If you were counting on the GI Bill to help fund your college education, there are some important changes on the horizon that you need to know more about. Although the changes, which will go into effect on August 1, will represent the biggest boost to the GI Bill since it was first created, the changes could drastically affect where you decide to go to school. In fact, while you may be able to receive a full ride at some colleges, you may receive very little help at others.

As an example of these new discrepancies, a veteran who attends a college in New Hampshire, such as Dartmouth, can expect to get up to $25,000 each year from the GI Bill. Due to an additional grant that is provided by the school, veterans can essentially attend the school for free. In Massachusetts, on the other hand, the government will only provide a veteran with about $2,200 to attend one of the state’s private schools, which cost about the same to attend as Dartmouth. Similarly, veterans who attend a private school in Texas can receive about $20,000 per semester to offset their college costs, but veterans attending school in California won’t receive any assistance at all.

So, why is there such a discrepancy in the amount of funding a veteran can receive for his or her schooling? One reason for the change is the new formula that the government has developed for determining benefits, but the massive differences are also due to the way the Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to implement the new laws as well.

According to the old GI Bill laws, veterans received a monthly stipend that was the same in each state. With the new GI Bill, however, veterans receive full tuition to pursue in-state, undergraduate studies at a public college. The bill also allows veterans to receive assistance to attend private schools, which are generally far pricier, as well. In order to determine the amount of funding veterans can receive, the new bill offers tuition assistance that is equivalent to the state’s most expensive public college. Therefore, in states where private colleges have gone out of their way to keep tuition costs down, veterans will actually receive less financial assistance.

While the new GI Bill is a great deal for veterans in states with high private college costs, such as New York, New Hampshire and Texas, it is a terrible deal for those in states with low tuition costs. This is particularly true in California, where public universities are not allowed to charge tuition, but charge extravagant fees that can add up to thousands of dollars each year instead. According to the new GI Bill formula, veterans will not receive assistance in California because the colleges have no tuition costs. Yet, veterans will still get stuck paying the fees on their own. If the Department of Veterans Affairs would have combined tuition costs and fees when determining their reimbursement levels, the results would have been far more favorable.

Although many veterans are understandably upset about the changes – particularly those who were planning to attend school in states where the benefits will be lower – the VA claims their hands were tied by Congress. To that end, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., has proposed new legislation that will help correct the problem if it is passed.

“California’s generosity on state tuition was intended to keep college costs down, not inadvertently increase costs for the state’s veterans,” Lindsey Mask, who is the spokeswoman for McKeon, is reported as saying.

Many others agree, stating that the new GI Bill looks great on paper, but it wasn’t thought through well enough to provide the type of support it is meant to provide. Hopefully, some changes can be made to the bill within enough time to have a positive impact on our veterans’ future.