Slashed military tuition benefit back on track

A popular military education benefit slated to be slashed because of federal budget woes secured a new lease on life recently.

In late March, President Barak Obama signed the federal continuing funding resolution, designed to keep the government online until Sept. 30. An amendment connected to the spending resolution – co-sponsored by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden – directed the Department of Defense to reinstate the Tuition Assistance Program.

This week, the Oregon National Guard announced that citizen-soldiers across the state could begin to sign up for the program. However, Guardsmen will not be able to apply for funding for courses that began prior to April 10.

During the past 10 years, the Tuition Assistance Program proved to be a pivotal tool of the military to attract recruits. Qualified individuals in the armed forces could utilize the tuition assistance benefit and secure access to about $250 per credit hour with a $4,500 annual limit.

The return of the program is good news for both the Oregon Guard and Eastern Oregon’s biggest citizen-soldier outfit, the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment.

“With tuition assistance being restarted, our ability to recruit and retain the best young men and women in our communities is back on track,” said Maj. John Qualls, the executive officer of the 3-116th.

Qualls admitted that while the 3-116 Battalion is focused on defending the nation and the state, the unit also takes its role of furnishing educational opportunities to its soldiers very seriously.

“Educating our soldiers is a top priority,” he said.

Before the program was suspended because of projected funding shortfalls, more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. Army received funding for school.

Wyden said in a statement that he was pleased to see the program back on track.

“I was proud to co-sponsor an amendment to the bill that will require the Pentagon to fully fund tuition assistance programs for our men and women in uniform,” he said.