GI Bill Education Quality Enhancement Act of 2015

Summary: GI Bill Education Quality Enhancement Act of 2015 Deems specified education programs to be approved for veterans' education benefit purposes if a state approving agency determines that they qualify. Authorizes a state approving agency, or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) acting in the role of a state approving agency, to approve other accredited programs for such purposes. Continues to allow state approving agencies to establish additional criteria (other than those set forth in current law) for the approval of nonaccredited courses, but requires VA to determine that such criteria are necessary and treat public, private, and proprietary for-profit educational institutions equitably. Prohibits VA from including flight training fees in the in-state tuition and fees at public institutions of higher education (IHEs) that are covered by post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance. Requires post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance for flight training programs at public IHEs to be determined in the same manner as such assistance for education programs pursued at non-public or foreign IHEs is determined. Directs VA to conduct an annual compliance survey of educational institutions and training establishments offering courses approved for veterans' education benefits if at least 20 individuals who are eligible for such benefits are enrolled in any such course. (Currently, an annual compliance survey of each institution offering such courses must be conducted if at least 300 beneficiaries are enrolled or if any such course does not lead to a standard college degree.) Authorizes VA to waive the annual survey for institutions or establishments that have a record of compliance. Requires VA to conduct a biennial survey of each educational institution and training establishment that offers courses approved for veterans' education benefits.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``GI Bill Education Quality 
Enhancement Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. ROLE OF STATE APPROVING AGENCIES.

    (a) Approval of Certain Courses.--Section 3672(b)(2)(A) of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``the following'' and 
all that follows through the colon and inserting the following: ``a 
program of education is deemed to be approved for purposes of this 
chapter if a State approving agency determines that the program is one 
of the following programs:''.
    (b) Approval of Other Courses.--Section 3675 of such title 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``The Secretary or a State 
                approving agency'' and inserting ``A State approving 
                agency, or the Secretary when acting in the role of a 
                State approving agency,''; and
                    (B) by striking ``offered by proprietary for-profit 
                educational institutions'' and inserting ``not covered 
                by section 3672 of this title''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``the Secretary or the 
        State approving agency'' and inserting ``the State approving 
        agency, or the Secretary when acting in the role of a State 
        approving agency,'' each place it appears.

SEC. 3. CRITERIA USED TO APPROVE NONACCREDITED COURSES.

    (a) In General.--Section 3676(c)(14) of such title is amended by 
inserting before the period the following: ``if the Secretary, in 
consultation with the State approving agency and pursuant to 
regulations prescribed to carry out this paragraph, determines such 
criteria are necessary and treat public, private, and proprietary for-
profit educational institutions equitably''.
    (b) Application.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply 
with respect to an investigation conducted under section 3676(c) of 
title 38, United States Code, that is covered by a reimbursement of 
expenses paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to a State pursuant 
to section 3674 of such title on or after the first day of the first 
fiscal year following the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. CLARIFICATION OF ASSISTANCE PROVIDED FOR CERTAIN FLIGHT 
              TRAINING.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (c)(1)(A) of section 3313 of such title 
is amended--
            (1) in clause (i)--
                    (A) by redesignating subclauses (I) and (II) as 
                items (aa) and (bb), respectively;
                    (B) by striking ``In the case of a program of 
                education pursued at a public institution of higher 
                learning'' and inserting ``(I) Subject to subclause 
                (II), in the case of a program of education pursued at 
                a public institution of higher learning not described 
                in clause (ii)(II)(bb)''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subclause:
                            ``(II) In determining the actual net cost 
                        for in-State tuition and fees pursuant to 
                        subclause (I), the Secretary may not pay for 
                        fees relating to flight training.''; and
            (2) in clause (ii)--
                    (A) in subclause (I), by redesignating items (aa) 
                and (bb) as subitems (AA) and (BB), respectively;
                    (B) in subclause (II), by redesignating items (aa) 
                and (bb) as subitems (AA) and (BB), respectively;
                    (C) by redesignating subclauses (I) and (II) as 
                items (aa) and (bb), respectively;
                    (D) by striking ``In the case of a program of 
                education pursued at a non-public or foreign 
                institution of higher learning'' and inserting ``(I) In 
                the case of a program of education described in 
                subclause (II)''; and
                    (E) by adding at the end the following new 
                subclause:
                            ``(II) A program of education described in 
                        this subclause is any of the following:
                                    ``(aa) A program of education 
                                pursued at a non-public or foreign 
                                institution of higher learning.
                                    ``(bb) A program of education 
                                pursued at a public institution of 
                                higher learning in which flight 
                                training is required to earn the degree 
                                being pursued (including with respect 
                                to a dual major, concentration, or 
                                other element of such a degree).''.
    (b) Application.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply 
with respect to a quarter, semester, or term, as applicable, commencing 
on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. COMPLIANCE SURVEYS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3693 of such title is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following 
        new subsection (a):
    ``(a)(1) Except as provided in subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
conduct an annual compliance survey of educational institutions and 
training establishments offering one or more courses approved for the 
enrollment of eligible veterans or persons if at least 20 such veterans 
or persons are enrolled in any such course. The Secretary shall--
            ``(A) design the compliance surveys to ensure that such 
        institutions or establishments, as the case may be, and 
        approved courses are in compliance with all applicable 
        provisions of chapters 30 through 36 of this title;
            ``(B) survey each such educational institution and training 
        establishment not less than once during every two-year period; 
        and
            ``(C) assign not fewer than one education compliance 
        specialist to work on compliance surveys in any year for each 
        40 compliance surveys required to be made under this section 
        for such year.
    ``(2) The Secretary, in consultation with the State approving 
agencies, shall--
            ``(A) annually determine the parameters of the surveys 
        required under paragraph (1); and
            ``(B) not later than September 1 of each year, make 
        available to the State approving agencies a list of the 
        educational institutions and training establishments that will 
        be surveyed during the fiscal year following the date of making 
        such list available.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) In this section, the terms `educational institution' and 
`training establishment' have the meaning given such terms in section 
3452 of this title.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Subsection (b) of such section is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``subsection (a) of this section for an 
        annual compliance survey'' and inserting ``subsection (a)(1) 
        for a compliance survey'';
            (2) by striking ``institution'' and inserting ``educational 
        institution or training establishment''; and
            (3) by striking ``institution's demonstrated record of 
        compliance'' and inserting ``record of compliance of such 
        institution or establishment''.