Veterans Report 4/18

Veterans History Project Collects Stories
A team with the Veterans History Project collected memories from veterans at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic at Snowmass, Colo. last week. "The Veterans History Project was created through legislation in 2000 as a way to preserve the culture of servicemen and women regardless of time in service, or branch of service," said Butch Miller of the VHP team. Veterans are interviewed in private settings, and given time to tell their experiences, no matter how emotional. Copies of the interviews are sent back to the Library of Congress to be added to the project, and the veteran also receives a copy. For more information about participating in the Veterans History Project, visit its website at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

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The Best Kept GI Bill Secret
Most veterans and reservists know they can use the G.I. Bill to pay for the costs of education. But did you know that you can also receive up to $12,000 in tax-free benefits for training twenty-four months in an On-The-Job or Apprenticeship training program? That means that the VA will pay you up to $878.90 a month ($252.45 for Reserve GI Bill) tax-free, on top of your regular salary! Find out how the GI Bill On-The-Job training program works for you!

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WWII Merchant Marines May Gain Veteran Status
Merchant Marines who served in WWII were not given veterans status until 1988, causing many of them to missed out on earlier veterans benefits. A bill before Congress would give the remaining World War II mariners, or their surviving spouses, $1,000 a month for the rest of their lives. More than half of the U.S. representatives have signed on to the bill (H.B. 23). An estimated 10,000 World War II mariners are alive today.

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Legislation Introduced to Increase COLA
U.S. Senators Larry Craig and Daniel Akaka have introduced legislation (S. 2562) to increase the amount of money veterans with service-connected disabilities will receive. The legislation will also increase the compensation for the survivors of some disabled veterans. If approved by Congress, the increase will become effective on December 1, 2006. Every year since 1976 Congress has enacted an annual COLA adjustment for veterans with disabilities and survivors. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Craig-Akaka legislation will increase direct spending on disabled veterans and their survivors by $530 million in fiscal year 2007.