In polls new US military recruits list “money for college” as the number one reason they joined the military. And it’s no wonder with college costs rising more than 40 percent in the past five years paired with a flailing economy that is leaving many young people and their families without homes – without jobs. In a country where education is a privilege and not a right young people are left with few options if they cannot afford the privilege of attending a university. Yet without a college degree their prospects are dim and the cycle of poverty that they grew up in is likely to continue since high school graduates make only half of what college graduates make.

And so when military recruiters visiting high schools and homes promising a free college education for three years of active service in the military it is an offer that is, for many, too good to pass up. But the education reimbursement plan that is currently in place is not so good as many argue it should be. For starters, the current plan covers only 60-percent to 70-percent of the average cost of college. This is because it provides the same amount of funding for veterans regardless of where they attend college – and as with everything – college is more expensive in some states than others. Another problem with the plan is that it is disbursed in monthly payments as opposed to lump sums – forcing eligible veterans to pay the tuition upfront and be reimbursed later.

Concerns about the effectiveness of the plan have led some legislators to push for a more comprehensive and complete educational plan for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Virginia US Senator Jim Webb, who is himself a veteran of the Vietnam War, heads the effort to reform the educational provisions. In May Sen. Webb’s proposed GI Bill was passed by Congress in one of the most landslide bipartisan votes of the new Congress. The bill would provide veterans who have served post-9/11 with tuition benefits equal to the most expensive public universities in their respective states. It would also provide stipends for living expenses and books based on the cost of living in their respective locations. Other changes from the current educational plan are a payment disbursement schedule that wouldn’t require veterans to front the money for their tuition and an extended timeframe to redeem the educational benefits.

Despite the bill’s widespread support in the Congress, President George W. Bush has vowed to veto the legislation. He believes, as does Sen. McCain that the bill would encourage young people to leave the military after serving the minimum required term to receive the educational benefits. Proponents of the bill counter that if the educational benefits were better more people would enlist in the armed forces. If the president chooses to veto the bill, Congress may override the veto by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.