Aviation groups say a proposed new bill will essentially block military veterans from using their Veterans Administration benefits to obtain aviation degrees. The new measure would cap the VA benefits at $20,235 per year for flight training, a fraction of the cost of the programs that form the basis of degree aviation programs. The provision was rolled into a bill (H.R. 475) by the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Thursday. There is still a long legislative process ahead of the measure and aviation groups, led by Helicopter Association International (HAI), are urging opposition (PDF) to the proposal. "HAI believes the real work needs to be done by flight schools, veterans, and other members of the aviation community who need to pressure Congress to treat fairly vets who want a career in aviation," HAI said in a news release.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/bill-would-affect-va-aviation-training-benefits