Senate debate intensifies on GI Bill upgrades

[unhappycamper]

Senate debate intensifies on GI Bill upgrades
By Rick Maze and William H. McMichael - Staff writers
Posted : Wednesday May 21, 2008 16:19:56 EDT

With Pentagon officials raising complaints about GI Bill proposals in play on Capitol Hill, sponsors of a Republican proposal moved Wednesday to try to make their package — which meets Pentagon requirements — look even more attractive.

The changes include dropping the controversial $1,200 enrollment fee, expanding the right of career service members to transfer benefits and increasing an allowance to cover the cost of books and supplies.

The concept of transfer rights is critical to getting Pentagon and White House approval because administration officials fear that simply making the GI Bill more generous for service members could lead to an exodus of troops leaving the military to attend college. Officials believe that allowing service members to shift some of their education benefits to family members is likely to keep more members in uniform.

The Pentagon reiterated those concerns Wednesday. “We cannot afford that risk, right now, as we conduct the global war on terror,” Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters. “Now, more than ever, we need to hold on to our superbly trained, battle-tested troops. They are the key to victory in this conflict.

“Now, this is not indentured servitude,” Morrell added. “We’re not trying to, you know, keep people here forever. But we are trying to ... create a system in which troops see the benefit of making a career out of the military, out of being the beneficiaries of the training and the experience and the education that we provide them.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_gibill_052108w/



uhc comment: If stop-loss is not indentured servitude, I don't know what is.