literature revolving around the G.I. Bill, its efficiency, pros and cons

Increased rates of unemployment, high survival rates, and a rising level or cases of traumas have led to a greater proportion of veterans experiencing mental health and other complications caused by exposure to blast injuries and combat incidents. However, most of them do not utilize the available traditional services for mental health and learning in higher institutions. The G.I. Bill refers to an education support program that is offered by the United States’ Department of Veteran Affairs to provide housing, tuition, and books, which encourage veterans to pursue education at different levels (Borsari et al., 2017, p.2). It provides learning assistance to veterans and enables them to utilize their capabilities after retiring from active military duties (Tinoco, 2015, p.28). As much as the Bill supports higher education, other researchers such as Rumery, Patel, and Richard (2018) suggest that there is little evidence to show that funding of veterans’ learning has an effect on their performance and overall educational outcomes. Therefore, there is a need to examine the value of the G.I. Bill to U.S. veteran students, benefits that the regulation provides, and possible negative experiences.

The G.I. Bill has undergone significant changes since its conception. The transformations coincided with various conflicts involving the U.S. military over the years. Abbey (2019, p. 1) observes that the changes in the Bill were determined by the level of support and benefits provided to the veterans. The latest version of the Bill, referred to as Post-9/11, is structured in a way that it caters for all the cost of accommodation, tuition, allowances, and any other fees required by the learning institutions (Abbey, 2019, p.2). The number of veterans benefitting from implementation of the Bill is growing every year, as new users enroll for higher learning in various institutions across the country. However, it is not known how the G.I Bill adds value the U.S. veterans. Therefore, determining the value of the G.I. Bill to the United States’ veteran students provides more information about its influence on their lifestyle and ability to become self-reliant after retiring from the military.

Research Purpose and Questions

The purpose of the proposed research is to investigate the value of the G.I. Bill to the United States’ veteran students. The study will examine how Post-9/11 veterans benefit from the process of selecting colleges by deciding the types of institutions and the years of study. Moreover, the study will investigate the modes of education preferred by veterans, such as online studies, resident students, or both. Given the experiences encountered by veterans during years of active service, the research will also examine ways in which emotions impact on their learning processes and outcomes. Therefore, since the population of veterans is unique because of various experiences and diverse backgrounds, it is crucial to explore their academic progress and ultimate outcomes.

Research Questions

The study will address four secondary research questions and one primary research question. First of all, the primary research question of the study is the following one: What is the value of G.I. Bill to the U.S. Veteran Students? The secondary research questions include:

RQ1: How efficient is the G.I. Bill?

RQ2: What are pros and cons of the G.I. Bill?

RQ3: What changes have been made to the G.I. Bill that are beneficial to a U.S. veteran student?

RQ4: How does the G.I. Bill limit the potential of universities, tech schools, and other higher learning institutions?

The above research questions will assist in examining different samples from a population of veterans in the United States, and learn about the contributions made by the G.I. Bill to their lives. The study will also investigate the efficiency of the Bill, its advantages and disadvantages, beneficial changes made to the Bill, and how it limits the potential of institutions of higher learning. Generally, the above questions define the path of the study by enabling the researcher to design appropriate methods and approaches.

Literature Review

The available literature in this field is mostly related to the life of veterans in a population of ex-servicemen and women in the United States. The literature follows accounts of events before and after the Second World War, such as the G.I. Bill, which influenced various publications and investigations into the welfare of veterans. The United States has been involved in various international conflicts over the years, resulting in a significant number of servicemen retiring after the end of deployment abroad. The Bill facilitates enrollment of ex-military to colleges. However, the literature regarding its value and benefits are quite scarce. This section reviews several pieces of literature revolving around the G.I. Bill, its efficiency, pros and cons, limitations, and changes that make it beneficial to veterans. Generally, it discusses various aspects of previous research articles that address the research questions.

RQ1: How Efficient Is the G.I. Bill?

The G.I. Bill is effective in transforming the lives of U.S. veterans because it has enabled a significant number of post-service military officers to access higher learning and acquire vocational training. According to Norman et al. (2015, p.701), millions of veterans are utilizing the Bill to obtain education; however, about 17 percent of them experience physical and mental health issues, which might affect their educational performance negatively. Thus, the G.I. Bill is efficient as it provides veterans with education entitlement that benefits service members, learning institutions, and the general public. Zhang (2019, p.4) posits that completion of higher education is an achievement as it gives room to self-reliance and creates employment opportunities. Therefore, there is adequate evidence to suggest that the Bill improves the lives of veteran students, helps them start everything from the beginning, and gain new skills and knowledge.

