VA Loan Updates

Two state adjutants general told a House subcommittee they support substantial improvements to National Guard and reserve GI Bill benefits even though the Bush administration and Defense Department do not. In testimony before the economic opportunity subcommittee of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Arkansas Adjutant General Maj. Gen. William Wofford said education benefits are the primary reason people enlist in the Arkansas National Guard. The benefits are “an integral part of our efforts to maintain a viable force to meet mission requirements,� he said. Current rules for using benefits seem unfair, Wofford said. “Our active-component counterparts are able to continue their GI Bill benefits after they are discharged from active service. Guard and Reserve members are only able to utilize GI Bill benefits while an active member of the Guard or reserve,� he said. “Regardless of the number of years of service and regardless of the number of times a Guard or reserve member has been placed in harm’s way in service to their country, they are not eligible for GI Bill benefits following their discharge. “I think it is extremely unfair that by getting out of the Guard, he will lose his GI Bill education benefits, unlike the active-component soldiers that he served with, side-by-side, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The disparity in benefits is difficult to understand and cannot be satisfactorily explained to our guardsmen, their families, or to me.� The Defense Department has opposed allowing reservists to use the GI Bill after separation, arguing that this would discourage people from staying in the reserves. Wofford did not endorse any specific plan. “I do not have all the answers of how to make the GI Bill more equitable,� he said. “I do not know the cost of the proposed changes to the GI Bill. I can speak from my own personal experience of the opportunities the GI Bill gave in my life. On a larger scale, I think our communities would benefit, as there would be an increase in higher-educated members of our society. And in the long run, I think the military could possibly see prior-service members returning to the military with a higher level of civilian education.� South Dakota Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Michael Gorman, who submitted testimony but did not appear before the subcommittee, endorsed some specific changes: allowing reservists GI Bill benefits for four-year enlistments instead of the six required under current law; letting reservists earn more generous active-duty benefits after completing 24 cumulative months of mobilization instead of the 24 consecutive months now required; and allowing the benefits to be used to pay off student loans after completing an initial enlistment contract. He also supports giving reservists up to 10 years after they leave the military to use benefits. Gorman also pushed for more speed in processing requests for education benefits, saying the system seems to be getting slower. “Generally, an initial claim requires a minimum of eight to 12 weeks to process. This creates challenges and financial hardships for these young men and women who are entitled to these programs,� he said. Wofford and Gorman were picked to testify because the economic opportunity subcommittee chairman is Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., and the ranking Republican is Rep. John Boozman of Arkansas. Herseth and Boozman are working with other lawmakers on an update and consolidation of active and reserve GI Bill education benefits that could include the changes proposed by the two adjutants general. Found here. Sphere: Related Content