Veteran groups push for overhaul of GI Bill

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Veteran groups push for overhaul of GI Bill
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 15, 2008


WASHINGTON — Eric Hillerman left the Marines in 2000 to a college education courtesy of the Montgomery GI Bill. He graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree and a mountain of debt.

“I worked part time, I competed for financial aid, I was awarded a sizable scholarship, and yet I’m still paying on my student loans until 2014,” he said.

The military education benefit covered less than half his college costs, he said. “And I went to a very affordable in-state institution in Utah. I can tell you, the cost of living in Utah is dramatically different than Washington, D.C., and New York and Chicago.”

Hillerman, now deputy director of legislative affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, was among several veterans groups on Capitol Hill this week lobbying for an overhaul of the military’s higher education benefit.

On Wednesday, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., announced plans to reintroduce his measure to provide full education costs for troops attending state universities, and provide them with a $1,000 monthly stipend.

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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52503