Evening star., 1955-01-28
Early Senate Action
Expected 10 Extend
.GI Bill Grace Period
By Robert K. Welsh

BY Robert K. WoIsh
Senate action early next week
was predicted today by sponsors
Of House-approved bill to per-
NIT persons in the armed serv-
ices by January 81 to continue
accumulating time necessary to
earn "GI bill of rights educa-
ton benefits.
The House passed the bill late
yesterday. 365 to o. Veteran
Affairs Committee members re-
ported it was satisfactory to
President Eisenhower. They said
the measure would prevent indi-
,vidual inequities that might
otherwise result from a January
! presidential proclamation.
That order set a cutoff date
this month for eligibility to ac-
cumulate further time as a basis
for determining the length Of
education benefits.
Committee Chairman league,
Democrat. Of Texas, told the
House the Defense Department
estimates the legislation would
affect about Ia million men to
some extent. This would in
clude a considerable number
who enlisted or otherwise en-
tered the service in recent
months and weeks, if they are
IN by next Monday, he said.
No Cost Increase.
The House was informed also
that the bill would cause no in
crease in veterans benefit costs
during the current and next fis-
cal years. For the fiscal year
starting July 1, 1856, the addi-
tional cost was estimated at
about $25 million, and about $50
million for the following fiscal
period.
The Presidents proclamation
relating to eligibility of armed
services personnel for various
veterans wartime benefits put
an end to further accumulation
of any additional education and
training time under the Gil bill
as applied in 1852 to Korean War
veterans. The law has provided
that a veteran who was in the
service on or after June "a, 1850,
would be entitled to ~ days of
education or training for each
day in service.
The bill passed by the House
yesterday provides that serv-
iceman may accumulate addi-
tional time after January 81,
1855, If he is in the service on
that date. It specifies that such
further accumulation could con-
tinue only to the date of his dis
charge or release from active
service after January 81.
Helps Recent Enlistees.
A man who Joined UP recently
would thus be enabled to ac-
cumulate time after January 81,
although the length of veterans
education he ultimately could OBJ
tain might be comparatively
short.
Sponsors Of the bill noted IT.
would be especially helpful to-
large numbers of servicemen who,
3oined within the lass three ots'
four. months. Under the Japu-
ary proclamation sAich person
mel would have been unable to
accumulate CT schooling rights
after this month and therefore
would have. been entitled later as
veterans to only a few months
of education or training.
Under the House-approved
bill, such servicemen could keep
on accumulating time and con-
ceivably obtain entitlement to
the legal maximum Of SO months
education or training If they
remain sufficiently long in the
service.
However" the committee
members informed the House,
"as safeguard against unduly
extending the life of the pro-
gram. the bill provides that no
education or training shall be
afforded beyond January 81.
1865. This would. in effect, ex-
tend the program for two years
from the present terminal date
to January 81, 1863"