Editorial: Boost School Benefits for local Iraq War Veterans

Members of the U.S. military are cheated of education benefits under the GI Bill. Today's troops fight battles every bit as deadly as those of World War II and other conflicts, yet the benefits are comparatively piddling.
 
Congress should expedite the fixes now winding through its chambers.
 
GI education benefits after World War II amounted to a full ride, with the federal government paying for college tuition, books, fees and a stipend at a public or private college, says U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who backs reforms.
 
However, current GI benefits are the cheap spread. To qualify for college benefits, a solider must first pay into the system. The subsequent payout averages about $800 a month, way short of what it takes to get a degree. There's no way a veteran can afford college under current rules.
 
Webb and U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and others back a bipartisan bill closer to World War II standards: Pay a veteran's college tuition, as well as room and board and a monthly stipend of $1,000.
 
Reforms should also include increased benefits for Reserve and National Guard members who are called to battle in Iraq and elsewhere. In peacetime, those troops typically earn fewer school benefits than military on full-time active duty. At a minimum, combat veterans have a claim on maximum benefits after putting their life on the line along with other military units.
 
Higher learning isn't cheap. The average public university charges $24,000 a year for out-of-state tuition, room and board, according to the College Board, a national association of schools. The public in-state rate runs about $13,000 a year, and private colleges ring the bell at $32,000. Costs go up every year -- and the College Board numbers don't include books and personal expenses.
 
Webb estimates the tab for his proposal at $2 billion a year, less than one week of running the war in Iraq.
 
The original GI Bill blossomed into a hit after Franklin Roosevelt penned it into law in 1944. More than half of 15 million World War II veterans signed up for benefits, which fueled the post-war industrial and technological boom by creating a higher skilled workforce. Every dollar invested in the veterans' education generated an estimated seven dollars in economic activity. It leveled the playing field for many.
 
Members of today's military, of course, volunteered and accepted defined benefits when they enlisted. They knew the package going in, although some say recruiters vastly oversell education perks. Webb says those perks were designed for peacetime and are not adequate for combat veterans.
 
Veterans during war-time should be at the head of the line for education benefits.
 
Investing in veterans would not only build a stronger military today, but a more productive national workforce tomorrow.