SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Montgomery GI Bill 
Improvements Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. ENHANCED BENEFITS UNDER MONTGOMERY GI 
BILL FOR FOUR YEARS OF ACTIVE-DUTY 
SERVICE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 30 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subchapter: 
‘‘SUBCHAPTER 
V—ENHANCED 
EDU-
CATIONAL ASSISTANCE 
‘‘§ 3041. Enhanced educational assistance entitlement 
‘‘(a) ENTITLEMENT.—An eligible individual is enti-
tled to enhanced educational assistance under this sub-
chapter. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—(1) For pur-
poses of this subchapter, the term ‘eligible individual’ 
means an individual who meets the service requirement 
described in subsection (c) and whose status after comple-
tion of such service is described in section 3011(a)(3) of 
this title (relating to continuation on active duty, honor-
able discharge, or honorable service, as the case may be). 
‘‘(2) Such term does not include an individual de-
scribed in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 3011(c) of this 
title (relating to individuals not electing basic educational
assistance under subchapter II of this chapter or certain 
commissioned officers, respectively). 
‘‘(c) SERVICE REQUIREMENT.—(1) The service re-
quirement referred to in subsection (b) is as follows: 
‘‘(A) After September 30, 2003, the indi-
vidual—
‘‘(i) first enters on active duty; 
‘‘(ii) reenlists or extends an enlistment on 
active duty as a member of the Armed Forces; 
or 
‘‘(iii) in the case of an officer, continues to 
serve on active duty after that date. 
‘‘(B) From the date of such entry, reenlistment, 
extension, or continuation, as the case may be, the 
individual—
‘‘(i) serves a continuous period of active 
duty of at least four years in the Armed Forces; 
or 
‘‘(ii) serves on active duty in the Armed 
Forces and is discharged or released from ac-
tive duty—
‘‘(I) as provided in subclause (I) of 
section 3011(a)(1)(A)(ii) of this title (re-
lating to service-connected disabilities and 
other medical conditions);
‘‘(II) for the convenience of the Gov-
ernment, after having completed not less 
than 42 months of continuous active duty; 
or 
‘‘(III) as provided in subclause (III) 
of section 3011(a)(1)(A)(ii) of this title 
(relating to involuntary discharge or re-
lease for the convenience of the Govern-
ment as a result of a reduction in force). 
‘‘(2) In determining service under paragraph (1), the 
following rules apply: 
‘‘(A) Any period of service described in para-
graph (2) or (3) of section 3011(d) of this title (re-
lating to periods of service terminated because of a 
defective enlistment and periods of service on active 
duty which individuals in the Selected Reserve were 
ordered to perform under certain provisions of chap-
ter 1209 of title 10, respectively) that applies to an 
eligible individual under this section shall not be 
considered a part of the individual’s period of active 
duty. 
‘‘(B) A member described in paragraph (2) of 
section 3011(f) of this title (relating to certain mem-
bers discharged or released who subsequently reen-
list or re-enter on a period of active duty) who
serves the periods of active duty referred to in such 
paragraph shall be deemed to have served a contin-
uous period of active duty the length of which is the 
aggregate length of the periods of active duty re-
ferred to in such paragraph. 
‘‘(C) Subsections (g) and (h) of section 3011 of 
this title (relating to assignment full time at a civil-
ian institution for courses of education and to com-
mencement of courses of education at a service acad-
emy, respectively) apply with respect to an eligible 
individual under this section in the same manner as 
they apply to an individual under section 3011 of 
this title. 
‘‘(d) ELECTION
OF BASIC EDUCATIONAL ASSIST-
ANCE.—(1) An eligible individual entitled to enhanced 
educational assistance under this subchapter may elect (in 
a form and manner prescribed by the Secretary) to receive 
basic educational assistance under subchapter II in lieu 
of such enhanced educational assistance for an enrollment 
period. Such an election shall be made by not later than 
30 days before the beginning of the enrollment period. 
‘‘(2) An eligible individual may revoke an election 
made pursuant to paragraph (1), but in no case may such 
revocation be made later than 30 days before the begin-
ning of the enrollment period.
‘‘§ 3042. Duration of enhanced educational assistance 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to section 3695 of this 
title and except as provided in subsection (b), each indi-
vidual entitled to enhanced educational assistance under 
section 3041 of this title is entitled to a monthly enhanced 
educational assistance allowance under this subchapter for 
a period or periods not to exceed a total of 36 months 
(or the equivalent thereof in part-time enhanced edu-
cational assistance). 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE FOR CERTAIN EARLY SEPARA-
TIONS.—Subject to section 3695 of this title, in the case 
of an individual described in subclause (I) or (III) of sec-
tion 3041(c)(1)(B)(ii) of this title (relating to individuals 
discharged for service-connected disabilities or medical 
conditions or whose service is involuntarily terminated for 
the convenience of the Government as a result of a reduc-
tion in force, respectively) who does not serve a continuous 
period of active duty of at least four years in the Armed 
Forces (as described in section 3041(c)(1)(B)(i) of this 
title), the individual is entitled to one month of enhanced 
educational assistance benefits under this subchapter (not 
to exceed a total of 36 months (or the equivalent thereof 
in part-time enhanced educational assistance)) for each 
month of continuous active duty served by the individual 
beginning with the date on which the entry on active duty, 
reenlistment, enlistment extension, or continuation appli-
cable to that individual under section 3041(c)(1)(A) of 
this title begins. 
‘‘§ 3043. Payment of educational expenses 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the 
Secretary shall pay to the educational institution providing 
a course under an approved program of education to an 
eligible individual under this subchapter who is enrolled 
in the course the actual cost of tuition and fees otherwise 
payable by the individual. 
‘‘(2) Such cost may not exceed the amount charged 
to nonveterans in similar circumstances. 
‘‘(b) STIPEND; COSTS OF BOOKS AND SUPPLIES.—
The Secretary shall pay to each eligible individual under 
this subchapter who is pursuing an approved program of 
education—
‘‘(1) a stipend as provided in section 3044 of 
this title; and 
‘‘(2) in accordance with regulations prescribed 
by the Secretary, an amount equal to the average 
cost, for the year involved, of books and supplies 
payable by individuals pursuing courses of education 
at educational institutions. 
‘‘§ 3044. Amount of stipend 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in section 
3042 of this title, the stipend under this subchapter shall