Higher Education Benefits for Post-9/11 Military Service Members and Veterans

Abstract

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act represented the largest expansion of veterans education benefits since their origin with the enactment of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. Modern bills reaffirm President Franklin D. Roosevelt s declaration upon signing the original legislation that educational benefits are an integral way to support service members transition into civilian life and compensate them for the sacrifices made during military service. 3 Educational benefits have also historically helped to recruit and retain individuals for voluntary military service; service members consistently acknowledge the importance of education benefits in their enlistment decisions. For example, 62 percent of service members responding to the 1999 Active-Duty Survey selected education benefits as the primary reason for enlisting in the military4 and 74 percent of active-duty military and veterans responding to a 2014 survey indicated that receipt of educational benefits was either an important or very important reason for joining the military.5 The most popular and generous educational benefit available today is the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which took effect in August of 2009. With over 1 million users as of 2014, it significantly increased the higher-education benefits available to those who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces after September 10, 2001. With over 2 million total post- 9/11 era veterans and planned military end strength reductions in the coming years, usage of the program will likely continue to grow both in participation and cost. It is therefore vital that military personnel and veterans understand and are able to access educational benefits in order to successfully reach their educational goals and earning potential.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 17, 2015
Accession Number
ADA617158

Entities

People

  • Gabriella C. Gonzalez
  • Jennie W. Wenger
  • Laura L. Miller
  • Peter Buryk

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Congress
  • Corporations
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Education
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Intellectual Property
  • Law
  • Military Education
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Students
  • Training
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Care for Military Service Members and Veterans with Limb Loss or Disability.