(The Center Square) – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has returned to federal court in a years-long effort to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs complies with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on veterans’ education benefits.
Miyares filed a case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, arguing the VA continues to deny veterans the full 48 months of education benefits they are entitled to under the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills. The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that veterans who qualify for both programs may use them together. Miyares argues the VA still requires veterans to choose one or the other.
“Veterans who qualify for benefits should receive their full benefits, full stop,” Miyares said in a statement. “We believe we are correct on the merits and look forward to an amicable resolution on behalf of those who have served.”
Since 2023, Miyares has led multistate filings tied to the case of James Rudisill, a decorated Virginia Army veteran who was denied his full GI Bill benefits. In April 2023, he led a coalition of 33 attorneys general urging the Supreme Court to hear Rudisill’s case, and in August 2023 he led 42 in urging the Court to side with him.
The Court ruled in Rudisill’s favor in 2024, confirming that qualifying veterans can combine their benefits for up to 48 months of education.
The GI Bill, created in 1944, helps veterans and their families pay for education and training. Today, the two main programs are the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill. Each can provide up to 36 months of benefits, and in some cases, veterans who qualify for both can combine them for 48 months. Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, service members may also transfer unused benefits to a spouse or children.
In March and again in June 2025, Miyares led coalitions of 52 attorneys general backing veterans including Virginia Army Lt. Col. Paul Yoon and U.S. Air Force Col. Toby Doran, who were denied full GI Bill benefits.
Yoon served nearly 24 years, including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo.
The new Aug. 14 filing asks the Federal Circuit to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision more broadly. Miyares argues the VA’s interpretation continues to deny benefits to many qualified veterans.
Virginia is home to about 614,000 veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Miyares said the latest case seeks to ensure they, along with veterans nationwide, receive the education benefits they earned through service.
