President George W. Bush recently signed into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, which will replace
the current Montgomery GI Bill with much more robust and generous educational opportunities for post-9/11 service members.
The new bill grants servicemembers who have served at least three years and at least 90 days of post-9/11 service with full tuition
for the price up to the most expensive in-state public university, a housing stipend and an allowance for books and fees, none of
which is currently provided.  Service members who have been discharged honorably since 9/11 and who have served the minimum
required time since 9/11 are eligible for the new benefits package on any remaining months of their GI bill. 
Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who introduced the legislation, said during a press availability that the bill is not simply an expansion of
veterans’ educational benefits.
“This is a new program, a deserved program. It has now been nearly seven years since 9/11—seven years since those who have been
serving in our military began earning the right for a proper wartime GI Bill.”
The new bill more closely resembles the original GI Bill of Rights, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II
, which skyrocketed the college enrollment of veterans, who made up 49 percent of college students by 1947.  The last revamp of the
GI Bill came in 1984, and was a scaled-back version of the original due to peacetime cutbacks. 
For service members who put their life on hold to answer the call by their country after the Sept. 11 attacks, the new educational bill
makes entering civilian life and postponing full-time work for a college education an increased possibility. 
“It definitely squelches some of the fears I’ve had about getting out and being able to afford full-time schooling,” said Mass Communication
Specialist 3rd Class Josue L. Escobosa, a USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Sailor who enlisted in 2005.  “But I also think it’ll be a good tool to
increase enlistment into the military.”
With the increase of benefits to cover the highest priced in-state university, some veterans will no longer be forced to attend a smaller and
cheaper community college before moving up to a four-year university.  While community colleges provide some students with an easier
transition into a tougher four-year university, the classes aren’t always as focused on a student’s degree path and the credits earned at a
community college might not all transfer.
Elliot Bonnet, a former Sailor, has been attending a community college in his hometown of New Orleans since being honorably discharged
in 2007.  He has managed a full-time class schedule while working part time for the past year, and said he’s excited about the increased
educational benefits coming his way.
“It’s hard to think about your long-term goals when you’re busy trying to keep your grades up and paying all the bills,” Bonnet said.
“When this new GI bill kicks in, it’ll be much easier to get by and my options [for education] will definitely open up.”
Bonnet will have to wait one more year for his benefits to start, as they are currently scheduled to start in Aug. 2009.
While many fear the new educational benefits will decrease the military’s retention, benefits have been added to the bill to provide an
incentive to stay in.  For instance, the option to transfer your educational benefits to a dependent was added, but only after serving six
years, and agreeing to stay another four. 
Other major updates to the new GI Bill include hefty increases to reservist and national guard members’ benefits, who have since been
given much less but have lately had to face activation and arduous deployments just as their active-duty counterparts.