Naperville Sun - Durbin Lauds Groups for Helping Pass GI Bill

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Naperville Sun - Durbin Lauds Groups for Helping Pass GI Bill

By Marie Wilson

Members of Naperville veterans' organizations and the City Council got an announcement from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Wednesday that the new GI Bill has officially become law.

President Bush signed the bill Monday. Simply called the "new GI Bill," this piece of legislation will increase the amount of funding veterans can receive toward their college education.

The bill passed in the Senate with Durbin's support, but he thanked members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and other veterans groups for their support.

"Every one of your organizations worked hard on this," Durbin said. "There were times where we needed you guys and you were there."

Durbin said the new GI Bill will function similarly to the original one, which was passed in 1944 during World War II.

The new GI Bill applies to veterans who have served at least 90 days of active duty after Sept. 11, 2001.

Full college tuition will be available to veterans who have served for three years, while veterans who served shorter terms will receive proportionally smaller amounts of funding.

"When we invested in veterans, it paid off, there was no doubt about it," Durbin said. "We want to make sure the veterans today have a chance for the same benefits as they did after World War II."

Tuition benefits extend as high as the cost of the most expensive public university in each state, and can be used at private schools as well. Also included in the bill are a stipend for housing based on the cost of living at each school and $1,000 per academic term for books and supplies.

"They finally quit dragging their heels and got the necessary part of this bill passed," said Chuck Vladika, commander of the Naperville division of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "We're elated because we're always striving to make sure veterans get the necessary benefits they deserve and that they never get cut."

Another change under the new GI Bill allows veterans 15 years after they exit the service to take advantage of their college funding benefits instead of the 10 years that was previously allowed.

"I'm physically not able to do what I used to do; however, I do have the mental capacity to continue on," said Daniel Casara, a sergeant in the Army National Guard who was injured by a roadside bomb in 2005. "This GI Bill will help me and others who are in the same position I am."

Casara, of University Park, said he needs a few more hours of credit to finish his bachelor's degree. Though he does not know when or where he will finish his education, he said he will definitely use GI Bill funding to pay for it.

"I can't do physically demanding work, but I can go back to school," Casara said. "There's a lot of people who can do something to help their family, or their future family, who wouldn't have been able to do it before on the old GI Bill."

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