Mayes Helps Secure Education Benefits for Previously-Denied Veteran

Kris Mayes Attorney General

Arizona Attorney General (AG) Kris Mayes applauded the recent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decision to give full education benefits to the retired Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon.

LTC (Ret.) Yoon served in the Army for 24 years, making him qualified for the Post-9/11 GI and Montgomery GI Bills to receive 48 months of education benefits based on the length of his service.

However, Yoon claimed that the VA denied him the ability to transfer the benefits to his daughter, which flies in the face of Rudisill v. McDonough.

AG Mayes joined a bipartisan coalition of every Attorney General in the Union under the banner of Virginia's AG Jason Miyares to demand that the Yoons receive the full measure of benefits.

"Veterans put their lives on the line in service to us and to our country," said AG Mayes in her press release, adding, "It's our duty to uphold our promise to them and ensure every single veteran in America can access the benefits they earned while fighting for our freedom."

Similarly, AG Miyares stated, "I was proud to have led the bipartisan coalitions of 52 attorneys general fighting to ensure Virginia Army veteran Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon received every benefit he earned while fighting for our country and our freedom. I know there are many other veterans like Lieutenant Colonel Yoon out there—and I implore the VA to honor their service by permanently granting them full benefits as well."

At the beginning of August, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) backed the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment of 2025 (COLA) Act, which similarly increases the payout for benefits such as disability, dependency, and indemnity compensation and clothing allowances.

"Our veterans put their lives on the line for this country, and we owe it to them to make sure their benefits actually cover the cost of living," said Sen. Gallego, adding, "At a time when the cost of everything is going up, this bill is a commonsense way to make sure veterans aren't left behind by inflation."

Grayson Bakich

Florida born and raised, Grayson Bakich is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His thesis examined recent trends in political polarization and how this leads into justification of violence.