Title: Veterans Education Improvement Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Education Improvement Act of 2017
This bill permits veterans to use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 educational assistance for an accredited independent study program offered by an educational institution that is not an institution of higher learning, such as an area career and technical education school or a postsecondary vocational institution providing postsecondary level education.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1356 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1356

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the use of Post-9/
   11 Educational Assistance to pursue independent study programs at 
 certain educational institutions that are not institutions of higher 
                   learning, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 14, 2017

Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the use of Post-9/
   11 Educational Assistance to pursue independent study programs at 
 certain educational institutions that are not institutions of higher 
                   learning, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Education Improvement Act 
of 2017''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO 
              PURSUE INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAMS AT CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL 
              INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE NOT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 
              LEARNING.

    Paragraph (4) of section 3680A(a) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) any independent study program except--
                    ``(A) with respect to enrollments occurring during 
                the period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
                the Veterans Education Improvement Act of 2017 and 
                ending on September 30, 2018, an independent study 
                program (including open circuit television) that--
                            ``(i) is accredited by a nationally 
                        recognized accrediting agency; and
                            ``(ii) leads--
                                    ``(I) to a standard college degree;
                                    ``(II) to a certificate that 
                                reflects educational attainment offered 
                                by an institution of higher learning; 
                                or
                                    ``(III) to a certificate that 
                                reflects completion of a course of 
                                study offered by--
                                            ``(aa) an area career and 
                                        technical education school (as 
                                        defined in subparagraphs (C) 
                                        and (D) of section 3(3) of the 
                                        Carl D. Perkins Career and 
                                        Technical Education Act of 2006 
                                        (20 U.S.C. 2302(3))) that 
                                        provides education at the 
                                        postsecondary level; or
                                            ``(bb) a postsecondary 
                                        vocational institution (as 
                                        defined in section 102(c) of 
                                        the Higher Education Act of 
                                        1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))) that 
                                        provides education at the 
                                        postsecondary level; and
                    ``(B) with respect to enrollments occurring during 
                any period other than the period described in 
                subparagraph (A), an accredited independent study 
                program (including open circuit television) leading--
                            ``(i) to a standard college degree; or
                            ``(ii) to a certificate that reflects 
                        educational attainment offered by an 
                        institution of higher learning.''.
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