A brief history of the GI Bill Caitlin O'Brien March 10 President Franklin Roosevelt signs what would become known as the GI Bill in his office June 22, 1944. (FDR Library Photo Collection) With its history of expansions and additions to benefits for service members and veterans, the GI bill has been a life-changing piece of legislation since it first passed in 1944. Today, the GI bill helps qualifying veterans pay for higher education and training programs. The original bill, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, expired in 1956, but the colloquial term “GI bill” refers to legislation that has created programs for veterans since then. The legislation was extended as the Montgomery GI bill and again in the form of the Post-9/11 GI bill.