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Legislation aimed at protecting some student veterans has passed the House and Senate and now awaits President Trump’s signature.
The Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6322) would allow student veterans in work-study programs to receive payments amid the COVID-19 pandemic, even if they are unable to reach their place of employment.
The legislation would also make certain veterans can receive additional housing allowance payments and restores or extends entitlements in the event campuses are closed or veterans are forced to withdraw due to the coronavirus.
H.R. 6322 was introduced by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and ranking member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., in the Senate. And by House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and ranking member Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., in the House.
The bill is the second legislative fix for the GI Bill since the pandemic began. Earlier, legislators voted to allow student veterans to continue online training and receiving GI Bill benefits even if they are not able to attend a campus as classes were moved online.
Takano said that without the fixes, student veterans would have seen their benefits reduced or halted due to the pandemic.
“As the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic, no student veteran should have to worry about losing income from work study jobs, interrupting their studies, or unexpected bills when their schools close,” Takano said.
Moran said Congress acted quickly to protect student veterans and said he was pleased to be able to provide some certainty amid a difficult time.
Roe agreed.
“I am proud that, once again, Congress has taken quick, decisive action to safeguard student veterans’ earned benefits during this crisis,” he said. “With so much uncertainty about what lies ahead, we owe it to our veterans to ensure that the benefits they rely on will continue to be there for them, even in the most extraordinary times.”
