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G.I. Bill Under Attack

By VVAW

The first GI Bill, called the Service-men's Readjustment Act of 1944, might appear to have been created by an act of "gratitude" on the part of Congress for returning World War II veterans. In reality, that first GI Bill came as the result of an intense struggle carried on by veterans of the First World War in the 1930's, joined later by World War II vets, a struggle which continued up until the Bill was passed. While the intent of the Bill may have been to placate returning vets, the vets both needed and used the newly won benefits.

The Korean Conflict Legislation of August 20, 1952, and the Cold War Bill of June 1, 1966, were both hailed as vast improvements on the World War II GI Bill because they provided extended periods of eligibility for receiving and using the benefits. On the surface, this change looked good, but what really was going on was a drastic change in the distribution of benefits. And this change has continued up to the present; it is the key to understanding the inadequacy of the present GI Bill compared to the 1944 model.

Under that first GI Bill, vets automatically had the cost of their education (tuition, books and fees) paid for them and then received an additional allowance for living expenses. Vietnam-era vets receive a straight monthly allowance for education that is supposed to pay for all educational expenses plus living expenses. WWII vets got enough money, up to $500, to pay for educational expenses, plus $75 for their monthly living expense. At the 1948 purchasing value, $75 was nearly equal to the cash which vets get today when we receive $270 per month (for a single vet) to pay for everything. And that doesn't meet the cost of living expenses, much less anything leftover to go to school and pay inflated fees there. While it seems more money, it falls nearly 300% short of the WWII Bill.

The cost of education today, nearly triple what it was in 1948, and the cost of living, which rose 14% in 1974 alone, have made the GI Bill today a mere shadow of the WWII version. Since WWII, each year has brought a yearly review of the evaluation procedures that determine eligibility for disability benefits, who gets them, and how much. Each year has also brought, through these procedures, steady cutbacks in the number of these benefits given out and the shrinking amounts for various disabilities. In August, Ford signed a bill hiking benefits 10-12% for disabilities, an action that was given headlines of a tremendous advance in veterans benefits. This "tremendous" advance didn't even cover the cost of living rise of 14% in 1974 alone!

The Veterans Administration is a sham. You can't get a VA-bank financed loan if you can't get a job. Benefit checks mean nothing if you don't get them. An example of this non-function of the VA is the case of Randy Richmond, a vet who attends the Long Beach city college in Long Beach, California. Randy has gone nearly 9 months without a GI Bill check. Finally, when several members of the Long Beach VVAW/WSO chapter went with Randy and jammed the campus vet rep office, it was discovered that his name for the checks hadn't been entered into the computer. Waiting three more weeks, they returned, and found that Randy was still not entered. At present, Randy is surviving on part-time jobs and emergency loans.

Randy's case and the struggle that continues around it isn't isolated or unusual. There are thousands upon thousands of vets experiencing the same problems or worse from the VA. Vietnam-era vets are literally fighting for their survival.