117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5545 
AN ACT 
To extend certain expiring provisions of law relating to bene-
fits provided under Department of Veterans Affairs edu-
cational assistance programs during COVID–19 pan-
demic, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Responsible Education 
Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions Act’’ or the 
‘‘REMOTE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EXTENSIONS OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF LAW RE-
LATING TO BENEFITS PROVIDED UNDER DE-
PARTMENT 
OF 
VETERANS 
AFFAIRS 
EDU-
CATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS DURING 
COVID–19 PANDEMIC. 
(a) 
EXTENSION
OF
STUDENT
VETERAN 
CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT OF 2020.—Section 2 of the 
Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 (Pub-
lic Law 116–140; 38 U.S.C. 3031 note), as amended by 
section 5202(a) of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Expiring Authorities Act of 2020 (Division E of Public 
Law 116–159), is further amended by striking ‘‘December 
21, 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘June 1, 2022’’. 
(b) EXTENSION OF PERIOD FOR CONTINUATION OF 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EDUCATIONAL AS-
SISTANCE BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS OF EDU-
CATION CONVERTED TO DISTANCE LEARNING BY REASON 
OF EMERGENCIES AND HEALTH-RELATED SITUATIONS.— 
Section 1(b) of Public Law 116–128 (38 U.S.C. 3001 note 
prec.), as amended by section 5202(b) of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2020 (Di-
vision E of Public Law 116–159), is further amended by
striking ‘‘December 21, 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘June 1, 
2022’’. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO REQUIREMENTS FOR EDU-
CATIONAL INSTITUTIONS PARTICIPATING IN 
THE EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS 
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) WAIVER OF VERIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT FOR 
CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.—Section 3313(l) 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the 
requirements of this subsection for an educational 
institution that the Secretary has determined uses a 
flat tuition and fee structure that would make the 
use of a second verification under this subsection 
unnecessary.’’. 
(b) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORITY TO DISAPPROVE OF 
COURSES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subsection (f) of section 
3679 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘, except for the re-
cruitment of foreign students residing in 
foreign countries who are not eligible to re-
ceive Federal student assistance’’ after 
‘‘assistance’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) In determining whether a violation of sub-
paragraph (B) has occurred, the State approving 
agency, or the Secretary when acting in the place of 
the State approving agency, shall construe the re-
quirements of this paragraph in accordance with the 
regulations and guidance prescribed by the Secretary 
of Education under section 487(a)(20) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(20)).’’; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (7) as 
paragraph (8); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (6) the 
following new paragraph (7): 
‘‘(7) This subsection shall not apply to an educational 
institution— 
‘‘(A) located in a foreign country; or 
‘‘(B) that provides to a covered individual con-
sumer information regarding costs of the program of 
education (including financial aid available to such 
covered individual) using a form or template devel-
oped by the Secretary of Education.’’.
(2) APPLICATION DATE.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs may not carry out subsection (f) of 
section 3679 of title 38, United States Code, until 
August 1, 2022, except that, beginning on June 15, 
2022, an educational institution may submit an ap-
plication for a waiver under paragraph (5) of such 
subsection. 
(3) CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Subsection 
(c) of section 3696 of such title is amended— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘An edu-
cational’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, except for the recruit-
ment of foreign students residing in foreign 
countries who are not eligible to receive Federal 
student assistance’’ after ‘‘assistance’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) In determining whether a violation of paragraph 
(1) has occurred, the Under Secretary for Benefits shall 
construe the requirements of this paragraph in accordance 
with the regulations and guidance prescribed by the Sec-
retary of Education under section 487(a)(20) of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(20)).’’. 
(c) EXEMPTION OF FOREIGN SCHOOLS FROM CER-
TAIN REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) INFORMATION RELATING TO TESTS.—Sec-
tion 3689(c) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) Subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) shall not 
apply with respect to an educational institution located in 
a foreign country.’’. 
(2) 
EXAMINATION
OF
RECORDS.—Section 
3690(c) of title 38, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(1) Except as provided in paragraph 
(2), notwithstanding’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to the records and 
accounts— 
‘‘(A) of an educational institution located in a 
foreign country; and 
‘‘(B) that pertain to an individual who is not 
receiving educational assistance under this chap-
ter.’’.
SEC. 4. PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO STU-
DENTS WHO ARE ‘‘ROUNDING OUT’’ UNDER 
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3680(a) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), in the matter before sub-
paragraph (A), by striking ‘‘in paragraph (2)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘in paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the 
case of an eligible veteran or eligible person who is 
pursuing a program of education on less than a half- 
time basis during a period that is the last semester, 
term, or academic period the veteran or person will 
be enrolled in the program of education because the 
veteran or person will complete the program of edu-
cation at the end of that semester, term, or aca-
demic period, the Secretary may, pursuant to such 
regulations as the Secretary shall prescribe, provide 
to the veteran or person educational assistance 
under chapter 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, or 35 of this title 
or under chapter 1606 of title 10, including a 
monthly housing stipend described in section 
3313(c) of this title, on the basis of the total num-
ber of credits or courses in which the veteran or per-
son is enrolled, if— 
‘‘(A) the number of credits the veteran or 
person needs to complete the program of edu-
cation is less than the number of credits that 
would constitute enrollment on a more than 
half-time basis for that last semester, term, or 
academic period; and 
‘‘(B) the veteran or person— 
‘‘(i) is enrolled in, or has completed, 
every course offered by the program of 
education during the last semester, term, 
or academic period in which the veteran or 
person is enrolled in the program of edu-
cation; and 
‘‘(ii) enrolls in an additional course 
that is not required for the completion of 
such program of education and the enroll-
ment in the non-required course in addi-
tion to the required course or courses in 
which the veteran or person is enrolled 
constitutes enrollment on more than a 
half-time basis.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on January 1, 2022, and