The time limit on veterans' education benefits would be eliminated under a bill proposed by Rep. Brian Higgins, who says veterans who put their lives on the line should have flexibility when seeking an education.Higgins says eliminating GI Bill education time limits could benefit hundreds of thousands of veterans. Under current law, post-Vietnam era veterans have up to 10 years to use their education benefits and post-9/11 veterans have 15 years.
D'Youville College Veterans Affairs director Ben Randle says the U.S. is at a threshold where it can make economic leaps in education like it did after World War II.
"We have a large pool of very qualified young men and women who will be transitioning, over the course of the next several years, from military life to civilian life. I think it's our duty and our responsibility to give these young men and women the opportunity to fulfill their potential," Randle said at a Monday news conference at Canisius College.
Roger Woodworth, president and CEO of the Veterans One-Stop Center of Western New York, says the bill would allow veterans to get the education and job training they have earned at a pace that makes sense.
Higgins says Washington has already committed the resources and it's just a question of extending an expiration date. He says providing an education for veterans is an investment into the future growth of the economy.