G.I. Bill Totally Explained

Everything about G I Bill totally explained

The G.I. Janessa"(officially titled Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, PL346, 58 Statutes at Large 284) provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs or G.I.s) as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It also provided loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses.
History
Largely written and proposed as an omnibus bill by Warren Atherton (1891-1976), the G.I. Bill is considered, by Andrew Buskey, to be the last piece of New Deal legislation. However, the bill which President Franklin D. Roosevelt initially proposed wasn't as far reaching. The G.I. Bill was created to prevent a repeat of the Bonus March of 1932 and a relapse into the Great Depression after World War II ended. The American Legion (a veterans group) is essentially responsible for many of the bill's provisions. The Legion, led by Atherton, managed to have the bill apply to all who served in the armed services, including African-Americans and women.
The fact that the G.I. Bill paid for a G.I.'s entire education had encouraged many universities across the country to expand enrollment. For example, prior to the war the University of Michigan had fewer than 10,000 students. By 1948 its enrollment was well over 30,000. Syracuse University also embraced the spirit of the Bill and saw its enrollment skyrocket from approximately 6,000 before the war to 19,000 students in 1947.
   Another provision was known as the 52–20 clause. This enabled all former servicemen to receive $20 once a week for 52 weeks a year while they were looking for work. Less than 20 percent of the money set aside for the 52–20 Club (as it was known) was distributed. Rather, most returning servicemen quickly found jobs or pursued higher education.
   An important provision of the G.I. Bill was low interest, zero down payment home loans for servicemen. This enabled millions of American families to move out of urban apartments and into suburban homes. Prior to the war the suburbs tended to be the homes of the wealthy and upper class. Although black servicemen were eligible for these loans they were prevented from leaving the inner cities or rural areas because many suburban communities, and real estate brokers used redlining and other racial segregation techniques to not sell homes to African-Americans and other minorities.
After World War II
The 1944 Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, or G.I. Bill of Rights, attracts praise as one of the most significant pieces of social legislation of the twentieth century for its redeeming effects on both the national economy and its beneficiaries. Academics and politicians credit the benefits offered by the bill with forestalling a widely feared post-World War II economic depression, expanding the home-owning middle class, and forever changing the nature of higher education in the United States. A cursory look at the available statistics reveals that these later bills had an enormous influence on the lives of returning veterans, higher education, and the economy. A far greater percentage of Vietnam veterans used G.I. Bill education benefits (72 percent) than World War II veterans (51 percent) or Korean Conflict veterans (43 percent). The government poured over 38.5 billion dollars into higher education under the Vietnam-era bills, almost two-and-a-half times the cost of the World War II G.I. Bill (when adjusted for inflation). Moreover, because of the ongoing military draft from 1940 to 1973, as many as one third of the population (when both veterans and their dependents are taken into account) could potentially have benefited from the elaborate and generous welfare system created by the expansion of veterans’ benefits.
   The success of the 1944 G.I. Bill prompted the government to offer similar measures to later generations of veterans. The Veterans’ Adjustment Act of 1952, signed into law on July 16 1952 offered benefits to veterans of the Korean Conflict that served for more than 90 days and had received an “other than dishonorable discharge.” The Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) is available to all reservists who, after September 11, 2001, complete 90 days or more of active duty service "in support of contingency operations." This benefit provides reservists return from active duty with up to 80% of the active duty (Chapter 30) G.I. Bill benefits as long as they remain active participants in the reserves.
Controversy
Over the past decade, numerous flaws in the MGIB and its use in recruiting potential service members have been exposed. Among the criticisms are that the initial $1200 forfeiture is non-recoverable, even if the service member dies or doesn't go to college. Often, recruiting material will fail to mention that other means of college aid, such as Pell Grants, are available without financial commitment or time limitations. In some cases, other means of financial aid are not available to MGIB recipients, even if MGIB benefits don't completely cover the cost of attending school.
   Another criticism is that the government, rather than the service member, dictates how and when potential benefits are used. This is rarely the case with other types of financial aid.
   By far, one of the biggest concerns is the use of the MGIB in recruiting material. Often, recipients receive amounts far less than those advertised. While huge amounts are touted in recruiting material, the amounts actually received don't match those advertised. What some people don't know, is that there are 2 separate programs, the standard MGIB which is roughly $35,000 and the Army College Fund, when which coupled with the MGIB, can equate to upwards of $80,000.
MGIB Comparison Chart

Type Active Duty Chapter 30 Active Duty Chapter 30 Top-up Vocational Reabilitation Chapter 31 VEAP Chapter 32 DEA Chapter 35 Selected Reserve Chapter 1606 Selected Reserve (REAP) Chapter 1607 Additional Benefits Tuition Assistance Additional Benefits Student Loan Repayment Program
Info Link (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link) (External Link)

Time Limit (Eligibility) 10 yrs from discharge Entered service for the first time between January 1, 1977, and June 30, 1985;Opened a contribution account before April 1, 1987;Voluntarily contributed from $25 to $2700 Prior to October 1, 1992 = 14 years,on or after October 1, 1992 = 10 years, or on the day you leave the Selected Reserve; this include voluntary entry into the IRR. 10 Years from date of eligibility, or the day you leave the Selected Reserve; this include voluntary entry into the IRR. On the day you leave the Selected Reserve; this include voluntary entry into the IRR. On the day you leave the Selected Reserve; this include voluntary entry into the IRR.

Months of Benefits (Full Time) 36 Months Payment Rates 1 to 36 months depending on the number of monthly contributions up to 45 months Payment Rates 36 Months Payment Rates 36 Months Payment Rates Contingent as long as you serve as an Active Reservist. Contingent as long as you serve as an Active Reservist.

Further Information
Get more info on 'G I Bill'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://g_i__bill.totallyexplained.com">G.I. Bill Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
   As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.