By Ben Coulter
May is Military Appreciation Month, a time designated to honor and recognize the contributions, sacrifices and service of present and past members of the armed forces. In North Carolina, there are approximately 94,540 active-duty service members and 43,056 National Guard and Reserve members. More than 720,000 veterans live in our state.
Beyond saying “Thank you for your service” and offering military discounts, a more sustained and impactful way to appreciate the military community is to ensure they have access to suitable housing, healthcare and education.
The GI Bill was initially created as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 and most recently enacted as the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (informally known as the “Forever GI Bill”). The GI Bill has helped veterans like me pursue higher education, start businesses and build successful careers. It’s disheartening to see that only 54% of eligible veterans have taken advantage of it.
While the Department of Veterans Affairs administers the GI Bill, the military offers other programs that provide funding and support for postsecondary education. Individual military branches provide Tuition Assistance (TA) and Credentialing Assistance (CA) programs only for currently serving military members.
Each branch other than the U.S. Space Force operates Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) programs, wherein every service member is mapped to at least one civilian license or certificate opportunity. CA funds service members to pursue professional certifications to help with their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or post-military careers. More than 64,000 service members have used the benefit to earn industry-recognized certifications.
Unfortunately, funds for CA and TA programs offered by the U.S. Army are in danger of being reduced or eliminated. Army Secretary Christine Warmouth recently told Congress that CA is a “catastrophic success” due to the large number of soldiers taking advantage of the program. This has resulted in higher-than-forecasted costs and is threatening the program’s future. According to sources contacted by military.com, the Army is considering reducing credentialing benefits in 2025 from $4,000 per year without a cap to just $1,000 per year with a cap of $4,000 during a soldier’s career.
Another option the Army is considering is to cap the number of certifications a soldier could earn during their military career. Curtailing funding for these programs will critically reduce access to educational and career advancement opportunities for service members and veterans. This could decrease their employability and overall well-being, a situation we must urgently address.
Professional credentials document the attainment of sought-after or qualifying skills – particularly valuable as more employers use skills-based hiring – and can be earned quicker than associate or bachelor’s degrees. Many certifications can be stackable toward a degree, providing a two-for-one advantage. Certifications embedded in a degree program can positively affect those transitioning from the military, reducing any socioeconomic difficulties they might have while responding to critical workforce needs and positioning them for rewarding post-service career pathways.
Every year, around 250,000 men and women retire from or leave military service. While the unemployment rate for veterans has been better than that for non-veterans recently (3% vs. 3.8% in March 2024), unemployed and underemployed veterans face many challenges. Veterans between 18 and 30 are more than twice as likely than the general population to be homeless.
I strongly encourage ongoing support and funding of educational benefits for veterans and those currently serving. Studies have shown that utilization of the GI Bill has declined steadily since 2016. Perhaps this is due to a misperception that college degrees aren’t worth it, but facts do not bear that out. Although earnings vary by field of study, GI Bill users with an associate or bachelor’s degree earn, on average, between $3,000 to $14,000 per year more than workers with some college credit but no degree.
I also strongly advocate that our military branches strive to maintain and increase their budget to fund TA and CA programs. At a time when recruiting is down and non-commissioned personnel cite educational assistance as a primary incentive for enlistment and reenlistment, cutting these popular and highly prized benefits is decidedly the wrong move.
During Military Appreciation Month and beyond, we should collectively advocate for increasing, not decreasing, educational benefits for all service members, past and present. This will help ensure rewarding post-service careers, positively impact our nation’s economy, address local workforce needs, and uplift the quality of life for those who have given so much in service to our country.
Ben Coulter, Ed.D., is southeast regional director for Western Governors University, an accredited nonprofit online university, and serves as chancellor of WGU North Carolina.
