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G.I. Bill

U.S. law providing benefits for World War II veterans

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Through Vocational education

The first G.I. Bill, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was largely designed and passed through Congress in 1944 in a bipartisan effort led by the American Legion, which wanted to reward practically all wartime veterans. John H. Stelle, a former Democratic governor of Illinois, served as the Chairman of the Legion's Executive Committee, which drafted and mobilized public opinion to get the G.I. Bill to President Roosevelt's desk on June 22, 1944. He is commonly referred to as the "Father of the G.I. Bill." It provided immediate financial rewards for practically all World War II veterans, thereby avoiding the highly disputed postponed life insurance policy payout for World War I veterans that had caused political turmoil in the 1920s and 1930s. Benefits included low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business or farm, one year of unemployment compensation, and dedicated payments of tuition and living expenses to attend high school, college, or vocational school. These benefits were available to all veterans who had been on active duty during the war years for at least 90 days and had not been dishonorably discharged.

The original G.I. Bill ended in 1956, but subsequent bills have provided similar benefits for veterans since. The most recent iteration, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, provides veterans with funding for the full cost of any public college in their state. Other benefits, including medical coverage and home loans, are covered under separate legislation.

History

Servicemember's Readjustment Act of 1944

During World War II, politicians wanted to avoid the postwar confusion about veterans' benefits that became a political football in the 1920s and 1930s. Veterans' organizations that had formed after the First World War had millions of members; they mobilized support in Congress for a bill that provided benefits only to veterans of military service, including men and women. Ortiz says their efforts "entrenched the VFW and the Legion as the twin pillars of the American veterans' lobby for decades."

Harry W. Colmery, Republican National Committee chairman and a former National Commander of the American Legion, is credited with writing the first draft of the G.I. Bill. He reportedly jotted down his ideas on stationery and a napkin at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. A group of 8 from the Salem, Illinois American Legion have also been credited with recording their ideas for veteran benefits on napkins and paper. The group included Omar J. McMackin, Earl W. Merrit, Dr. Leonard W. Esper, George H. Bauer, William R. McCauley, James P. Ringley, A.L. Starshak and Illinois Governor, John Stelle who attended the signing ceremony with President Roosevelt.

U.S. Senator Ernest McFarland, (D) AZ, and National Commander of the American Legion Warren Atherton, (R) CA were actively involved in the bill's passage. Edith Nourse Rogers, (R) MA, who helped write and who co-sponsored the legislation, might be termed as the "mother of the G.I. Bill". As with Colmery, her contribution to writing and passing this legislation has been obscured by time.

The bill that President Roosevelt initially proposed had a means test—only poor veterans would get one year of funding; only top-scorers on a written exam would get four years of paid college. The American Legion proposal provided full benefits for all veterans, including women and minorities, regardless of their wealth.

On June 22, 1944, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, was signed into law. Professor Edwin Amenta states:

Veterans benefits were a bargain for conservatives who feared increasingly high taxation and the extension of New Deal national government agencies. Veterans benefits would go to a small group without long-term implications for others, and programs would be administered by the VA, diverting power from New Deal bureaucracies. Such benefits were likely to hamper New Dealers in their attempts to win a postwar battle over a permanent system of social policy for everyone.

An important provision of the G.I. Bill was low interest, zero down payment home loans for servicemen, with more favorable terms for new construction compared to existing housing. This encouraged millions of American families to move out of urban apartments and into suburban homes.

Another provision was known as the 52–20 clause for unemployment. Unemployed war veterans would receive $20 once a week for 52 weeks for up to one year while they were looking for work. Less than 20 percent of the money set aside for the 52–20 Club was distributed. Rather, most returning servicemen quickly found jobs or pursued higher education.

The recipients did not pay any income tax on the GI benefits, since they were not considered earned income.

The G.I. Bill received criticism for directing some funds to for-profit educational institutions. The G.I. Bill was racially discriminatory, as it was intended to accommodate Jim Crow laws. Due to the discrimination by local and state governments, as well as by private actors in housing and education, the G.I. Bill failed to benefit African Americans as it did with white Americans. Columbia University historian Ira Katznelson described the G.I. Bill as affirmative action for whites. The G.I. Bill has been criticized for increasing racial wealth disparities.

Most of the provisions in the World WarII-era G.I. Bill ended in 1956. A variety of benefits have been available to military veterans since the original bill, though the term "G.I. Bill" typically is used to refer specifically to education benefits.

Outside the United States

Canada operated a similar program for its World War II veterans, with a similarly beneficial economic impact.

Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952

At the start of the Korean War, advocates pushed to extend the 1944 Servicemen's Readjustment Act to cover Korean war veterans. After two years of debate, an entirely new piece of legislation was passed by Harry Truman in 1952. The first GI Bill had spawned the creation of numerous low-quality vocational programs that specifically targeted veterans; the Korean War-era bill attempted to curtail this by only allowing benefits to be paid to institutions with at least 15% non-veteran enrollment.

The Korean War-era legislation maintained the World War II-era bill's provisions for low-interest home loans and some unemployment insurance, though the amount of unemployment insurance was significantly reduced from the first bill.

Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966

The so-called "Cold War G.I. Bill" was authored by Ralph Yarborough, passed unanimously by both chambers of Congress, and signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966.

Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance (1976)

This iteration of the G.I. bill intended not only to compensate veterans for their service, but to reduce the need for another draft by attracting volunteers to the military. Often referred to as VEAP, the program required that veterans forfeit a portion of each paycheck into a fund, and the government matched each dollar paid into the fund with two dollars. Like previous iterations of the program, VEAP funds could be used for academic or vocational programs.

A greater percentage of Vietnam veterans used G.I. Bill education benefits (72 percent) than World War II veterans (49 percent) or Korean War veterans (43 percent).

Montgomery GI Bill (1984)

In 1984, former Mississippi Democratic Congressman Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery sponsored a new G.I. Bill, which remains in effect today alongside other, newer programs. Active duty members pay $100 per month into the program for 12 months to receive 36 months of tuition after leaving the military. Benefits can be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, and correspondence courses if the veteran was enrolled full-time. Part-time veteran students, reservists and members of the national guard receive reduced benefits. These benefits still exist, alongside the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

Post-9/11 GI Bill (2008)

Congress passed the current iteration of the program into law in recognition of the fact that "service on active duty in the Armed Forces [had] been especially arduous for the members of the Armed Forces since September 11, 2001" and with the goal of reducing high levels of unemployment among veterans.

This iteration of the program, signed into law in 2008 and put into effect in 2009, dramatically expanded education benefits. The bill provides partial benefits (under 36 months) to those who served less three years, and allows veterans to transfer their benefits to spouses or dependents. The program covers 100% of in-state tuition, or up to a certain amount for private college or vocational programs. Beneficiaries are also eligible for a monthly housing stipend on top of their tuition costs.

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is the most popular option for most veterans, though many are also entitled to benefits from other programs, including the Montgomery G.I. Bill. Congress estimates the program awards about $10 billion to around 600,000 individuals each year.

Litigation surrounding use of multiple benefits

In 2024, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rudisill v. McDonough that veterans who accrue educational benefits under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 G.I. Bills, by serving at least 1,185 days, may use either or both, and may use them in any order. A subsequent case, Perkins v. Collins, affirmed that this applied not only to veterans who served during two distinct enlistments, but to any veteran who served the requisite amount of time.

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