In April, with a 7–2 decision, the Supreme Court ended a nine-year legal battle fought by Army veteran Jim Rudisill, who sued the Department of Veterans Affairs for wrongfully denying him the GI Bill education benefits he earned since he served both before and after 9/11.
The Montgomery GI Bill program, the predecessor to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, offers far less money but still can provide several thousands of dollars to veterans for tuition costs if they paid into the program at the start of their military service.
Currently, the VA makes students give up eligibility for the Montgomery GI Bill when they register to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill. That means once they exhaust the benefit, they cannot receive support from the other program.
Lawyers for Rudisill estimated as many as 1.7 million veterans nationwide could benefit from the ruling, but federal officials have estimated the number to be less than 30,000 individuals.
If you have questions about your education benefits, please contact your nearest DAV service office by visiting benefitsquestions.org.
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