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President Trump Wednesday signed an update of the Post-9/11 GI Bill into law after the bipartisan legislation swiftly made it out of both chambers of Congress.
The package of legislation will restore benefits used to earn credits at closed institutions such as those operated by Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, which enrolled a large number of veterans as students. It also lifts the current 15-year time limit for veterans to use their GI Bill benefits for postsecondary education.
And, among other provisions, the legislation expands student aid for members of the National Guard and reservists, and it grants full eligibility for GI Bill benefits to Purple Heart recipients, regardless of their length of service.
"This is a moment worth celebrating with our sisters and brothers who have -- and will have -- worn our nation's cloth. Thanks to the herculean effort of the veteran community and allies in Congress, student veterans today and in the future will enjoy lifetime access to the GI Bill," said Jared Lyon, president and CEO of Student Veterans of America, in a statement.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin released a joint statement lauding the legislation.
"This important legislation will give countless veterans and their families greater access to the education and work-force training they deserve," the statement read. "It will provide them the opportunity to invest in their futures with fewer restrictions and time limitations. We thank House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Phil Roe and Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson for getting this bill passed so our nation’s veterans can access lifelong learning that will help them succeed in our 21st-century economy."
