A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has expanded GI Bill benefits, enabling more veterans to attend law school at the University of Montana. The ruling in Rudisill v. McDonough allows veterans who have earned both Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to use them consecutively, up to a 48-month total cap. This change overturns previous Department of Veterans Affairs policy that limited veterans to using only the first set of benefits they claimed.
The new legal landscape has directly benefited students like Remington Prochaska from Everett, Washington, and David Ley from Missoula. Both are disabled veterans and former non-commissioned officers who recently established the Veterans Law Group at UM’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law.
“We’re building a network of veterans bound by shared experience,” Ley said. “The nation has already invested in shaping us into capable, caring leaders. Now we’re putting that investment to work by strengthening and uplifting our communities.”
The group is focused on several initiatives: addressing veteran accessibility through policy reform and public awareness; creating statewide legal assistance for veterans; offering skill-building opportunities related to lobbying and legislation; and aiming for representation in Washington, D.C., by 2026.
Prochaska explained his motivation: “I feel like I have soldiers again. My goal is to create something we can use as support now, and we are building something future veterans will continue to use after we leave.”
Ley reflected on his own educational journey while serving: “I started college in a tent in Afghanistan, sneaking away to finish assignments after missions,” he said. “I would study flashcards in the bunker during rocket attacks.”
According to Ley, the Supreme Court’s decision was significant for those seeking further education after military service: “This was a huge decision for veterans,” he said. “It allowed me to save my GI Bill, allowing me to go to law school.”
Currently, several veterans are enrolled at UM’s law school—including seven second-year students this year alone. The Blewett School of Law also employs a Master of Social Work intern who is a disabled veteran utilizing both GI Bill and Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits.
“The Army instilled these values into us for combat,” Prochaska said. “Here, we’re taking that mindset and using it to help others succeed in a new battlefield – law school.”
