Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 51 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in support of two military veterans and their families who were unlawfully denied their full G.I. Bill education benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In this case, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel veteran and a U.S. Air Force colonel veteran were denied crucial education benefits to which they are clearly entitled.
Raoul and the bipartisan coalition argue in the brief that the VA has taken a restrictive interpretation of the G.I. Bill that contradicts the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Rudisill v. McDonough, which confirmed veterans whose length of service separately qualifies them under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 G.I. Bills are entitled to a full 48 months of education benefits. Despite the clear precedent, the VA has continued to limit benefits based on an erroneous reading of the ruling, depriving veterans and their families of critical educational opportunities.
“Veterans who have selflessly served this country should not be denied the benefits they have honorably earned based upon an incorrect interpretation of education entitlements,” Raoul said. “I am proud to be part of this bipartisan coalition to protect the hard-earned rights of the veterans who have committed their lives to their military service.”
Attorney General Raoul encourages any eligible service member or veteran experiencing this issue to call his office’s Military and Veterans’ Rights Helpline at 800-382-3000 for assistance.
The Military and Veterans Rights Bureau also offers in-person or virtual presentations on service member employment rights, military veterans’ assistance, as well as fraud and scams that target veterans and their benefits. Information about future training opportunities can be obtained by emailing mvrb@ilag.gov.
Joining Attorneys General Raoul in the filing of the bipartisan amicus brief are attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
