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At least seven legislative proposals are pending in Congress to improve the new GI Bill for large swaths of beneficiaries, including active-duty and reserve troops, wounded warriors and families.
The four-year-old Post-9/11 GI Bill has served 1 million students at a cost of almost $35 billion — but some lawmakers clearly think it could be doing more to serve troops, veterans and their families.
A bill crafted with the help of The American Legion would, if enacted, correct a "bureaucratic nightmare" that has caused some servicemembers' children to be billed for thousands of dollars in educational benefits for which they were originally approved. The Legion-backed corrective legislation, "GI Education Benefits Fairness Act", was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 22 by Rep. Bill Foster, a Democrat, and Rep.
Washington, DC — Today Congressman Bill Foster and veterans advocates held a press conference call to discuss the GI Education Benefits Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to support military families by extending GI education benefits to the wards and foster children of our soldiers.
Rep. Foster introduced the legislation Friday, along with Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05).
Audio of the call is available here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) introduced the GI Education Benefits Fairness Act to support military families by extending GI education benefits to wards and foster children.
"Children of the men and women who serve honorably shouldn't be denied the benefits they were promised because of a bureaucratic oversight," said Foster. "These servicemen and women have honored the promise they made to serve our country, we need to honor the promises we make to them."
Washington, D.C. – Today, 19 Members of Congress joined Congressman Bill Foster in requesting that the Department of Health and Human Services use the full extent of their authority to require additional disclosure from insurers who are sending health plan cancellation letters to customers.
A copy of the request, sent to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is available here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster voted in favor of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013 and released the following statement:
"I came to Congress to solve problems, and that is why I voted for a bipartisan fix to codify the President's decision to allow insurance companies to continue to offer existing health care plans.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congress passed S 893 to provide veterans with a 1.5% COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) increase in disability compensation benefits.
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL, 11) kept his word and donated the pay he earned during the government shutdown to the Northern Illinois Food Bank on Friday.
"I do not believe Members of Congress should receive a paycheck while people in Illinois and throughout the country were suffering because Congress failed to do their job," said Foster in a press release. "I was pleased to be able to donate my pay to the Northern Illinois Food Bank and support the important work they do feeding the hungry throughout northern Illinois."
