Bill Extending GI Benefits to Children of Fallen On Its Way to White House
The Senate last night passed the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill, which allows new Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to transfer to children of fallen soldiers. The measure will now be sent to President Barack Obama for his signature
As we reported earlier, the new law would allow children to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits that could have been transferred to them if their military parent had lived. Transfer rights are a key part of the new veterans' benefit that is scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1. Until now, the VA has had to tell children of troops killed in Iraq that they're not eligible for G.I. Bill benefits because their father or mother did not serve long enough before they died.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to group of military families earlier this week and said the extension of benefits "... was a direct result of meetings that we had with ... members of the Military Families Association and other family members who came here and said: 'How could it be that if I had a family member who transfers his or her GI bill opportunities to another family member, that's OK? But if my family member has fallen in battle, then the privilege... the right... goes away?' That's all different now."
Posted 06/19/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.
