When I went in the Air Force in 1974 the original GI Bill was still in effect. By the time I got out with a medical disability 16 years later, it had expired. No one realized the old bill didn't convert to one of the newer programs - I think it was the Montgomery Bill then - until I had already enrolled in college and completed the semester. Then I had to pay what I thought had already been paid by the GI Bill and was unable to continue.