Repeal of Limitations

• The first part of the GI Bill for Life repealed the 10-year limitation on using educational assistance as provided in the Montgomery bill. The Montgomery bill stipulated that retired solders had to start using their grant money within 10 years of their last day of active duty. The amendment would have ended any restrictions on when it could be used.
  
  

Entitlement Periods

• The Montgomery bill also included a 14-year restriction on educational assistance from date of discharge for members of the Selected Reserve, and a 10-year restriction for members of the Ready Reserve. The GI Bill for Life aimed to extend those deadlines so that educational aid did not expire in the middle of a school term. Money would remain available for an additional 12 weeks, or until the end of the semester or quarter, whichever came first. For example, if a student's aid was set to expire April 2, the second day of the second quarter, but he was still attending classes, aid would not expire before the end of June, or on the last day of classes.
  
  

Senate Version

• The 2007 Senate version of the bill, S. 1261, sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, was referred to the Veterans' Affairs Committee, but was never released to the Senate floor for a full vote. It had six cosponsors, including Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, but met the same fate as its 2005 predecessor.
  
  

House Version

• Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Washington, introduced the House of Representatives version of the GI Bill for Life on May 9, 2007. It had 14 cosponsors but also never got out of committee.
  
  

Impact

• While the GI Bill for Life never became law, it did raise the idea of extending the time limitations found in the Montgomery bill. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, sponsored the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which increased the eligibility period from 10 years to 15 years. The Post 9/11 GI Bill took effect Aug. 1, 2009. after being signed into law 13 months earlier by President Bush. It only counts military service performed after Sept. 10, 2001. All service before that is still covered by the Montgomery bill.