GIJOBs

OCT 2017

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40 G.I. JOBS | OCTOBER 2017 | GIJOBS.COM GIJOBS.COM G.I. JOBS | OCTOBER 2017 | 40 TRAGEDY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR SURVIVORS BEFORE CONGRESS DEPARTED for its summer recess, a bipartisan effort resulted in the speedy pas- sage of a landmark piece of legislation meant to forever codify the GI Bill as a right of service for members of the Armed Forces. The most important change to education ben- efits over the past decade, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 is named after the original architect of the first GI Bill, long considered one of the most transformative pieces of legislation in the history of our country. Among the many provisions of this bill are several that directly impact the surviving spouses and children of service members who have lost their lives as a result of hostile action, illness, accident, suicide or other circumstances. The grief brought by a death in the military is profound; it is compounded by a prolonged period of adjustment for the entire family. Surviving spouses frequently return to school to gain new skills and ultimately find employment to support the family long term. Surviving children grow and seek to fulfill the dreams they and their par- ents have related to a college education. Without the edu- cation benefits earned by the military member, these choices would be impossible for many. ENHANCING SURVIVOR EDUCATION BENEFITS For surviving families, the passage of the GI Bill means an expansion of Yellow Rib- bon benefits, an increase in Survivors' and Dependents' Dependents Educational Allowance (DEA), the flex- ibility to reallocate trans- ferred GI Bill benefits among survivors, and an end to the 15-year period within which benefits had to be used. First, the Yellow Ribbon Program will be expanded to include surviving spouses and children whose loved one died after Sept. 11, 2001, on active duty and are receiving GI Bill payments through the Fry Scholarship program. Before passage of the new GI Bill, children and spouses who lost a loved one in the line of duty did not have access to the Yellow Ribbon Program. This provi- sion takes effect on Aug. 1, 2018. In addition, the monthly payment for educational assistance provided under DEA will increase by $200 a month. This provision takes effect on Oct. 1, 2018, and ap- plies to all survivors eligible for DEA benefits. Third, a veteran who transferred his or her GI Bill while alive and has subse- quently passed will no longer have those months locked in – the dependents who are recipients of those benefits can reallocate the months amongst themselves after the death of the veteran. Previously, those benefit al- locations were locked in "as is" when the veteran passed. This provision takes effect on Aug. 1, 2018, and applies to deaths that occurred on or after Aug. 1, 2009. Finally, all Fry Schol- arship-eligible surviving spouses will no longer be tied to the 15-year "use it or lose it" time frame – they will be able to use the benefits whenever is convenient for them. Surviving children, however, must still use their benefits by age 33. This pro- vision is retroactive to 2001 for spouses and goes into effect immediately. Survivor education ben- efits are transformative and provide long-term economic opportunity to families who lost a loved one as a result of their military service. To learn more about TAPS Education Support Services, or for more information, visit taps.org/edu. Bonnie Carroll is presi- dent and founder of the Trag- edy Assistance Program for Survivors and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Since 1994, TAPS has provided compas- sionate care for the families of America's fallen military heroes and has offered sup- port to more than 70,000 surviving family members and their caregivers. GI BILL ENHANCES EDUCATION BENEFITS FOR SURVIVORS BY BONNIE CARROLL BONNIE CARROLL

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