WASHINGTON — Tuesday night, the House passed Rep. Jim Banks’s bill, H.R.502, to close the unintentional loophole that withheld reimbursement from servicemembers who paid into the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), but later used the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
“I hope the Senate moves quickly to send my bipartisan and commonsense legislation to the president’s desk,” said Congressman Banks. “Congress must ensure that every veteran receives the educational assistance and benefits they were promised and earned. Serving Indiana’s veterans and servicemembers will always be a top priority of mine.”
Read the bill text here.
Presently, veterans may choose between the MGIB and the Post-9/11 GI Bill, both of which help pay for their education. The MGIB requires a $100 monthly fee for the first twelve months of active duty. Then $1200 is refunded to service members only as an attachment to their housing allowance.
Veterans who do not receive a housing allowance from the VA have not received reimbursement for the $1,200 they previously paid into the system.
H.R. 502 closes this loophole by directing the VA to make the repayment before the servicemember exhausts their education assistance.
