Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a coalition of 51 other 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 of the U.S. Army and Colonel Toby Doran of the U.S. Air Force, who were denied full G.I. Bill education benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The attorneys general argue that the VA's interpretation of the G.I. Bills contradicts a recent Supreme Court ruling in Rudisill v. McDonough. This ruling affirmed that veterans eligible under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 G.I. Bills are entitled to 48 months of education benefits. However, according to the brief, the VA has limited these benefits based on a misinterpretation of this ruling.
Attorney General Labrador emphasized the importance of fulfilling obligations to veterans: "Our veterans have made profound sacrifices for our country," he stated. "It is the responsibility of the United States to meet every obligation and contractual agreement we as a country made in exchange for their service. Keeping our word is not optional."
The amicus brief includes support from attorneys general across various states and territories, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, 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, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin and Wyoming.