the Reserve Educational Assistance Program, or REAP benefits ) will now be accruable, retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001.
This was included in the supplemental spending bill as part of the "21 st Century GI Bill," which the president signed June 30, Lincoln said.
Before this Lincoln provision, educational benefits from multiple tours were not cumulative; soldiers could only receive benefits based on their single-longest deployment, the Arkansas senator said.
Members of Arkansas's 39 th Infantry Brigade Combat Team currently deployed to Iraq on their second tour of duty would not get any more educational benefits before Lincoln's provision, she said in the press release.
Also under the new law, Reserve Educational Assistance Program benefits will shift from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which administers the GI Bill for active-duty service members, Lincoln said.
This was included in the supplemental spending bill as part of the "21 st Century GI Bill," signed by the president Monday, the Arkansas senator said.
Her provision allows both active-duty and Selected Reserve programs to be under the same umbrella, with one set of rules and a committee of jurisdiction where veterans' advocacy is the first priority, to prevent future inequities, Lincoln said in the release.
Under the new law, the formula for REAP benefits will be replaced with one that more accurately reflects service rendered and provides moderate rate increases. This provision was included in the supplemental spending bill as part of the "21 st Century GI Bill," the press release states.
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