Attorney General Phil Weiser today joined a bipartisan coalition of 34 states’ attorneys general
in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to protect veterans’ rights. In the case Rudisill v. McDonough,
the court will decide whether to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to deny veterans their
Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, which, for veterans with multiple periods of service, include funding
and allowing them to pursue higher education.
“Veterans have a legal right to benefits outlined under the GI Bill, including the right to pursue
higher education with their country’s support,” Weiser said. “Threatening to deny veterans these
benefits disrespects the brave men and women who made significant sacrifices in service to our
country.”
James Rudisill is a Virginia resident and a decorated army veteran of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. After his first tour, Rudisill used his Montgomery GI Bill Benefits to further his
education, successfully complete his undergraduate degree, and return to the U.S. Army as a
commissioned officer. Rudisill received one of the military’s highest accolades – the Bronze Star
– for his service. Following his third tour, Rudisill was accepted into the Yale Divinity School,
with a goal of returning to the armed forces yet again, this time as a chaplain.
The VA denied Rudisill his Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, even though veterans with multiple
requisite periods of service, like Rudisill, can earn up to 48 months of educational benefits. This
unexplainable decision by the VA was overturned by multiple courts, but the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit ultimately upheld the VA’s decision, robbing thousands of
veterans of the GI Benefits they earned while serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan.
