Miller-Meeks & Sherrill Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Veterans' Education Benefits

Press Release

Today, March 23rd, 2021, Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) and Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) introduced the bipartisan GI Bill National Emergency Extended Deadline (NEED) Act to protect veterans' educational benefits from expiring due to institutional closures or other factors caused by the COVID-19 national emergency. This important legislation will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to pause the time limit currently placed on the use of GI Bill benefits and allow them to restart the clock after it is safe for veterans to return to school.

The GI Bill NEED Act will allow the Secretary of Veteran's Affairs to pause the 10- or 15-years' time-limit to use GI Bill benefits during times of national emergency and other crises and restart the clock after it's safe for veterans to return to school. This past year has been a challenge for all Americans, including those veterans who answered the call to serve and are now pursuing the education and skills advancement needed to find success in civilian life. The GI Bill NEED Act is a simple commonsense solution to ensure those who answered the call to serve to receive the benefits they've earned.

"Over the past year, we have seen the COVID-19 public health emergency force universities and colleges across the country to temporarily close their doors. As a 24-year Army veteran, I know how important being able to use G.I. benefits is to ensure that our veterans can find meaningful employment," saidMiller-Meeks. "Our commonsense bill would allow our veterans to pause the clock on their G.I. benefits when the educational institution of their choice is closed due to an emergency. I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan manner with Congresswoman Sherrill to help our veterans."

"The GI Bill is one of the most transformational programs offered to our veterans," said Sherrill. "We cannot let veterans get needlessly locked out of using their hard-won benefits because of COVID-19. It's crucial that the VA Secretary be empowered to preserve those benefits by pausing the time-limit on the GI Bill. We owe it to our veterans and we owe it to the country to ensure they can get the education they deserve."

"Thank you to Representative Miller-Meeks for her role in introducing bipartisan legislation designed to protect veterans' educational benefits in cases in which colleges or trade schools have temporarily closed their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation comes at no cost to the government, but more importantly, it stretches the vet's eligibility period to match the period during which a college or trade school was closed due to COVID-19. GI Bill benefits were a critical part of paying for my education and have helped millions upon millions of ex-service members gain skills and education which otherwise would have been unaffordable," said Russ Sporer, former Chairperson of the Wapello County Veterans' Affairs Commission. "It is critical these benefits are not reduced due to no fault of the individual veteran. Vets need protection from COVID-19 forced interruptions of benefits that were earned while serving our country. I urge Congress to quickly pass this legislation and send it to President Joe Biden for his signature."

"I think that this bill will greatly assist our veteran community by allowing veteran students to keep their educational benefits during this trying time that we are living in," said Terry Bradley, Director of the Wapello County Veterans' Affairs Commission. "Representative Miller-Meeks is an amazing supporter of the Veterans of Iowa and the United States."

"As a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, who medically retired from shrapnel injuries I sustained while serving in combat, I found myself facing barriers to reenter the workforce. This bill removes barriers for veterans to obtain the education benefits that they have earned," said John Paluska, Retired Army Captain, former Green Beret, and Ottumwa native. "I'm incredibly grateful that Rep. Miller-Meeks continues to prioritize our veteran community and we look forward to her continued support on issues that matter to all Americans."

"As a veteran transitioning into the private sector, the GI Bill allowed me to pursue an MBA at the University of Iowa. The MBA program was an amazing opportunity to advance my career and build my professional network. However due to COVID-19, the campus has closed its doors and in-person classes have been cancelled for the last year," said Kevin Dolan, former Army Captain and Bettendorf native. "One of the results of this unprecedented emergency for myself and many other veterans is a disruption to our education that will stretch the degree program beyond the current 48-month limit. The GI Bill NEED Act would provide an opportunity for the Department of Veterans Affairs to preserve the intended benefit of the GI Bill for thousands of veterans like me who have been impacted."

Source