HARRISBURG – Attorney General Dave Sunday joined 52 other Attorneys General in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in support of two military veterans who were unlawfully denied their full G.I. Bill education benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Virginia.
According to the brief, U.S. Army veteran Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon and U.S. Air Force veteran Colonel Toby Doran, and their families, were denied crucial education benefits to which they are clearly entitled via the G.I. Bill. The amicus brief argues the Virginia VA is using an erroneous interpretation of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to limit education benefits.
“This bipartisan coalition of every state Attorney General in the country is a proclamation that veterans will not be cheated out of what they are owed,” Attorney General Sunday said. “As a proud veteran myself, my service and the benefits I received under the G.I. Bill enabled me to pursue an education, find a satisfying career, and provide for my family. The least we can do for veterans who sacrifice so much is make sure they receive that same access to education.”
The brief argues that the Virginia VA’s interpretation of the G.I. Bills contradicts the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Rudisill v. McDonough, which confirmed that veterans who qualify under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 G.I. Bills are entitled to a full 48 months of education benefits. Despite clear precedent, the Virginia VA has continued to deprive veterans and their families of critical educational opportunities.
Attorney General Sunday joins Attorneys General from every state and Washington D.C. in the amicus brief to a federal appeals court.
Read the brief here.
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