As a veteran and American, I'm going to be direct. Don't tell me what to do with my life! You don't know how to run it... only I do!

While the Federal Government wants to play a roll of "big brother," in selecting their benefits. Returning veterans know the benefits they wish to pursue. Some want college and others want to skip the degree to attend a technical schools and thus skip world history and calculus. A meat and potato school to save time. Many of veterans have basic to advanced military training. They are seeking an advanced certificate for a good paying job. Most of our service men and women have figured out a BA in pre-Cambrian basket weaving will not support a family.

Even in accredited institutions, the VA imposes its limits. If it's not part of your major prep coursework, classes get denied and veterans can't use their benefits. Now, I understand why they would have in place if a student is taking BS classes that really are not going to benefit a student and make no sense whatsoever. However, I was forced to change my major in order to get VA benefits so I could complete classes for grad school requirements (I was a gender studies major that is also completing pre-requisites for a physician's assistant graduate program. Forced to change my major to biology). I have a plan in place, I know what classes I need to take, why can't I take classes I need for grad work as an undergraduate student if I no longer have classes to take for my B.A.? And I can't blame the VA for 100% of my situation as it is also the fault of counselors who would like me to stay at this school for another year when I'm getting ready to transfer. Yet, I have no other classes I can take for my undergrad studies. Seems to me that even accredited school are operating on the level of some of the sketchy for-profit schools as well. I think the VA needs to step aside for students that have a plan in place and know exactly what they're doing when it comes to educational requirements.

Veterans earned these benefits and have a right to use them however they please. Even college students get to choose their courses! These are grown men and women. Treat them like it.

The Veterans earned their way to their free education by fighting for our freedom. When a student wins a scholarship they're not forced to use that towards certain courses, so why would we make our Veterans do that?

.......what? but students going to school on the taxpayer's dime can study whatever? this should be an individual choice

Education should be free to those who risk their life for others.

The military limits those who serve enough as it is. There shouldn't be limits on the education they want to pursue.

Let veterans choose their own benefits.

Only if military actions have to be approved by veterans in return.

Seems like a solution without a problem.

This is a bullshit bill proposed by people in Congress whom either have no clue how our benefits work or is using us as a manipulation tool (now or future) for election/political purposes- they can burn in hell for abusing us either way. I am not usually so confrontational in my responses, but This is getting ridiculous. Our GI Bill benefits are 1. Limited to use only at accredited Universities and 2) no longer sufficient to cover the cost of a secondary education (maybe in the 80s/90s yes, but no longer). If they want to actually DO something, make it illegal for "for profit" universities to charge anything more than a public university would and place the same lending limits on them as public universities. As it is, for profits (the ones you see advertising on Facebook and on the radio/on TV all the time; eg Ashford, Phoenix, etc) are able to exploit a lending limits loophole for Vets that lets them use up our entire GI Bill, then lend on top of it up to the limit that a public school would otherwise have been limited to (effectively doubling down on the money they get). What Vets aren't aware of is that these schools promote themselves as "Veteran friendly" and target us with job types that we tend to gravitate toward, then (conveniently) don't warn us so we have no idea what has happened until we have a degree (often not of the type that people are familiar, so it ends up being effectively useless), no GI Bill left, and are $40k in debt (with no job to pay it off because the degree isn't recognized). Want to actually do something? Close this loophole and help those who've been hurt by it. Better yet, make public tuition free...