P&L Discussions | Page 30

Have you ever wondered why many individuals in the military do not get to go to school for free? This topic may not even occur to some people due to the fact that they think every reserve, active duty, or veteran have all of their education paid for already. For some reason it seems as though “college is free” is etched into everyone’s brains in this society and generation. If you are brave enough to join the military, you should be able to have help with college in full. One of the biggest reasons people decide to join the military is to have help financially in every aspect in life as well as choosing to attend college; there should be no difference in the tuition assistance if one chooses to be a reserve service member instead of an active duty one.

There are two types of GI Bills; the Montgomery GI Bill is a benefit that offers up to four years when it comes to the assistance for those in the military. “This option offers the educational benefits to any active duty member of the military who has served at least two years of active duty and to veterans of any branch of the military. This program gives participants up to $1,857 each month for educational expenses, provided that the member is enrolled full-time. For those serving in the Selected Reserve, benefits are available at a reduced rate of up to $368 per month in exchange for a six-year obligation to serve in the reserves (lendedu.com).” Going off of that statement, why is it different for a reserve member versus someone who is active duty? Both options are very brave, they should have the same amount of help for each one.

The second GI Bill is the Post 9/11 Bill which “offers paid tuition and fees, plus stipends for housing and books, to any service member who served at least 90 days on active duty since September 10, 2001 (lendedu.com).” This benefit is a little more understandable when it comes to the help of the government for tuition. “The benefits are based on the number of days of active duty service, and may be transferred to a spouse or family member. Survivors of a military

Education Benefits

By: Tiffany Leclair