STOP HR 475 - Protect Veterans Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits
Public Comments (7,815)
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Jul 28th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR signed.
Jul 28th, 2015Someone from Mandeville, LA writes:
This bill should not be passed. I intend to get out of the Navy after serving 9 years and use my benefits to become a Helicopter Pilot. I did not serve my country in order to be denied an opportunity to use my benefits.Jul 28th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR writes:
This will hinder veteran students that have planned for this as a career and have already started the course of study.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 28th, 2015Someone from Dodge City, KS signed.
Jul 28th, 2015Someone from Anderson, SC signed.
Jul 28th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR writes:
I am in the Aviation Science program at Portland Community College. The current language in this bill would completely wipe out the whole program, along with flight training, and we veterans would lose all of the hard work and dedication that we have applied so far. PLEASE PLEASE HELP AND SIGN THIS PETITION!!! There are thousands of veteran's lives that are affected by this!!!!!REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 27th, 2015Someone from Greensburg, KY signed.
Jul 27th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR writes:
Simply put, a cap of $20'000 is an absolute disgrace of allowable funding. Hundreds of men and women have served there country for the right to be able to use there GI Bill benefits. By putting this low ball cap on the benefits for veterans who want to chase there dreams of becoming an aviator, it literally will take students eight plus years to accomplish the required training to get into the commercial career field. This is not only a major draw back to veterans, but also a major drawback to the commercial aviation career field. This bill must be squashed.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 27th, 2015Someone from Elk Grove, CA writes:
I thought Obama was all about Service member and Veterans. He isnt if he signs this bill into action.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 26th, 2015Someone from Rosamond, CA signed.
Jul 26th, 2015Someone from York, PA signed.
Jul 26th, 2015Someone from Portland, OR signed.
Jul 26th, 2015Someone from Beaverton, OR signed.
Jul 25th, 2015Someone from Dinuba, CA writes:
There should be no reason y to take veterans benefits they have earn them.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 25th, 2015Someone from Beaverton, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Seattle, WA signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Happy Valley, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Nitro, WV signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Tampa, FL signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Newberg, OR writes:
I joined the Army right out of high school at the age of eighteen. In my time in the military, I deployed to Afghanistan and I am proud to have served. However, when I came home, I had no job and no civilian education. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill has enabled me to achieve my childhood dream of becoming a pilot, and I am grateful to have had this opportunity. I look forward to serving the public once again, but this time as a pilot in the civilian world. Because I am nearing the end of my training, this bill will not likely affect me, so I am not writing this for myself. Instead, I am writing this on behalf of my brothers and sisters in uniform. H.R. 475 breaks the promise made to the veterans that they will be taken care after leaving the service. A $20,235 per year cap is not even close enough to pay for an education in aviation, even in the most fiscally-responsible flight schools. If this bill becomes law, veterans will be forced to take out massive student loans and live in debt for years. Our veterans need better care than this. Before you vote on this bill, I hope you become aware of the looming pilot shortage. It has already struck many flight schools and regional airlines across the country. Students on the G.I. Bill are one of the biggest sources of new pilots in the United States. If this bill becomes law, this pilot shortage will hit much harder, and it will be detrimental to the airline industry. In fact, this bill will end up costing the taxpayers more due to the reduced income caused by a downturn in the industry. So I ask that you consider what my colleagues and I have said and revise H.R. 475 to either raise or eliminate the cap to flight training spending. I sincerely hope that you will be able to honor the promise made to these men and women when they raised their right hand and took an oath to defend our country.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Lawrenceville, GA signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Beaverton, OR writes:
This is an outrage against veterans that have served their country honorably and want to pursue a career in aviation! This bill must NOT pass by any means! IT must be struck down immediately to protect these veterans that are working towards fulfilling a dream by using the benefits that they earned!REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Watertown, NY writes:
Do not take away what we have earned!! We are veteran's we earned the title. You screwed us enough when we served so don't screw us more. I have a family of 4 and being a pilot is how I'm going to support them.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Beaverton, OR writes:
Our Veterans deserve to use their GI Bill benefits to pursue an education and get a degree of their choice to allow them to enter into a career of their choice. It is not right to specifically target flight training programs with this bill. There are other degree programs that require an education that cost just as much, if not more than pilot training. Do not punish our veterans by capping their educational benefits based on reckless mistakes carried out by irresponsible institutions. Focus on improving a check and balance system that can identify misuse of veterans' benefits early on and deal with cases individually, instead of negatively affecting veterans who are trying their best to get an education and career after their service to their country.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Saginaw, MI signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Silverdale, WA signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Saint Helens, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Bay City, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR writes:
I started flying 8 years ago before I joined the Marine Corps, I tried to get student loans, grants to do it the conventional "get in a lot of debt" way of doing college. My issue is that no loan company would give me one to cover flight training. Various reasons being flight schools are not "accredited" or there was no way for them to guarantee that they were going to get repaid. Then I joined the Marine Corps in hopes of doing my duty, surviving, and then continuing my flight training. That dream has been made possible through the GI Bill and the way it is NOW! I also know first hand of 3 active duty Marines who are planned to get out later this year and planned on attending the flight program I'm apart of now. They have since changed their mind because they do not want to take out substantial loans when they are just entering back into civilian life. That is the impact of short term. The long term impact will be on the industry as a whole starting with instructor positions. They are going to be very hard to get. Which those are typically the very first job you get as a newly certified commercial pilot in the United States. Look at the requirements that Insurance companies put on aviation companies, basically prevents them from hiring low hour (less than 1000 flight hours) pilots. Please reconsider the maximum limit and time frame that this bill has in place. Pilot training can be completed in 2 years with an allowance of $60K per year. You can break that into $30K per year to fit your 4 year college plan if you like and then compress the 4 year plan into 2 years. If you require Veterans to take 4 years you will single-handedly be creating worse pilots. The idea is to save money, stop schools from taking advantage of what is given to us vets. While creating a successful member of society, someone who can give back to their community and help make it better. If this bill passes the way it is written you will stop all the veterans chances of doing what the GI Bill is there for. Thank you for your considerationREPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Hillsboro, OR writes:
I have already committed my education benefits to becoming a helicopter pilot. PCC and HAA have a very realistic and fiscally responsible program. The industry needs pilots and will need many more in the years to come. I am no longer able to sacrifice my body physically as I did in the Infantry. Becoming a helicopter pilot is a way that I can serve the public. I am dealing with getting medical care from the VA at this same time. I have had VA doctors refuse to diagnose me and admit that it was to save money in proper treatment. My BAH is no longer going to be enough to pay for rent in the Hillsboro area (rent has gone up by 300-400) and the VA will not increase BAH. Meanwhile I am being threatened with the revocation of my flight training and the loss of time invested from my GI bill. If they take this away I will not be able to get a job in aviation and I will not have enough GI bill to obtain any degree or certificate. I am exhausted from fighting the VA on every front and I know many other veterans are as well. I don't think that it is too much to ask that we be given the benefits that we have earned and were promised when we sacrificed much of our health and the prime years of our lives for our country.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Portland, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Portland, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Beaverton, OR writes:
Please do not take away this opportunity from our veterans.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelJul 24th, 2015Someone from Rainier, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Woodburn, OR signed.
Jul 24th, 2015Someone from Durham, NC signed.
Jul 23rd, 2015Someone from Stewartstown, PA signed.
Jul 23rd, 2015Someone from Pensacola, FL writes:
Our veterans did/do so much of us! The least we could do is let them have their G.I billREPORT COMMENTS
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