Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–September 17, 2015. Today, a bill introduced by Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) and Congressman Scott Rigell (VA-2) passed out of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs as part of a larger package of reform initiatives. The Congresswoman originally introduced The Military Spouses’ Achieving College Education for Survivors (ACES) Act this past Memorial Day.
This bipartisan legislation would provide surviving spouses whose husband or wife died in the line of duty after 9/11/2001, the time necessary to use the full 36 month benefit from the Fry Scholarship without fear of it being cut short halfway through their educational pursuits.
The Fry Scholarship is an educational benefit given to children of our fallen troops. In August of 2014, Congress voted to extend this benefit to surviving spouses as well. Currently, public law cuts off Fry Scholarship Eligibility 15 years from the date of a Servicemember’s death. Unfortunately, this means that spouses who lost their loved one shortly after 9/11 only have a possible 12 or 24 months of eligibility to use an educational benefit that is good for 36 months of enrollment and is normally used over the course of 4 years. The ACES Act will allow surviving spouses whose eligibility will end before they can fully use their benefit to complete their education.
“I’m happy that the Committee included this common sense bill to fix a loophole that was truly affecting our earliest OEF and OIF surviving spouses,” Duckworth said. “By advancing this legislation out of Committee we move one step closer to ensuring these spouses receive the benefits they earned and deserve. I will continue to fight to ensure that this bill gets a vote on the House floor.”
“There is no more appropriate way to stand with our Gold Star families than to ensure they have access to the educational and other benefits promised to them by our nation,” Congressman Scott Rigell (VA-02) said. “This good, bipartisan legislation will ensure our military spouses who lost loved ones shortly after September 11, 2001 will be able to use their full educational benefit through the Fry Scholarship, without fear of it being cut short halfway through their educational pursuits. I commend my colleagues on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs for taking quick action on this legislation, and I look forward to seeing it come to the House floor for a vote.”
Source: www.duckworth.house.gov