The G.I. Bill is among the key factors contributing to creating the middle-class population in the United States. Barr (2016, p.3) posited that the Bill is an important aspect to the lives of the middle class population because it is at the center of social and academic transformation in the history of America. It is a positive force behind the level of employment and educational attainment among the U.S. veterans. Following the lives of veterans from the post-Vietnam war, the Bill has a positive effect, not only to educational outcomes, but also to overall incomes (Barr, 2016, p.3). Similarly, the study conducted by Borsari et al. (2017, p.33) revealed significant benefits brought about by the G.I. Bill. It observed that the servicemen who left the military receive financial resources, peer support, and personal resiliency, which are vital to their well-being. Moreover, Borsari et al. (2017, p.33) suggested academic benefits associated with the Bill promote mental and financial stability among veterans. Generally, the G.I. Bill is considered efficient because it alleviate the leaving standard of veterans by stabilizing their financial and mental state.

RQ2: What Are Pros and Cons of the G.I. Bill?

The pros and cons of the G.I. Bill revolve around its impact on the education of U.S. veterans. There are several factors affecting veterans after the introduction of the Bill. Most of these factors, according to Cundy (2017, p.1), are associated with monetary benefits, which were the major consideration of policymakers. Other aspects touch on the institutions or departments affected by extending their services to a given segment of veteran’s population. Firstly, the Bill expanded the tuition benefits to make higher learning institutions accessible for post-service military officers (Radford, Bentz, Dekker, & Paslov, 2016, p.2). Secondly, the Bill allows veterans to train in any suitable field that suits their capabilities (Peters, 2018, p.2). Lastly, military officers receive diverse services, such as non-academic support, career guidance, and benefit-focused privileges, throughout their learning period (Borsari et al., 2017, p.8). However, some individuals use their education benefits for purposes not related to education, and others are not focused on earning postsecondary education that would enable them to be productive as civilians. Anyway, each person defines his or her own future and whether opportunities provided by the Bill are beneficial or not.

Incentivizing some aspects of the military is deemed disadvantageous to the government. Cundy (2017, p.2) argues that soldiers are supposed to be patriots appointed to serve the United States; therefore, rewarding them for serving the society is not appropriate because it is their duty. As such, there is no significant difference between servicemen and citizenship because it portrays some patriots to be worthy than others. However, Dortch (2017a, p.14) argues that both veterans and soldiers in active duty deserve the benefits that come with Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The Bill allows soldiers in active duty to enroll to their desirable degree programs and at the same time receive payment for tuition and books, among other allowances. The tuition and other fees are directly paid to the learning institution on behalf of the student. As much as the G.I. Bill is beneficial to veterans, its provision prohibits the people receiving its allowances from benefiting from unemployment military compensation (Dorth, 2017b, p.2). In addition, the veterans are restricted to the G.I. Bill’s benefits if they are not receiving the retirement benefits or not discharged under honorable situations. In general, the G.I. Bill was established to benefit the veterans and alleviate their lives after retiring from active service; however, it depicts some disadvantages that affect both the government and individuals.

RQ3: What Changes Have Been Made to the G.I. Bill that Are Beneficial to a U.S. Veteran Student?

The G.I. Bill has involved democratization of higher learning. Dortch (2017b, p.1) posits that US veterans receive educational benefits that help them increase their college investments. Moreover, the Bill provides financial assistance that caters for veterans’ personal needs throughout their post-secondary education. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill increases the aid level, which provides extensive benefits to post-service military officers ready to acquire higher learning (Abbey, 2019, p.2; Paul, 2019, p.1). As a result, increased resources influence the selection of colleges and the degree programs preferred by veterans. Therefore, identifying the changes in the G.I. Bill determines the gap between pre and post 9/11 drafts and how the alterations add value to post-service military officers.

Through the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, a large number of veterans who served in international conflicts access various benefits. Norman et al. (2015, p. 701) postulate that the key provisions of the Bill comprise of full funding of four years degree program, which caters for tuition, housing, books, and other expenses. As such, the veterans are able to enroll to any learning institution without any personal input that might strain their finances. Dortch (2017b, p.5) explained that the changes made in Post-9/11 G.I. Bill provided for equal access to the Fry Scholarship, by widening admissibility to spouses of servicemen who die when still in active military service. It enables the spouses and dependents to receive scholarship benefits, which is categorized as special treatment for the U.S. soldiers. Therefore, the G.I Bill has undergone significant changes since its inception to accommodate the needs of veterans, actively serving soldiers, and their spouses.

