Emanuel wants to double education benefits

…And give 5k for house down-payment for returning vets
By Rummana Hussain

War veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan could receive up to $75,000 in education-related grants over a four-year period without paying the $1,800 down payment currently required for military personnel, under a proposal Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) announced Saturday.

Emanuel’s plan, which eliminates the distinction among enlistees, reservists and National Guardsmen, would more than double the $35,000 maximum amount now available for college and job-training programs. It also would add a year to the three-year time frame through which the money has been traditionally distributed under the Montgomery GI Bill.

The distinct nature of the overseas conflicts and the rising cost of higher education were two factors the congressman considered when proposing the benefits program.

$5,000 down payment on house

“We don’t just owe [veterans] a favor, we have to repay one,” Emanuel said at a news conference at the Thompson Center.

Returning veterans and their families also could qualify to receive the same health care benefits offered during service for up to five years, as well as $5,000 for a down payment on a home under Emanuel’s “Welcome Home Package.”

The proposed benefits would be available to any military personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan for at least six consecutive months since Sept. 11, 2001.

Because one out of six soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress when they return home, the more help they receive the better, said U.S. Army Reserves Capt. David McGuire.

“These soldiers, who have done a great service to their country, need to be reoriented into society and their mental and fiscal well-being need to be taken care of,” he said.

“When you’re a Guard or a reserve, you go from having a job where you’re a police officer or working for a large company, then all of a sudden you’re a sergeant or a corporal and you’re not making the type of money you are on the civilian side,” added Major Rick Coates of the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Reserve Unit. “These type of benefits help these families bridge the gap.”

Emanuel will propose his bill, which is supported by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), at a U.S. House Appropriations Committee hearing in three weeks.