Title: To provide for the continuation of Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance benefits during emergency situations, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to continue to provide educational assistance during the 180-day period after the enactment of this bill for programs of education that are offered by distance learning or have been converted to distance learning due to an emergency or health-related situation.
The VA is authorized to continue paying educational assistance and subsistence allowances for up to eight weeks to eligible veterans or persons enrolled in specified programs of education or training during periods when educational institutions are temporarily closed due to an emergency situation or based on an executive order. The bill defines emergency situation as a public health crisis, a declared state of emergency, or other situations as determined by the VA.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6212 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6212

   To provide for the continuation of Department of Veterans Affairs 
 educational assistance benefits during emergency situations, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2020

  Mr. Takano introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for the continuation of Department of Veterans Affairs 
 educational assistance benefits during emergency situations, 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. CONTINUATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EDUCATIONAL 
              ASSISTANCE BENEFITS DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

    (a) Continuation of Benefits.--During the 180-day period beginning 
on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs may treat a program of education offered by distance learning 
as if such program of education were offered on-site at an educational 
institution for purposes of the laws administered by the Secretary, if 
such program of education is--
            (1) converted from being offered on-site at an educational 
        institution to being offered by distance learning by reason of 
        an emergency or health-related situation, as determined by the 
        Secretary; or
            (2) offered by distance learning by reason of the existence 
        of an emergency or health-related situation, as so determined.
    (b) Continuation of Payment of Allowances in Emergency 
Situations.--Section 3680(a) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``4 weeks'' and 
        inserting ``eight weeks''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) For purposes of this subsection, the term `emergency 
        situation' means--
                    ``(A) a public health crisis;
                    ``(B) a state of emergency declared by the Federal 
                Government or by a State or local government; or
                    ``(C) any other situation, as determined by the 
                Secretary.''.
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