This report provides a detailed description of five of the six educational assistance programs (GI Bills ® ) that are currently available to veterans or other eligible individuals through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The GI Bills provide financial assistance while enrolled in approved programs of education or training programs to individuals whose eligibility is based on a qualifying individual's service in the uniformed services. The sixth program, which is the most recently enacted, is the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Title 38 U.S.C., Chapter 33). It is described in CRS Report R42755, The Post-9/11 Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill): A Primer . Congress regularly considers potential operational and benefit improvements for these programs and enacts legislation accordingly. Over the decades since 1944, during which the GI Bill programs have been in existence, two themes have been emphasized. The benefits promote development of work-related skills to facilitate entry or re-entry into the civilian workforce, and the base benefit is equitable regardless of rank or military occupation specialty. All of the educational assistance programs administered by the VA require some period of military service before benefits can be received. The most salient ongoing discussions have been related to how much eligible individuals should contribute to their education in time or money, which types of service warrant a benefit, and how liberal (i.e., valuable) the benefit should be. All of the benefit programs provide eligible persons an entitlement to educational assistance. This entitlement, usually 36 months, is measured in months and days. A dollar value is also associated with each month and day of entitlement. Educational assistance payments reduce the entitlement period based on the training period for which the payment was made or in proportion to the dollar value associated with each month and day of entitlement. In general, once the entitlement is exhausted eligible persons continue receiving educational assistance through the end of the academic term if more than halfway through, or for up to a 12-week period if not on an academic term schedule. The entitlement period is not reduced if an individual is called to active duty and if, as a result, the individual must discontinue studies and fails to receive credit or training time. Entitlement is restored for an incomplete course or program for which the individual is unable to receive credit or lost training time as a result of an educational institution closing; for a course or program if a necessary course is disapproved by a subsequently established or modified policy, regulation, or law; and for the interim (through the end of the academic term but no more than 120 days) housing allowance paid following either a closure or disapproval. This report describes the five GI Bills enacted prior to 2008 and related veterans' educational assistance programs. It is organized into five sections. The first section provides an explanation of the rationale and impetus behind veterans' educational assistance programs. The second section describes the eligibility requirements and benefits of the GI Bills. The GI Bills are discussed in descending order based on the number of current participants. The third section reviews the linkages and commonalities between the programs. A summary of selected characteristics of the various programs is presented in Table 2 . The fourth section provides a brief overview of related VA programs. The final section provides information on participation and expenditures for the programs. A detailed look at earlier GI Bills that are no longer available to participants and the lessons learned is available in the appendices. Since the Revolutionary War, the United States has provided benefits to injured or disabled war veterans; however for much of this period, benefits were not provided to the same extent to able-bodied veterans. Prior to World War II (WWII), "poor, jobless, and disgruntled veterans … had led to unrest and fear of revolt throughout American history." In 1932, after World War I, the military was called in to forcibly remove 20,000 still unemployed and often homeless veterans and burn their encampment near the Capitol and White House. In early U.S. history, military service was thought of as "a fundamental obligation of [male] citizenship." Because the 16.1 million personnel who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII accounted for over one-third of the 41.1 million working-age males (between 20 and 64 years of age) in 1947, the consequences of mass unemployment were feared. Before the end of WWII, Congress and the American Legion worked together to pass the original GI Bill, or Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944 (P.L. 78-346). The act provided a full range of resources to veterans including the construction of additional hospitals; educational assistance to non-disabled veterans; home, business, and farm loans; job counseling and employment placement services; and an unemployment benefit. The original GI Bill was generally considered successful in averting unemployment, raising the educational level and thus the productivity of the U.S. workforce, and confirming the value that Americans place on those that provide military service. Subsequent GI Bills providing educational assistance have been passed ( Table 1 ). The Korean Conflict GI Bill was enacted under the Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952 (P.L. 82-550) and codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 33. The purpose of the program was to prepare returning veterans to enter the workforce. In 1956, the War Orphans' Educational Assistance Act of 1956 (P.L. 84-634) was passed to provide educational assistance to the children of servicemembers who died as a result of injury or disability incurred in the line of duty. This program was later expanded to include spouses and children of servicemembers who died, became permanently or totally disabled, were missing-in-action, were captured, or were hospitalized as a result of service. The Post-Korean Conflict and Vietnam Era GI Bill was enacted under the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-358) and codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 34. In addition to providing benefits to veterans, it provided benefits to active duty servicemembers to encourage retention in the Armed Forces. The Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 ( P.L. 93-508 ) created a short-lived veterans and dependents education loan program to cover educational costs not provided for under the GI Bill. It was codified in Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 36 before being repealed in 1981. Beginning with the Korean Conflict GI Bill, there has been much debate on the level of educational assistance that should be provided to veterans and servicemembers. Some believed that requiring individuals to make a monetary contribution in addition to their military service would increase their sense of responsibility and purpose. Some believed that the educational assistance benefits were a necessary compensation for compulsory service or reimbursement for voluntary service. Some believed that high levels of assistance promote attrition from the military. And some believed that the benefits are a necessary recruitment tool. Congress allowed the compulsory military draft to expire on June 30, 1973. The educational assistance programs enacted subsequently were designed to encourage recruitment and retention of high-quality military personnel while still providing a considerable benefit to those who choose to leave active duty military service. Since 1973 upon initial enactment of new GI Bills, Congress has generally limited the approved programs of education to a more traditional college education. As the programs mature, other types of education and training such as apprenticeships and flight training are added. Currently, there are several educational assistance programs available to veterans, servicemembers, and their spouses and children. The oldest of these programs for veterans and servicemembers is the Post-Vietnam Era GI Bill, enacted in 1976. Fewer than 10 individuals are still receiving benefits from this program, which provides educational assistance in direct proportion to contributions deducted from servicemembers' pay while on active duty. The Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD) requires most servicemembers to contribute an established amount, although the eventual benefits are not related to the contribution. The Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) only provides educational assistance to those currently serving in the Selected Reserve. Because reliance on the Reserves and National Guard increased after September 11, 2001, the Reserves Educational Assistance Program (REAP), enacted in 2005, allows reservists to receive an increased educational assistance benefit in comparison to the MGIB-SR after serving on active duty. The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program, previously War Orphans' Educational Assistance, provides benefits to the spouses and children of servicemembers who, as a result of service, are seriously disabled, die, or are detained. Finally in comparison to the MGIB-AD, the Post-9/11 GI Bill increased the educational assistance benefit for all individuals with active duty service after September 10, 2001, in recognition that the United States has not been at peace since 2001. The following sections describe the active programs in greater detail, in descending order based on the number of current participants. A description of the inactive programs is provided in the appendices. The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program (DEA) was first established by the War Orphans' Educational Assistance Act of 1956 (P.L. 84-634). The DEA program is codified under Title 38 U.S.C., Chapter 35. The benefit allows eligible individuals to attain the education they would have or maintain the standard of living they would have if the servicemember had not become disabled or delayed, or died as a result of military service.