Supreme Court takes up dispute over educational benefits for veterans

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will consider a legal fight involving two federal programs that award educational benefits for veterans, including those who served in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. 

Arguments in the case are set to be heard by the justices when they convene for their next term, which begins in October. Lawyers for the veteran at the center of the case, James Rudisill, told the court it could resolve whether 1.7 million veterans can use full GI education benefits earned through service after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The case involves two laws passed by Congress that provide educational benefits to veterans in recognition of their service: the Montgomery GI Bill, enacted in 1984, awards qualifying veterans who served on active duty between 1985 and 2030; and the Post-9/11 GI Bill, enacted in June 2008, under which eligible veterans who served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, are entitled to 36 months of educational benefits.