I don't know when it started, but its been going on since GWB was in office.
a snippet:
But eligibility for the military compensation requires only that a person served in uniform and was honorably discharged. In other words, anyone who joins the military and serves for several years, then decides not to re-enlist, is potentially eligible for what could amount to more than 90 weeks of unemployment checks.
The program's cost rose from $300 million in 2003 to $928 million last year.
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2013/03/15/pentagon-spends-nearly-1b-a-year-on-unemployment

DO SOMETHING!