by Vonda J. Sines

Created on: June 17, 2009   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

Since Congress passed the GI Bill in 1944, the legislation has been primarily identified with higher education and vocational training benefits for veterans. It's been amended a number of times since it became law.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, contains a provision called the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, better known as the Yellow Ribbon Program. According to the

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), this update to the GI Bill lets institutions form an agreement with the VA to cover tuition expenses that are greater than the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition in their state. The school can provide up to half the cost, with the VA matching the school's amount.

The college or university must agree to cover veterans who want to enter the program in the order they apply, without taking into consideration the rate at which the individual is pursuing training that academic year. It must cover the expense during the first and all following academic years in which the school participates in the program, so long as the student makes satisfactory academic progress and remains in good standing.

Contributions must be made to the program on behalf of the veterans in the form of a grant, scholarship or similar award. Schools must report the dollar amount contributed for each student during the academic year as well as indicate the number of students they will cover that year.

To participate, veterans must have served a total of 36 months of active duty after September 10, 2001. Others are eligible if they hold an honorable discharge for a service-related disability and served 30 continuous days following September 10, 2001. The Yellow Ribbon Program also covers dependents under the Transfer of Entitlement provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

For many former military service members who rely on GI Bill assistance to go to school, this program is the key to a successful future. According to The Washington Post, since the Federal government will now cover the cost of state universities and share the cost of pricier private colleges, superstars such as Harvard are now within reach for veterans.

The flaw in the Yellow Ribbon Program is that it results in different outcomes in various jurisdictions. In Washington, DC, for example, the only public institution is the University of the District of Columbia. This school serves as the basis of the VA reimbursement rate for private schools in the nation's capital but has one of

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