Congressman Chris Smith, (R-Hamilton), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, joined local educators, students, and veterans at Brookdale Community College this morning to mark the final phase-in of a veterans college education law he authored that increases the GI Bill by a record 46 percent.

    “Starting tomorrow, the total lifetime benefit for veterans needing help to go to college will be $35,460 – an increase of more than $11,000.  This increased benefit will provide meaningful financial assistance to our returning servicemen and women,” Smith said.

    “Now that the GI Bill has been increased, it provides a real tangible benefit that enables veterans to meet the costs of higher education. I encourage all eligible veterans to take full advantage of this tool and use it when planning the next chapter of life for themselves and their families.

    “When I took over the reins as Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in 2001, the GI Bill was under-funded and under-utilized because it did not keep up with the rising costs of higher education,” he added.

    Smith’s law, the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act, was signed by President Bush in December 2001, and provides veterans with a significantly larger financial benefit they can use to enroll in college or job-training programs.

    The final phase-in of the increase provided through the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act takes effect on Wednesday, October 1, when monthly GI Bill benefits rise to $985 a month, an increase of more than $300 from $672 a month, which was the maximum benefit less than two years ago.

    At today’s event, veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and recent times who used the GI Bill to pay for college spoke about the importance of the benefit and how it enabled them to build a life upon their discharge from the military.  Some of the speakers even discussed how their children benefited from the GI Bill because the children of 100 percent service-connected disabled veterans are also eligible for assistance.

    “The original GI Bill is widely and appropriately credited with helping millions of returning World War II veterans live the American Dream.  It is my hope that the GI Bill improved under my law will provide the same assistance to a new generation of American veterans,” Smith said.

    Smith is continuing to work on legislation that would further enhance the GI Bill, boost monthly payments even higher, and allow it be used by more returning veterans who want to enroll in job-training or apprenticeship programs.