Office of the Attorney General, Saipan – Attorney General Edward Manibusan today joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 other attorneys general in filing a Virginia-led amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, standing with military veterans and their families to ensure they receive full G.I. Bill education benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“Education is the most powerful tool we can provide our Veterans who have served and sacrificed their time for our country. This benefit will help our Veterans achieve a normal life after their long service,” say Attorney General Manibusan.
The case, Yoon v. Collins, centers on Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon, a decorated Virginia Army veteran who served nearly 24 years, including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rudisill v. McDonough, the VA continues to deny LTC Yoon full G.I. Bill education benefits and has blocked him from transferring those benefits to his daughter.
In Rudisill, the Supreme Court held that veterans who qualify under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills are entitled to 48 months of combined education benefits based on their total length of service. The VA’s refusal to apply that ruling to LTC Yoon’s case directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s decision and undermines the federal government’s commitment to those who have served.
Virginia’s brief was joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.