(Washington, D.C.) Today, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced she is co-sponsoring the Veterans Education Improvement Act. The legislation would update the Montgomery GI Bill to widen educational opportunities for current and former members of our Armed Forces.

Highlights of the Veterans Education Improvement Act (H.R. 5684) include:

• Substantially increasing the amount of basic education assistance for veterans equal to the average cost of the tuition at a four-year public college or university;
• Providing veterans with a monthly cost of living stipend;
• Extending the time limitation for use of education benefits from 10 years to 15 years, more fully accommodating the transition from military to civilian life;
• Allowing benefits to be used for business courses, preparatory courses for exams,
• Allowing service members to repay federal student loans (up to $6000/year)
• Allowing service members to enroll for the benefits at any time while on active duty;
• Rewarding veterans for their service by eliminating their educational entitlements from being considered as income when applying for federal financial aid;
• Increasing On the Job Training benefit to 85 percent;
• Increasing the existing Dependent Educational Assistance by ten percent.

“It’s important we ensure our current and former military members receive the educational benefits they deserve and have earned,” McMorris Rodgers said. “The Veterans Education Improvement Act helps our military members to afford the skyrocketing cost of tuition, makes it easier for them to enroll in the GI Bill program and provides more flexibility on how and when military members can use their educational benefits.”

Contact:
Destry Henderson
202-225-2006
202-279-0418