RQ4: How Does the G.I. Bill Limit the Potential of Universities, Tech Schools, and Other Higher Learning Institutions?

The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill is the most beneficial in the history of the United States. However, Baird, Kofoed, Miller, and Wenger (2016, p.13) explain that the funds allocated for veterans do not cater for all the costs of learning in most institutions. Peters (2018, p.7) attributes this limitation to changes in the economy, lifestyles, inflation, and general demand for education. Inadequate capital affects colleges, universities, and other higher learning institutions because they do not receive adequate funding to support or accommodate veterans throughout their education. Moreover, the tuition fee for degree programs varies significantly according to complexity, duration, and the available job market (Boyd, Slate, & Barnes, 2019, p.30). The allocation of funds based on the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill does not take into consideration the deviations in tuition fees for active and reserve veterans (Cundy, 2017). The learning institutions might fail to provide the required services to students with no adequate capital to pursue their post-secondary education (Barr, 2016). In such a way, veteran learners are not guaranteed of academic success based on the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill funding due to some gap in the legislation and omission of enough money.

Implementation of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill led to significant changes in tuition reimbursement. According to Baird, Kofoed, Miller, and Wenger (2016, p.3), the funds provided for veteran students caters for their full tuition in any higher learning institution irrespective of its status – public or private. Initially, the Bill only provided an average amount of funds that was able to sustain students in public institutions. The students who enrolled to private colleges were forced to fund the remaining balance from their personal savings after the government covered the allocated average tuition per veteran. With the changes in the policy, all the learning institutions benefit from enrollment of veterans because the Bill provides a maximum tuition that enables them to join any college regardless of the social status (Baird, Kofoed, Miller & Wenger, 2016, p.3). Therefore, the changes in the Bill have provided public and private institutions with equal opportunities to benefit from enrollment of veterans, through raising the tuition funds to a level that can sustain their education at their selected colleges.

Conclusion

The U.S. veterans encounter difficulties integrating into the competitive corporate world. With a history of regimented military life, the former soldiers are full of memories that affected their mental health, and physical encounters that impacted on their body health. The G.I. Bill was introduced by the United States’ congress to enable the veteran students to enroll for suitable degree programs at institutions of choice to facilitate their employability. The provisions of the Bill cater for tuition, housing, books, and other allowances. However, it is not known how the G.I. Bill adds value to the lives of veteran students because there is inadequate published evidence in this field. Therefore, the study examines the value of the G.I. Bill to the United States’ student veterans.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the value of the G.I. Bill to the United States’ veteran students. Based on this objective, the research will use one primary and four secondary research questions. The overarching research question echoes the purpose of the study. Other research questions investigate the efficiency of the G.I. Bill, its pros and cons, the beneficial changes that have been made to the Bill, and how it limits the potential of universities, tech schools, and other higher learning institutions. The research questions are explored from the perspective of various scholars by reviewing previous literature focusing on respective question. Therefore, the responses to these questions shed more light on issues related to the G.I Bill and how it adds value to veteran students.

The efficiency of the G.I. Bill lies on its ability to provide student veterans with financial incentives to support their education in both public and private colleges. With appropriate credentials and qualifications, the Bill has enable veterans to form part of the United States middle class population. In addition, it has assisted veterans who have a history of trauma and health issues to enroll to other social programs offered in higher learning institutions. Thus, the support received by veterans alleviates their financial and mental stability. The literatures addressing the second research question depict various advantages of the Bill. To start with, it widened the benefits to easy access to fully funded education in any colleges that suit their needs. Apart from education, veterans are able to receive different services such as career guidance throughout their schooling period. On the other hand, the disadvantages of the Bill include using the financial benefits for purposes other than academics, and overburdening the government resources. The changes made to the Post-9/11 Bill have enabled veterans to enroll to institutions of their choice. For example, the new Bill increased funding to a level that assists veterans to comfortably pay for their education in private schools.

Generally, the literature review identifies critical aspects of the research through research questions, and present reliable evidence from previous studies as answers. Factors such as limitations of the G.I. Bill and their impact on higher learning institutions are relevant to this study because they demonstrate how the Bill adds value to veteran students. Other than adding value, the paper also explores how the Bill affects the ability of servicemen to benefit from unemployment allowances allocated for servicemen who are discharged honorably. Therefore, the United States’ G.I. Bill is twofold because it has negative and positive influence on the lives of veterans.