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Forever GI Bill

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Parent: House Veterans' Affairs Committee Hop 4
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Forever GI Bill
NameForever GI Bill
Official nameHarry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017
Enacted by115th United States Congress
Signed into law2017-08-16
SponsorUnited States Senate
Related legislationPost-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010

Forever GI Bill The Forever GI Bill, enacted as the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, is a United States law that reformed veterans' education benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs and amended the Montgomery GI Bill, Post-9/11 GI Bill, and other statutes. The law was passed by the 115th United States Congress and signed by Donald Trump, affecting veterans, active-duty service members, reservists, and dependents across institutions such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. Provisions of the statute intersect with programs administered by the Veterans Benefits Administration, regulations influenced by the Federal Register, and oversight from committees including the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Background and Legislative History

The act originated in legislative proposals following the Post-9/11 GI Bill and was developed through hearings in the 115th United States Congress, with input from veterans' organizations like the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the American Veterans (AMVETS). Drafting involved staff from the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and testimony before the United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs from stakeholders tied to institutions such as Ivy League universities, state universities, and for-profit colleges including claims monitored after scandals involving entities like DeVry University and University of Phoenix. Legislative negotiations referenced prior statutes such as the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, and political negotiation included figures associated with the Trump administration and the Veterans Affairs Secretary office.

Eligibility and Benefits

The statute extended eligibility and expanded benefits for beneficiaries including active-duty members of the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard, as well as selected members of the National Guard and United States Army Reserve. Key provisions restored educational benefits to veterans separated for certain disabilities referencing precedent cases such as Brown v. Board of Education only insofar as civil rights context influenced education policy, and aligned benefit calculations with metrics used by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Education for tuition assistance. The law created or modified programs involving tuition assistance coordination with entities like the Yellow Ribbon Program, and altered entitlements relevant to dependents under statutes connected to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and benefit portability matters involving institutions such as community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and trade schools.

Implementation and Administration

Administration of the act required rulemaking by the Department of Veterans Affairs and coordination with the United States Department of Defense for transition assistance programs like those involving the Transition Assistance Program and the Department of Labor. Implementation necessitated updates to systems used by the Veterans Benefits Administration and coordination with accrediting bodies including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and federal regulators such as the Office of Management and Budget. Stakeholders included veterans' service organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and policy research from think tanks like the RAND Corporation and the Brookings Institution. Oversight actions and audits were undertaken by the Government Accountability Office and periodic review by congressional committees including the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Impact and Usage Statistics

After enactment, the Veterans Benefits Administration reported changes in enrollment patterns at institution types including public universities, private universities, community colleges, and for-profit colleges; data were analyzed by organizations such as the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and the National Center for Education Statistics. Metrics tracked included utilization of months of entitlement, transfers of benefits to dependents under regulations influenced by case law and policies from agencies like the Department of Education, and demographic analyses involving service eras such as Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the Gulf War. Economic and labor outcomes were studied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and researchers associated with the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Pew Research Center.

Critiques emerged from watchdogs including the Government Accountability Office and advocacy groups like the National Veterans Legal Services Program over implementation delays, eligibility determinations, and interactions with institutions such as for-profit colleges implicated in prior controversies involving the Department of Education. Legal challenges and litigation involved veterans, veteran-service organizations, and occasionally institutions appearing before federal courts such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or district courts, with arguments referencing administrative procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act and statutory interpretation debated by scholars at law schools including Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

The act is connected to earlier and subsequent legislation and programs including the Montgomery GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the Yellow Ribbon Program, and amendments considered in sessions of the 116th United States Congress and 117th United States Congress. It interacts with federal education policy administered by the Department of Education and workforce transition initiatives coordinated with the Department of Labor, while advocacy and policy analysis continues from organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans Education Success, and research centers like the Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

Category:United States federal veterans' legislation