Chapter Seven:
Education Options
Since the end of World War II, more than 21 million veterans, service members, and their family members have received more than $72 billion dollars from the government under the GI Bill to pursue their educational goals. We highly recommend that you be part of this group. Please give serious thought to obtaining additional education and utilizing the benefits that are due to you under this program. Research consistently demonstrates that people with more education earn more money so we encourage you to pursue these options and get the most that you can out of the government’s veteran educational benefits program.
Written by a Vietnam War disabled veteran who completed his law degree under the GI Bill, this chapter provides the answers to the questions about how readers can access G.I. Bill benefits and use these and other programs to help them pay for an education for them and their family members. Information about how to accommodate a disability in the classroom is also included.
Author:
Charles Sabatier, JD is a model of how education through the GI Bill can positively impact the life of a veteran. Shot and paralyzed by a bullet during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, he learned about the GI Bill and used the program to get his undergraduate degree when he left the service. He later used other benefits to obtain his law degree and is now licensed to practice law in three states. He has been a practicing attorney and is now helping other veterans as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the US Department of Labor in Washington DC. He is currently the lead policy person for the Heroes@Work initiative examining ways to improve the employment opportunities of veterans returning from the current conflict with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). First describing his own life experiences to spur you to action, Mr. Sabatier then describes the educational benefits programs that are available to you under the GI Bill and subsequent programs and tells you how you can apply for them.
