Press Releases

Last night, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), held a legislative hearing on the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz's legislation to improve and extend GI Bill benefits granted to veterans, their surviving spouses and dependents. 

The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 would remove time restrictions to use the GI Bill, enabling future eligible recipients to use their GI bill benefits for their entire lives. It also provides significant increases in GI Bill funding for Reservists and Guardsmen, dependents, surviving spouses and surviving dependents; provides 100% GI Bill eligibility to Post 9/11 Purple Heart recipients; and restores eligibility for servicemembers whose school closes in the middle of a semester and creates a pilot program that would pay for veterans to take certain high technology courses.

Here’s what people are saying about the #ForeverGIBill:

“This bill, as currently written, would launch a new era for all who have honorably served in uniform, and for the nation as a whole” -The American Legion’s Assistant Director of the National Veteran Employment and Education Division John Kamin

"In May, I promised that the coalition we build around #ForeverGIBill would ensure the GI Bill serves everyone and opens up opportunities missed due to the antiquated use of a time limit for benefits. Today is that promise delivered thanks to the support of our coalition partners and the leadership by Congressmen Phil Roe and Tim Walz. Now we're going to work tirelessly to turn the most significant proposed changes to the GI Bill since 2008 into law” -Student Veterans of America’s President and CEO Jared Lyon

“This beefed-up Post-9/11 GI Bill recognizes the long service and sacrifice of the one percent of Americans who have voluntarily put their personal lives on hold to fight an unimaginable multi-front war for 16-plus years. The strong congressional support also proves that taking care of veterans and their families is the most bipartisan issue there is in Washington” -Veterans of Foreign War National Commander Brian Duffy 

“This proposal seeks to fix many of the current issues within the Post-9/11 GI Bill while also guaranteeing all student veterans have access to the benefits they earned” -Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors’ Founder and President Bonnie Carroll

“The Forever GI bill will make the GI Bill a lifetime benefit, so that veterans can go to school when it’s right for them -- not when the government tells them to,” -Vietnam Veterans of America’s President John Rowan.

“MOPH strongly supports this landmark legislation, which would accomplish many of our legislative goals relating to veterans’ education” -Military Order of the Purple Heart’s Legislative Director Aleks Morosky

“This proposal seeks to fix many of the current issues within the Post-9/11 GI Bill, some of which have impacted veterans and families for close to a decade, while also guaranteeing all student veterans have access to the benefits they earned” -Got Your 6’s Executive Director William J. Rausch