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under this subchapter, subject to the availability of appro-
priations. 
‘‘(i) SPECIAL SKILLS.—(1) In the case of a person 
who has a skill or specialty designated by the Secretary 
of the military department concerned as a skill or specialty 
in which there is a critical shortage of personnel or for 
which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical 
units, retain personnel, the Secretary of the military de-
partment concerned may increase the rate of the edu-
cational assistance allowance applicable to that person to 
such rate in excess of the rate prescribed under subpara-
graphs (A) through (D) of subsection (b)(1) as the Sec-
retary of Defense considers appropriate, but the amount 
of any such increase may not exceed $350 per month. 
‘‘(2) In the case of a person who has a skill or spe-
cialty designated by the Secretary of the military depart-
ment concerned as a skill or specialty in which there is 
a critical shortage of personnel or for which it is difficult 
to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain personnel, 
who is eligible for educational benefits under chapter 30 
(other than section 3012) of this title and who meets the 
eligibility criteria specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
of section 3302(a)(1) of this title, the Secretary of the 
military department concerned may increase the rate of 
the educational assistance allowance applicable to that
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person to such rate in excess of the rate prescribed under 
section 3015 of this title as the Secretary of Defense con-
siders appropriate, but the amount of any such increase 
may not exceed $350 per month. 
‘‘(3) The authority provided by paragraphs (1) and 
(2) shall be exercised by the Secretaries of the military 
departments under regulations prescribed by the Secretary 
of Defense. 
‘‘(j) LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION.—(1) Subject 
to paragraph (3), the amount of educational assistance 
payable under this subchapter for a licensing or certifi-
cation test described in section 3452(b) of this title is the 
lesser of $2,000 or the fee charged for the test. 
‘‘(2) The number of months of entitlement charged 
in the case of any individual for such licensing or certifi-
cation test is equal to the number (including any fraction) 
determined by dividing the total amount of educational as-
sistance paid such individual for such test by the full-time 
monthly institutional rate of educational assistance which, 
but for paragraph (1), such individual would otherwise be 
paid under subsection (b). 
‘‘(3) In no event shall payment of educational assist-
ance under this subsection for such a test exceed the 
amount of the individual’s available entitlement under this 
subchapter.
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‘‘§ 3302. Eligibility for educational assistance 
‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY.—A person who— 
‘‘(1) after June 30, 1985— 
‘‘(A) enlists, reenlists, or extends an enlist-
ment as a Reserve for service in the Selected 
Reserve for a period of not less than six years; 
or 
‘‘(B) is appointed as, or is serving as, a re-
serve officer and agrees to serve in the Selected 
Reserve for a period of not less than six years 
in addition to any other period of obligated 
service in the Selected Reserve to which the 
person may be subject; and 
‘‘(2) before applying for benefits under this sec-
tion, has completed the requirements of a secondary 
school diploma (or an equivalency certificate); 
is entitled to educational assistance under section 3301 
of this title. 
‘‘(b) ACTIVE DUTY
FOR TRAINING REQUIRED.— 
Educational assistance may not be provided to a member 
under this subchapter until the member has completed the 
initial period of active duty for training required of the 
member. 
‘‘(c) NOTIFICATION.—Each person who becomes enti-
tled to educational assistance under subsection (a) shall 
at the time the person becomes so entitled be given a