A G.I. Bill for the 21st Century: Democrats put it on the Table

On January 31, 2005, Democratic leaders addressed the National Press Club with their own version of the State of the Union. They discussed both domestic and foreign concerns, as well as an issue that bridges the two: veteran’s benefits.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) introduced legislation that he called "a G.I. Bill for the 21st Century," a provision that is part of the Keeping Our Promise to America’s Veterans Act.

To put his description into context, the original G.I. Bill of Rights was signed into law in 1944; it provided unemployment and education allowances as well as home and business loans for millions of World War II veterans. The G.I. Bill helped returning soldiers to prosper, and Democrats say that today’s vets deserve the same opportunity.

An alternative government

Although the dominating philosophy is clearly the Republican one (Republicans have control of the House, the Senate, and The White House), Democrats offer an important set of ideas as well. Their proposals not only challenge the Republican leadership, but also offer Americans the opportunity to see what would have happened had they voted for the other guys (and gals).

Congress provides Americans with a glimpse of an alternative government - the Democrats suggest that alternative, even though they don’t currently have the power to realize it.

What could be or could have been: aid to vets

The Keeping Our Promise to America’s Veterans Act, or Senate bill #13 (S.13), focuses on health care for those who have fought in our wars.

Democrats cite The President’s Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery For Our Nation’s Veterans, a 2003 report that found that consistent funding shortages have led to lower-quality health care for vets.

Democrats say they would increase funding to the Veterans Administration (VA), though they have not explained just how they would come up with the extra dollars.

Mental health and prescription drugs

Many soldiers suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after they return from war, but only about half of VA Medical Centers are able to treat PTSD patients.

S.13 would expand the number of PTSD clinical teams to every medical center and would improve programs that reach out to vets suffering from war-related mental illness.

In addition to mental health care, vets often struggle to get their prescription medications. Current regulations require vets to get a complete physical with a VA doctor before they can fill a prescription from a private doctor. Democrats estimate that this red tape costs the VA about $1 billion every year. They would like to see the regulation overturned in order to save money and provide veterans with better access to prescription drugs.

Disability vs. Retirement Pay

Over 400,000 veterans have to choose between disability compensation and full retirement pay because current law does not allow them to collect both.

Although Congress passed legislation in 2003 that allows America’s most disabled veterans to collect both benefits, thousands of vets still have to sacrifice one benefit for the other. S. 13 would revoke this rule and allow all disabled veterans to collect all benefits.

A brand-new G.I. Bill

Finally, S. 13 would make it easier for veterans to pay for higher education. Specifically, vets would not have to claim their G.I. benefits as income when applying for financial aid, a change that would provide them with larger education grants and low-interest federal student loans.

The bill would also expand Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits, which provide up to 36 months of education benefits for college, business, technical, correspondence or vocational courses, apprenticeship or job training, or flight school.

Current status

S.13 has been introduced in the Senate and is currently being considered by the Committee on Veterans Affairs. Republicans Senators on this committee include: Chairman Larry Craig (Idaho), Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania), Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), Richard Burr (North Carolina), John Ensign (Nevada), John Thune (South Dakota), and Johnny Isakson (Georgia).

Democrats: Ranking Member Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), Jay Rockefeller (West Virginia), Jim Jeffords (Vermont - Independent), Patty Murray (Washington), Barack Obama (Illinois), and Ken Salazar (Colorado).

Contact one of the committee members and let them know how you feel about Keeping Our Promise to America’s Veterans. For Senators’ contact information, click here.

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Article Posted on: 2/9/2005