Some students who have returned from serving in the U.S. military overseas may be eligible for a little extra spending money.
Chapter 1607 of Title 10 United States Code became effective Jan. 1, which allows National Guard and Reserve members, who are receiving an education, to receive up to $800 extra a month, depending on the role and amount of time they served.
Faye Guidry, veterans counselor of the Office of Veterans Affairs, said before the bill passed, National Guardsmen received full tuition with a stipend of $297. Reserve members received 75 percent of their tuition with the same stipend.
Reserve members and National Guardsmen are now eligible to receive between $400 and $800 more per month in addition to the money they receive from the GI Bill.
In addition to paying their current tuitions, the new bill will reimburse students for the semesters they attended their university before they were deployed.
Guidry said to be eligible for the benefits a Reserve member or National Guardsman must have served for at least 90 days on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
Guidry said this bill has been in the works since shortly after the 9/11 attacks, but it was in need of more funding.
The bill was authorized and will be funded by the Department of Defense.
Chad Bussard, construction management junior, was a member of the National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 for nine months.
He said he was happy but surprised to see the added benefits.
“I was kinda surprised actually – seeing veteran benefits being cut recently and hospitals being shut down from the hurricanes,” Bussard said.
Bussard said he was part of a combat engineering unit in Afghanistan where he helped build base camps.
Bussard said he thinks veterans deserve this additional stipend, and he thinks it is an improvement over the previous plan.
“It was not as much as I’d like for what we gave up,” Bussard said.
 
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