N.J. looks to boost education benefits for veterans

TRENTON -- Calling the nation's current G.I. Bill outdated and inadequate, New Jersey lawmakers Monday held discussions with veterans' groups and education officials about providing wider access to higher education for the state's veterans.

The proposal under consideration would cap the amount of tuition a college or university can charge veterans or the spouses of veterans who died or missing in combat to $50 per credit each semester. It would cover up to 16 credits per semester, but bill sponsor Assemblyman Jack Conners, D-Burlington, said the plan may be amended to include up to 18 credits. Certain fees charged by the institution could be waived as well.

The proposal was discussed Monday but not put to a vote.

The existing federal G.I. bill accounts for only half of the average cost of tuition, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Conners said with tuition costs on the rise, the amount provided doesn't cut it.

"The old G.I. Bill clearly isn't enough," said Conners, chairman of the Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs committee. "It clearly should be more, and what's being provided now doesn't begin to do it."

New Jersey veterans who have served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001 as a member of the Armed Forces, National Guard or a reserve would be eligible for up to 15 years after their discharge, and their spouses are eligible for up to 10 years. The program, which requires veterans and spouses to apply for all available grants and scholarships, applies for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Navy SEAL EM2 (Delta Platoon) William Brown, of Burlington, told lawmakers that returning veterans often have a family to take care of and bills to pay and therefore have a hard time paying for higher education without going into debt.

"Many Americans assume that the government takes adequate care of our veterans, especially in the light of our sacrifices we ask of them. In reality, and this is the truth, the current G.I. Bill falls far, far short of giving veterans a fair share at attaining a college education," said Brown.

Brown, an Iraq war veteran who is a junior at Rutgers-Camden and member of the university's Veterans For Education, said veterans "have earned the ability to receive a college education."

Congress is currently debating an updated federal G.I. Bill, which would repeal the $1,200 enrollment fee and qualifies veterans with three years of active service for the full cost of the highest in-state tuition. President Bush has said he would veto the bill because of its cost, and the proposal is short of a veto-proof majority in Congress. A counterproposal bill has been introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., but would require 12 years of military service for eligibility.

The legislative director of New Jersey's VFW, Al Bucchi, said it was "disappointing" that Congress does not have the votes to make the legislation veto-proof and indicated support for Webb's bill over McCain's.

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