Title: GI Bill Work Study Improvement Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
GI Bill Work Study Improvement Act of 2019
This bill updates provisions related to the work-study allowance benefit available to eligible veterans, including by authorizing educational institutions to make payments directly to veterans for work performed under the program and prescribing the annual amount that the Department of Veterans Affairs must provide to educational institutions for this purpose.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2265 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2265

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the work-study 
 allowance program administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 25, 2019

Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Rounds) 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 improve the work-study 
 allowance program administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
                        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 ``GI Bill Work Study Improvement Act 
of 2019''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT TO WORK-STUDY ALLOWANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Payment of Allowance.--Subsection (a) of section 3485 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Individuals'' and 
        inserting ``In accordance with paragraph (4), individuals'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) as 
        paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
        paragraph:
    ``(4)(A) The Secretary shall carry out this section by providing to 
an educational institution an annual amount for the institution to use 
in paying work-study allowance under paragraph (1) to individuals 
enrolled at the institution.
    ``(B) With respect to an educational institution that participated 
in the work-study program under this section during the academic year 
beginning August 1, 2018, the Secretary shall determine the annual 
amount to provide to the educational institution under subparagraph (A) 
as follows:
            ``(i) For the academic year beginning August 1, 2020, the 
        amount shall be the total amount the Secretary paid under this 
        section to individuals enrolled at such educational institution 
        during the academic year beginning August 1, 2018.
            ``(ii) Except as provided by subparagraph (D)(ii), for each 
        academic year beginning on or after August 1, 2021, the amount 
        shall be the total amount the educational institution paid 
        under this section for work-study allowance to individuals 
        enrolled at such educational institution during the previous 
        academic year in which individuals participated in the work-
        study program.
    ``(C) With respect to an educational institution that did not 
participate in the work-study program under this section during the 
academic year beginning August 1, 2018, the Secretary shall determine 
the annual amount to provide to the educational institution under 
subparagraph (A) as follows:
            ``(i) For the first academic year in which the educational 
        institution participates in the work-study program beginning on 
        or after August 1, 2020, the amount shall be an amount the 
        Secretary determines appropriate based on an amount provided to 
        a similar educational institution pursuant to subparagraph (B).
            ``(ii) Except as provided by subparagraph (D)(ii), for each 
        academic year occurring after the academic year specified in 
        clause (i), the amount shall be the total amount the 
        educational institution paid under this section for work-study 
        allowance to individuals enrolled at such educational 
        institution during the previous academic year in which 
        individuals enrolled at such educational institution 
        participated in the work-study program.
    ``(D)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), if the Secretary 
provides an annual amount to an educational institution under 
subparagraph (B) or (C) that is more than the total amount the 
educational institution pays to individuals under paragraph (1)--
            ``(I) the educational institution shall return to the 
        Secretary the unpaid amount; and
            ``(II) the Secretary shall transfer the returned amount 
        into the general fund of the Treasury.
    ``(ii)(I) If the annual amount provided to an educational 
institution under subparagraph (B) or (C) is more, but less than 10 
percent more, than the total amount the educational institution pays to 
individuals under paragraph (1), and the educational institution plans 
to participate in the work-study program under this section during the 
subsequent academic year, the educational institution may retain the 
amount of the overpayment if the educational institution notifies the 
Secretary of the amount of the overpayment and the intention of the 
educational institution to retain such amount.
    ``(II) Any amount retained by an educational institution under this 
clause may only be used by the educational institution to provide work-
study allowance to individuals enrolled at the educational institution.
    ``(iii) At any time an educational institution may request the 
Secretary to increase the annual amount that the Secretary provides the 
educational institution under subparagraph (B) or (C).
    ``(E) Pursuant to section 3690(c), section 3693, and other 
provisions of chapter 36 of this title, the Secretary shall ensure that 
an educational institution carries out the work-study allowance program 
in compliance with this section.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (e)(1) of such section is 
amended by striking ``subsection (a)(4)'' and inserting ``subsection 
(a)(5)''.
    (c) Application.--The amendments made by this section shall apply 
with respect to a quarter, semester, or term, as applicable, commencing 
on or after August 1, 2020.
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