Warren, Boozman Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Student Veterans
Bill Would Ensure Veterans are not Denied Access to their Education Due to Delayed Processing of G.I. Bill Payments
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren
(D-Mass.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) introduced the Servicemembers Improved
Transition through Reforms for Ensuring Progress (SIT-REP) Act to ensure that
student veterans are not forced to endure additional financial burdens and are
not denied access to school facilities due to delayed processing of G.I. Bill
benefit payments.
The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill provides education benefits, including a monthly living
stipend, to over 775,000 student veterans and eligible dependents.
Unfortunately, delays in the processing of tuition payments - by unintendedly
slow processing by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or errors by school
certifying officials - have caused some student veterans to endure financial
hardship and be denied access to their education. In rare cases, schools have
reportedly put a hold on a student veteran's account or forced the student to
begin payment of tuition and fees on a payment plan until the school receives
G.I. Bill funds from the VA.
"All three of my brothers served in the military, and they taught me about
the importance of honoring our promises to our veterans and
servicemembers," said Senator Warren. "We owe our
servicemembers a quality education when they return home so they can build a
future for themselves and their families. I'm glad to work with Senator Boozman
to support student veterans who put their life on the line in service to our
country."
"We must create certainty for our veterans who use the education benefits
they earned in service to our country. This is a commonsense measure that
allows veterans to eliminate the potential for financial hardships to receive
the tools to help prepare them for civilian life. I appreciate Senator Warren's
leadership on this issue," said Senator Boozman.
The implementation of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act
(Forever G.I. Bill) will expand eligibility for Post-9/11 G.I. Bill education
benefits - and may result in a higher volume of claims that must be processed
by the VA and schools. To ensure that student veterans have access to the
educational resources they deserve, the SIT-REP Act would:
- Prohibit a college, university, or training program from adopting a policy in which it imposes a late fee on eligible student veterans, denies them access to school facilities (such as classrooms and libraries), or requires them to take out additional loans due to a delayed G.I. Bill benefit payment from the VA to the school.
- In the event of a delay by the VA in issuing a G.I. Bill benefit payment directly to a school, prohibit the school from imposing late fees on student veterans and denying them access to school facilities for up to 90 days after the school certifies tuition and fees. This provision would apply only to benefits that are paid directly to the school.
- Allow the VA Secretary to waive these two aforementioned prohibitions when appropriate.
- Require the VA to distribute G.I. Bill payments to the school within 60 days from when the school certifies tuition and fees for the student.
- Mandate a report from the VA to Congress twice a year with a summary of any cases in which delayed G.I. Bill disbursements occurred and an explanation for the delays.
Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) introduced
the original legislation in the House of Representatives on January 18, 2018.
This bill is endorsed by the Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS),
Veterans Education Success, The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
National Military Family Association, Student Veterans of America, and American
Council on Education (ACE).
"TAPS is grateful to Senator Warren and Senator Boozman for sponsoring
legislation that means so much to survivors and veterans. No GI Bill student
should be penalized with late fees, unnecessary student loans, or prohibited
access to facilities because of when the VA pays their tuition. This crucial
legislation will greatly benefit veterans and survivors as we go through the
complicated process of implementing the Forever GI Bill." - Bonnie
Carroll, President and Founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
"Veterans Education Success supports this bill as it is an excellent
precautionary measure to protect students using GI Bill benefits from being
impacted financially due to issues that are out of their control such as
delayed GI Bill payments. It is a common sense bill that protects the
military-connected students and allows them to worry less about the finances
and focus more on their education while their payments are being
processed." - Veterans Education Success
"The VFW applauds Senators Warren and Boozman for introducing this
bi-partisan legislation to remove unnecessary penalties and red tape for GI
Bill students. Going back to school can be a challenging period for students
after their military careers, and being penalized for factors out of their
control is an unnecessary burden. Removing late fees for all students utilizing
their GI Bill benefits would save these students time and money that could be
better spent pursuing their educational goals." - Carlos Fuentes,
Director National Legislative Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars
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