I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3940 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for housing stipends 
and supply fee payments under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance 
Program for individuals affected by extended school closures due to 
natural disasters. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 4, 2017 
Mr. POE of Texas (for himself, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. VELA, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. BISHOP 
of Georgia, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. 
BABIN, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. WALDEN, 
Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. MCCAUL, 
and Mr. RYAN of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for hous-
ing stipends and supply fee payments under the Post- 
9/11 Educational Assistance Program for individuals af-
fected by extended school closures due to natural disas-
ters. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Education 
Disaster Assistance Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNDER POST-9/11 EDU-
CATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM DURING 
EXTENDED SCHOOL CLOSURES DUE TO NAT-
URAL DISASTERS. 
Section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(k) SCHOOL CLOSURE DURING NATURAL DISAS-
TERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An individual described in 
paragraph (2) shall be entitled to the following: 
‘‘(A) A monthly stipend in the amount to 
which the individual would be entitled were the 
individual pursuing the course of education at 
the institution of higher education. 
‘‘(B) An additional lump sum amount for 
any books, supplies, equipment, and other edu-
cational costs necessary by reason of pursuing 
the course solely by distance learning or replac-
ing the course with an alternative course of 
education pursued solely by distance learning. 
‘‘(2) INDIVIDUAL
DESCRIBED.—An individual 
described in this paragraph is an individual pursuing 
a course of education at an institution of higher edu-
cation using educational assistance under this chap-
ter who— 
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‘‘(A) is forced to discontinue pursuing such 
course at such institution by reason of a school 
closure described under paragraph (4); and 
‘‘(B) opts to— 
‘‘(i) pursue that course of education 
solely by distance learning; or 
‘‘(ii) pursue an alternative course of 
education solely by distance learning. 
‘‘(3) DURATION.—The duration of the monthly 
stipends payable to an individual under paragraph 
(1)(A) shall be the shorter of the following: 
‘‘(A) The period of time necessary to com-
plete the quarter, semester, term or academic 
period during which the school closure described 
in paragraph (4) occurs. 
‘‘(B) Four months. 
‘‘(4) SCHOOL CLOSURE.—A school closure de-
scribed in this paragraph is the closure of an institu-
tion of higher education— 
‘‘(A) by reason of a natural disaster; 
‘‘(B) for a period of time that— 
‘‘(i) the institution confirms will last 
for four weeks or longer; or 
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‘‘(ii) the institution describes as in-
definite and that endures for a period of 
four weeks or longer; and 
‘‘(C) that the Secretary confirms is covered 
for purposes of this subsection. 
‘‘(5) NATURAL
DISASTER
DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘natural disaster’ means a spe-
cific weather event or earth process, including a hur-
ricane, tornados, wildfire or forest fire, earthquake, 
avalanche, mudslide, hailstorm, thunderstorm, light-
ning storm, freeze, blizzard, sinkhole, or other disas-
trous event that occurs as a result of such an event 
or process, that the President or the governor of a 
State declares a natural disaster. 
‘‘(6) NO CHARGE TO ENTITLEMENT.—No addi-
tional charge shall be made to the entitlement of any 
individual to educational assistance under this chap-
ter by reason of a payment under this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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