Just how many Guard members will use their GI Bill or other benefits is uncertain.

In Utah, about 1,300 students at public colleges and universities are taking advantage of the 63-year-old GI Bill. About 165 more use the benefit at private schools Brigham Young University and Westminster College, according to data collected by the Utah System of Higher Education.

Nationally, it's estimated that about 400,000 students annually use more than $1.4 billion in GI Bill benefits, which are administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The government makes it clear, however, that the GI Bill "is not intended to meet a specific level of educational benefits but rather to 'help meet, in part,' expenses associated with higher education," according to the Web site www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore.

Utah Department of Veterans Affairs director Terry Schow recalls using military benefits after serving with the Army in Vietnam to secure a home loan and pay in full for his college education. Schow said he is aware of improvements in recent years to the GI Bill.

"Is it enough yet? No," Schow said. "Is it better? Yes."

Schow called the GI Bill of Rights the "single most important piece of legislation to ever affect veterans."

States like Utah extend additional benefits to military members and their families.

Active Guardsmen in Utah can access a state tuition assistance program — in addition to the federal program — that offers 100 percent tuition and up to $250 in fees.

There is also a tuition waiver, or scholarship, program for National Guard members. Over 160 waivers were granted for the 2003-04 school year.

Web sites that direct people to more education benefits include:

• www.dantes.doded.mil

• www.us.army.mil (click on the "My Education" link)

• www.helmetstohardhats.org

• www.proudtoserveagain.com

Yet another benefit came via the 2007 Legislature, which created a college tuition waiver for surviving dependents of Utah (resident) military members killed while on federal active duty. It's estimated that there are about 40 dependents, at a cost of about $5,200 per undergraduate student, who could qualify for the waiver.

"A lot of times people get in and fail to use the benefits that are available because they're not thinking in that direction," Johnson said. "It comes back to planning."

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com