The BAH provision ends up being a real bone job for those of us who are on Active Duty. We don’t get paid the BAH twice, which makes sense. However, that stipend is a major part of the compensation package that was budgeted and on which all the calculations were made. When it’s removed, the new bill pays significantly less than the former GI Bill, especially since we lose the top-up that we paid for. Also, if we’re in a commissioning program, we lose Tuition Assistance, so that doesn’t offset the drop in compensation.

For my final year at Virginia Tech, I’m sticking with the old-school GI Bill. The new one just makes no sense for me. If the new bill paid the same to every veteran going to a certain school (based, of course, on time served), it would be a great program. But, as it is, when I get about 40% cut out because I chose to return to the service, it doesn’t cut it.

Most ground vehicle mechanics are NOT ASE certified. Trade school access is a MUST for the new GI Bill or there will be large numbers of people not able to use their benefits unless they go to a college. Now, not long ago, many JCs offered trade programs. Most of those programs are gone, due to the money being in transfer students taking thier gen ed.

Luck in Battle

I also believe that there should be a benefit that if any service person is killed in the line of duty that his children should be given a college education in the service members home state at a State University.

That’s fine if a servicemember’s military job has a civilian equivalent. However, there are a lot of military jobs that don’t exist in the civilian sector. Jobs like infantryman, artillery, and tank driver quickly come to mind. Military personnel might also find they want to do something different after leaving the service. They should have the option to go for vocational training if they wish. They’ve certainly earned that right.