Push To Amend G.I. Bill To Give Tuition Breaks Regardless of Vet Residency
Mar 12, 2013
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) March 11, 2013 – There may soon be revised and much more accessible tuition support for Florida vets.
A bill was recently introduced to require Florida schools to grant tuition benefits to vets eligible for GI bill educations, regardless of the vet’s residency status. The bill would allow U.S. military vets to receive in-state tuition at in-state universities and other schools in the Florida College System, as well as online schools. If the bill gets through the Florida House and Senate, it goes into effect on July 1 of this year.
“Any support for vets to allow them to pursue education and become gainfully employed is a push in the right direction,” commented Tampa veterans attorney David W. Magann. “Establishing residency should not be a deterrent to a successful civilian life.”
The GI Bill benefits cap, can and often does, fall short for of out-of-state tuition rates. If the GI Bill is amended to allow all states that receive the payments to open in-state tuition to all vets, more vets will be able afford to attend school and gain valuable job skills – the original intent of the GI Bill, advocates say. The bill would apply to Florida schools offering programs that are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs education programs under the GI Bill.
Identical bills were filed by Florida Rep. Kathleen Peters of St. Petersburg and Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater to “provides criteria for veterans of U.S. Armed Services, including reserve components thereof, to qualify as residents for tuition purposes.”
A companion bill was introduced in January 2013 by House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Representative Mike Michaud (D-ME). Under the G. I. Bill, vets may receive benefits to help them afford an undergraduate or graduate degree at a college or university, or at a cooperative training program, including apprenticeships, job training, technical or vocational courses, correspondence courses and flight training. Service members and vets are eligible under the G.I. Bill for a number of benefits; there are also some benefits available for qualifying dependents.
To learn more about the Tampa veterans attorney David W. Magann and his law practice, go to http://www.tampaveteranslawyer.com/ or call 813-657-9175.
David W. Magann, P.A.
Main Office:
156 W. Robertson St.
Brandon, FL 33511
Call: (813) 657-9175
Tampa Office:
6107 Memorial Hwy
Tampa, Florida 33615
South Tampa Office:
Bank of Tampa Building
601 Bayshore Blvd Ste 105
Tampa, FL 33606
