I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8426 

To provide for modified requirements relating to apprenticeship and onjob training programs during the COVID–19 emergency under the educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Mr. LAMB (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. CISNEROS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for modified requirements relating to apprenticeship and on-job training programs during the COVID– 

19 emergency under the educational assistance programs 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Apprentice5 ship Training for Veterans Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. APPRENTICESHIP OR ON-JOB TRAINING REQUIRE2 MENTS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—During the period described in 

4 subsection (b), subsection (e) of section 3687 of title 38, 

5 United States Code, shall be applied by substituting the 

6 following for paragraph (2): 

7 ‘‘(2)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), 

8 for any month in which an individual fails to com9 plete 120 hours of training, the entitlement other10 wise chargeable under paragraph (1) shall be re11 duced in the same proportion as the monthly train12 ing assistance allowance payable is reduced under 

13 subsection (b)(3). 

14 ‘‘(B) In the case of an individual who is unem15 ployed during any month, the 120-hour requirement 

16 under subparagraph (A) for that month shall be re17 duced proportionately to reflect the individual’s pe18 riod of unemployment, except that the amount of 

19 monthly training assistance otherwise payable to the 

20 individual under subsection (b)(3) shall not be re21 duced. 

22 ‘‘(C) Any period during which an individual is 

23 unemployed shall not— 

24 ‘‘(i) be charged against any entitlement to 

25 educational assistance of the individual; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) be counted against the aggregate pe2 riod for which section 3695 of this title limits 

3 the receipt of educational assistance by such in4 dividual. 

5 ‘‘(D) Any amount by which the entitlement of 

6 an individual is reduced under subparagraph (A) 

7 shall not— 

8 ‘‘(i) be charged against any entitlement to 

9 educational assistance of the individual; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) be counted against the aggregate pe11 riod for which section 3695 of this title limits 

12 the receipt of educational assistance by such in13 dividual. 

14 ‘‘(E) In the case of an individual who fails to 

15 complete 120 hours of training during a month, but 

16 who completed more than 120 hours of training dur17 ing the preceding month, the individual may apply 

18 the number of hours in excess of 120 that the indi19 vidual completed for that month to the month for 

20 which the individual failed to complete 120 hours. If 

21 the addition of such excess hours results in a total 

22 of 120 hours or more, the individual shall be treated 

23 as an individual who has completed 120 hours of 

24 training for that month. Any excess hours applied to 


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1 a different month under this subparagraph may only 

2 be applied to one such month. 

3 ‘‘(F) This paragraph applies to amounts de4 scribed in section 3313(g)(3)(B)(iv) and section 

5 3032(c)(2) of this title and section 16131(d)(2) of 

6 title 10. 

7 ‘‘(G) In this paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(i) The term ‘unemployed’ includes being 

9 furloughed or being scheduled to work zero 

10 hours. 

11 ‘‘(ii) The term ‘fails to complete 120 hours 

12 of training’ means, with respect to an indi13 vidual, that during any month, the individual 

14 completes at least one hour, but fewer than 120 

15 hours, of training, including in a case in which 

16 the individual is unemployed for part of, but 

17 not the whole, month.’’. 

18 (b) APPLICABILITY PERIOD.—The period described 

19 in this section is the period beginning on March 1, 2020, 

20 and ending on December 21, 2021. 

Æ 


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