Attorney General Dan Rayfield has joined a group of 51 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The brief supports two military veterans, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon and Colonel Toby Doran, who claim they were unlawfully denied full G.I. Bill education benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Rayfield stated, "No veteran who has served our country should be denied access to the education they’ve earned." He emphasized that participating in this bipartisan effort is both a policy matter and a moral obligation.
The brief argues that the VA's interpretation of the G.I. Bills contradicts a Supreme Court ruling in Rudisill v. McDonough. This ruling confirmed that veterans eligible under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 G.I. Bills are entitled to 48 months of education benefits. Despite this precedent, the VA has limited benefits based on what is described as an erroneous reading of the ruling.
The attorneys general from all U.S. states and territories except one have joined Rayfield in this legal action.