As of FY2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers benefits under six GI Bills: the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance program (Post-9/11 GI Bill), Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program (DEA), Montgomery GI Bill—Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR), Montgomery GI Bill—Active Duty (MGIB-AD), Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP), and Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP). The GI Bills provide financial assistance to eligible servicemembers and veterans and their families while pursuing education and civilian job or career training. In general, GI Bill benefits are available for pursuit of a variety of education and training programs from apprenticeships to graduate education over 36 months (or the equivalent in part-time pursuit). In FY2017, the GI Bills provided over $12 billion in payments to or on behalf of almost one million participants. During the 114 th Congress and early in the 115 th Congress, Members introduced several pieces of legislation intended to update and improve the GI Bills ® . Three bills were enacted in the 114 th Congress to enhance GI Bill benefits, protect GI Bill participants, and collect outcome data on participants, among other purposes. For a description of the bills enacted in the 114 th Congress, see CRS Report R44586, GI Bill Legislation Enacted in the 114th Congress . Despite the legislation enacted in the 114 th Congress, several issues and stakeholder requests remained outstanding. The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Colmery Act; P.L. 115-48 ) was introduced on July 13, 2017, as a compilation of several bills, some of which had previously received committee and subcommittee hearings. The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (HVAC) marked up and approved the bill on Thursday, July 19, 2017. On Tuesday, July 24, 2017, the House suspended its rules and passed the bill, by a vote of 405-0. In the following week, the Senate passed the House version of the bill by unanimous consent on August 2, 2017. The President signed the bill into law on August 16, 2017. On September 29, 2017, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2017 ( P.L. 115-62 ) was enacted, making several technical corrections to the Colmery Act. This report describes the provisions of the Colmery Act, as amended. The first section describes amendments made by the law to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The two subsequent sections describe amendments that affect multiple GI Bills and GI Bills other than the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The final sections describe amendments to other programs and a new program. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 ("Post-9/11 GI Bill")—originally established by Title V of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 ( P.L. 110-252 ) and enacted on June 30, 2008—is the newest and most widely used GI Bill. In FY2017, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provided over $11 billion in payments to or on behalf of over 750,000 participants. The following sections describe changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as enacted by the Colmery Act. The first section describes changes to participant eligibility criteria. The second section explains changes to the eligible benefit payments. The third section indicates changes to the period during which the benefits must be used. The final sections illustrate new institutional reporting requirements and claims processing requirements for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Prior to the enactment of the Colmery Act, to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, servicemembers and veterans were required to fulfill a minimum aggregate period under qualifying active duty service orders on or after September 11, 2001, and meet other requirements. Individuals who served the minimum aggregate period (90 days) received benefits at the 40% level. Individuals who served at least 36 aggregate months and individuals who were discharged or released for a service-connected disability after serving a minimum of 30 continuous days received benefits at the 100% level. The Colmery Act enacted changes to the types of qualifying active duty, the benefit levels, and established new processes for eligibility. Prior to the enactment of the Colmery Act, family members of servicemembers and veterans also could have been eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill through a transfer of benefits or the death of a servicemember. The Colmery Act enacted changes the transfer process. Prior to and following the enactment of the Colmery Act, the Post-9/11 GI Bill qualifying active duty service orders are specified in 38 U.S.C. §3301. In the 2012 Eleventh Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation , the most recent review, the Department of Defense (DOD) noted inequities in the types of active duty service that qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. DOD recommended expanding the definition of qualifying active duty service to include several authorities: voluntary orders for authorized health care by reservists (10 U.S.C. §12301(h)); involuntary orders to respond to major disasters or emergencies by reservists (10 U.S.C. §12304a); involuntary orders by reservists for preplanned missions in support of combatant commands (10 U.S.C. §12304b); voluntary orders to receive treatment for or recover from an injury or illness incurred or aggravated while performing inactive duty ("drill") for more than 30 days by reservists (10 U.S.C. §12322); involuntary orders to respond full-time to major disasters or emergencies by National Guard members under the command of the governor (32 U.S.C. §501(f)(1)(A)); voluntary orders by National Guard members to perform DOD missions, such as drug interdiction and counter drug activities, or to maintain programs, such as the National Guard youth challenge program (32 U.S.C. §502(f)); and voluntary orders by National Guard members at the request of the President under the command of the governor to assist federal agencies when the country is not under a national emergency and when the national emergency does not cover the duty's purpose (Title 32 of the U.S. Code). Sections 101 and 401 of the Colmery Act expand the types of qualifying active duty service to include 10 U.S.C. §§12301(h), 12304a, and 12304b, as described in the prior paragraph. The addition of §12301(h) applies to service on or after September 11, 2001, and educational pursuit beginning on or after August 1, 2018. The addition of §§12304a and 12304b applies to service on or after June 30, 2008, and educational pursuit beginning on or after August 1, 2018. Section 105 of the Colmery Act increases the benefit level of individuals with less than 12 months of qualifying active duty service. Under the new provisions, an individual with at least 6 months, but less than 12 months, of qualifying active duty service increases from 50% of the full benefit level to 60%. The benefit level of an individual with at least 90 days, but less than 6 months, of qualifying active duty service increase from 40% to 50% of the full benefit level. The change in benefit level is effective August 1, 2020. Table 1 displays the relationship between benefit levels and aggregate length of active duty service. Prior to the enactment of the Colmery Act, Purple Heart recipients did not receive special eligibility consideration under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action. Section 102 of the Colmery Act extends the Post-9/11 GI Bill to eligible Purple Heart recipients at the 100% benefit level regardless of the individuals' length of qualifying active duty service. An eligible Purple Heart recipient is one who receives a Purple Heart as a result of an event that occurs on or after September 11, 2001, while the individual is serving in a qualifying active duty status. To receive Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, Purple Heart recipients, like other Post-9/11 GI Bill eligible servicemembers and veterans, must either continue on active duty or be discharged or released from active duty with an honorable discharge or with an honorable service characterization. All newly eligible Purple Heart recipients may begin receiving benefits at the 100% benefit level on or after August 1, 2018. The Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP), as originally enacted in 2005, provided educational assistance benefits to eligible reservists who served at least 90 consecutive days in qualifying duty authorizations after September 10, 2001. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 ( P.L. 114-92 ) terminated REAP by establishing that no educational benefits be paid after November 25, 2015, with one exception. Individuals who received REAP benefits for the enrollment period immediately preceding November 25, 2015, received benefits through November 25, 2019, or until exhausting their entitlement, whichever comes first. Section 106 of the Colmery Act permits individuals who lost REAP eligibility as a result of the REAP November 25, 2015 sunset date to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Service that was previously used to qualify the individual for REAP may be credited toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility. The individual converting to the Post-9/11 GI Bill from REAP receives the same number of months of Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement as the individual had remaining months of REAP entitlement. Prior to January 2018, the VA identified and notified the approximately 3,200 eligible REAP participants of their option to elect the Post-9/11 GI Bill.