[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3279 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3279
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide additional
entitlement to Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to certain veterans and
members of the Armed Forces who require extra time to complete remedial
and deficiency courses, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 12, 2020
Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide additional
entitlement to Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to certain veterans and
members of the Armed Forces who require extra time to complete remedial
and deficiency courses, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Education and Transfer
Extension Act of 2019'' or the ``VET Extension Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Individuals who are entitled to Post-9/11 Educational
Assistance who require remedial and deficiency courses exhaust
their entitlement before completing a program of education with
such assistance.
(2) Members of the Armed Forces who are entitled to Post-9/
11 Educational Assistance and who do not have dependents while
serving as members of the Armed Forces are not able to transfer
their entitlement to such assistance when they come to have
dependents.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENT TO POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR
CERTAIN VETERANS AND MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO
REQUIRE EXTRA TIME TO COMPLETE REMEDIAL COURSES.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 33 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 3320A. Additional assistance
``(a) In General.--The number of months of educational assistance
under section 3313 of this title an eligible individual is entitled to
under section 3312 of this title is hereby increased by the lesser of--
``(1) 15 months; or
``(2) in the case of an eligible individual who attempted
or completed remedial and deficiency courses as described in
subsection (b)(4), the full-time equivalent number of months of
educational assistance used under this chapter to complete such
remedial and deficiency courses.
``(b) Eligibility.--For purposes of this section, an eligible
individual is an individual--
``(1) who is or was entitled to educational assistance
under section 3311 of this title;
``(2) has received educational assistance under this
chapter at any time during the most recent six month period;
``(3) who has used all of the educational assistance to
which the individual is entitled under this chapter; and
``(4) who has attempted or completed remedial and
deficiency courses in pursuit of completing a program of
education at an institution of higher learning and in doing so
requires more than the standard 120 semester (or 180 quarter)
credit hours for completion of a program of education at an
institution of higher learning.
``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `institution of higher learning' has the
meaning given such term in section 3452 of this title.
``(2) The term `remedial and deficiency course' means a
course offered by an institution of higher learning that is
designed to overcome a deficiency.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
3320 the following new item:
``3320A. Additional assistance.''.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 3695 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d) In the case of an individual who receives additional
educational assistance under section 3320A of this title, the number of
months specified in subsection (a) shall instead be construed to
specify the number of months that is equal to the sum of--
``(1) such number of months; and
``(2) the amount of the increase in number of months of
educational assistance to which the individual is entitled
pursuant to section 3320A(a) of such title.''.
SEC. 4. INCREASED FLEXIBILITY IN TRANSFERRING ENTITLEMENT TO POST-9/11
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.
Section 3319 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (e)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as
subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively, and
indenting such subparagraphs appropriately;
(B) in the matter before subparagraph (A), as
redesignated by subparagraph (A), by striking ``An''
and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--An''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph (2):
``(2) Timing of designation.--In the case of an individual
who elects to transfer entitlement under subsection (a) but who
at the time of the election does not have any eligible
dependents, the individual may carry out the designations
required by paragraph (1) when the individual comes to have an
eligible dependent to whom the individual would like to
transfer entitlement under this section.''; and
(2) in subsection (f)--
(A) by striking paragraph (1);
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as
paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; and
(C) in paragraph (1)(A), as redesignated by
subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, including by
designating a new dependent or dependents to receive
the unused entitlement'' before the semicolon.
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