Page 12 - HIWT Spring 2011 World of Welding

THE WORLD OF WELDING http://www.welding.org

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE IMPROVES SERVICE TO

VETERANS

Hobart Institute has been closely monitoring Senate Bill 3447, • Benefits include all vocational programs, on-the-job
the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements training, and apprenticeship training, flight, all types of
Act of 2010. In January 2011, this bill was signed into law non-college degree training and more. This effectively
by President Obama after it passed in both the House and the eliminates the need to make an irreversible decision as
Senate. It goes into effect August 1, 2011. The bill amends to whether or not to receive benefits under the old Mont-
Title 38 of the United States Code to improve educational as- gomery GI Bill or under the new program.
sistance for veterans who served in the Armed Forces after • Provides a modified monthly stipend to students who are
September 11, 2001. enrolled in a program of education on more than half-time
basis.
The bill includes major changes that will be welcomed by • Makes active duty and their spouses eligible for an annual
veteran students, school officials, and veterans’ service orga- book allowance up to $1,000.
nizations. The following are the provisions, many of which • Eliminates the need for veterans to choose between vo-
are considered long overdue, that will likely have the greatest cational rehabilitation and the Post-9/11 GI Bill enabling
impact on current and future student veterans that attend Ho- service-connected disabled OEF/OIF veterans to elect the
bart Institute: program from which to receive their subsistence allow-
ance, ensuring that veterans would not be forced to pass
• Members of the National Guard and Reserve who were on valuable counseling and support services to access the
inadvertently omitted from inclusion would be fully eli- more generous Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
gible for benefit by better aligning their educational ben-
efits with their length of service and also allows unused These benefits apply to eligible veterans who attend the Com-
education benefits to be transferred to spouses and chil- bination Structural and Pipe Welding Program and the Struc-
dren. tural Welding Program at Hobart Institute.

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