I'm not sure exactly how the Bill has been fleeced, but I know the education aspect still remains.
So a big thank you to everyone who has signed petitions along the way, I felt it was of utmost importance that our returning vets had a good chance towards a career when they come home, together people such as yourselves from many different blogs and sites got active and we were heard. Even when such high ranking people such as Senator John McCain staunchly opposing the measure and a Geroge W. Bush threatened veto against it, the American people have spoken.
With tremendous support and overwhelming passage in both Congress(256-166) and the Senate (75-22 McCain was a no show) and a reversal of the veto threat by the President, our returning vets now have a fighting chance.
I first brought this campaign to Joe's Union Review in Feburary 08, with the story "E-Activism can help our returning vets to become workers, not homeless. Help fix the insufficient GI Bill."
"Regardless of your views on the war, our returning troops need to get the help they deserve from their former employer, the US government. The last thing we need is more homelessness."
according to the IAVA, one of the items which were being pushed were better mental health care:
Rates of psychological injuries among new veterans are high and rising. At least 30 to 40% of Iraq veterans, or about half a million people, will face a serious psychological wound, including depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Multiple tours and inadequate time at home between deployments increase rates of combat stress by 50%.
In addition, when troops are near an exploding mortar or roadside bomb, the blast can damage their brains without visible injury. Traumatic Brain Injury can lead to emotional problems; vision, hearing, or speech problems; dizziness; sleep disorders; or memory loss. Between 150,000 and 300,000 of the 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have traumatic brain injuries.
The ramifications of psychological injuries are clear. Untreated mental health problems can and do lead to unemployment, domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness and suicide. Twenty percent of married troops in Iraq say they are planning a divorce. At least 40,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been treated at a VA hospital for substance abuse. The current Army suicide rate is the highest it has been in 26 years.
and better education:
President Roosevelt spoke more simply:
"[The GI Bill] gives emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down."
Today, 1.5 million troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to a very different future than the one FDR made possible for the Greatest Generation. The current educational benefits offered to veterans are far lower than the original GI Bill, covering only 60–70% of the average cost of four years at a public college or university, or less than two years at a typical private college. National Guardsmen and Reservists, "citizen soldiers" who leave behind civilian lives to serve alongside active-duty troops, receive even lower education benefits, and are inadequately protected against job discrimination. And Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are already swelling the ranks of the unemployed and the homeless. Nearly 200,000 veterans of all generations are homeless on any given night.
From my inbox today:
Dear Joseph,
Today, history was made.
Just this morning, President Bush signed the new GI Bill into law. Since we are only a few days away from celebrating the 4th of July, this milestone is a fitting way to honor our veterans who have bravely served this nation.
IAVA has led the fight for the new GI Bill from the beginning, and your dedication over the past year and a half ensured that our lawmakers kept it a top priority. Over 20,000 of you called your representatives in Congress, spread the word in your communities and signed the petition at www.GIBill2008.org. Thanks to your hard work, we finally achieved our goal.
Generations of veterans to come will benefit from this bill. Your support in this fight has been overwhelming- very few bills in recent history have received such an outpouring of public support. Together, we can be extremely proud of this victory.
In a few days, we'll let you know more about this remarkable bill and how IAVA plans to help veterans take full advantage of these new benefits.
Thank you for standing with IAVA throughout this fight.
Sincerely,
Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
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