,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bafi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bc1 #bjac ,mr4 ,higgins introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to eliminate the time limitation for use of eligibility and entitlement to educational assistance under certain programs of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans ,education ,flexibility ,act4 #b4 ,findings and purposes 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following33 7#a7 ,according to the ,national ,survey of ,veterans1 ,active ,duty ,service ,members1 ,demobilized ,national ,guard and ,reserve ,members1 ,family ,members1 and ,surviving ,spouses ,final ,report1 commissioned by the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs in #bjaj1 #bj4f percent of eligible veterans--approximately #b1fba1gec veterans--were unable to use their ,,gi bill educational benefits because their period of eligibility expired4 7#b7 ,the time limitations for using ,,gi bill educational benefits do not reflect the realities of the modern economy of the ,united ,states4 ,after leaving the service1 many veterans postpone further education to join the workforce and support their families or are faced with lengthy rehabilitations from service-related injuries4 7#c7 ,access to education and job retraining has proved the arbiter of success in today's economy1 and if the ,united ,states is to lower the unemployment rate among the veteran population1 the ,united ,states must provide veterans unfettered access to educational benefits4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to remove the delimiting dates and retroactively restore the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs ,educational benefits within the ,post-,vietnam ,era ,veterans' ,educational ,assistance ,program 7,,veap71 ,montgomery ,,gi ,bill-,active ,duty 7,,mgib-,,ad71 and ,post-#i_/aa ,,gi ,bill4 #c4 ,elimination of time limitation for use of eligibility and entitlement to educational assistance 7a7 ,montgomery ,,gi ,bill-,active ,duty 7#a7 ,in general ,section #cjca of chapter #cj of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended to read as follows3 #cjca4 ,extension of entitlement to educational assistance expiring during a quarter or semester or after a major portion of a course is complete 7a7 ,educational institutions operating on quarter or semester system ,if an individual eligible for educational assistance under this chapter is enrolled under this chapter in an educational institution regularly operated on the quarter or semester system and the period of such individual's entitlement under this chapter would1 under section #cjac1 expire during a quarter or semester1 such period shall be extended to the end of such quarter or semester4 7b7 ,other educational institutions ,if an individual eligible for educational assistance under this chapter is enrolled under this chapter in an educational institution not regularly operated on the quarter or semester system and the period of such individual's entitlement under this chapter would1 under section #cjac1 expire after a major portion of the course is completed1 such period shall be extended to the end of the course or for #ab weeks1 whichever is the lesser period of extension4 4 7#b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by striking the item relating to section #cjca and inserting the following new item3 #cjca4 ,extension of entitlement to educational assistance expiring during a quarter or semester or after a major portion of a course is complete4 4 7#c7 ,conforming amendments ,chapter #cc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 in section #cjah;,c7e77#c77;,b7-- 7i7 by striking 7i7 ,the ,secretary and inserting ,the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 by striking clause 7ii72 and 7,b7 in section #cjbj-- 7i7 in subsection 7f77#a71 by striking ,subject to the time limitation for use of entitlement under section #cjca of this title1 an and inserting ,an2 and 7ii7 in subsection 7h71 by striking ,notwithstanding section #cjca of this title1 a and inserting ,a4 7b7 ,post-,vietnam ,era ,veterans' ,educational ,assistance ,program 7#a7 ,in general ,section #cbcb of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking subsections 7a7 and 7b72 and 7,b7 by redesignating subsections 7c7 and 7d7 as subsections 7a7 and 7b71 respectively4 7#b7 ,conforming amendment ,section #cjce7;b77#a7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking and from and all that follows through title4 7c7 ,post-#i_/aa ,,gi ,bill 7#a7 ,in general ,section #ccba of chapter #cj of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended to read as follows3 #ccba4 ,extension of entitlement to educational assistance expiring during a quarter or semester or after a major portion of a course is complete ,section #cjca shall apply with respect to the termination of an individual's entitlement to educational assistance under this chapter in the same manner as such section applies to the termination of an individual's entitlement to educational assistance under chapter #cj1 except that1 in the administration of such section for purposes of this chapter1 the reference to section #cjac shall be deemed to be a reference to section #ccab of this title4 4 7#b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by striking the item relating to section #ccba and inserting the following new item3 #ccba4 ,extension of entitlement to educational assistance expiring during a quarter or semester or after a major portion of a course is complete4 4 7#c7 ,conforming amendments ,chapter #cc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 in section #ccab7;b71 by striking #ccba7;b77#b7 and inserting #ccba2 7,b7 in section #ccai-- 7i7 in subsection 7f77#a71 by striking ,subject to and all that follows through an and inserting ,an2 and 7ii7 in subsection 7h77#e77;,a71 by striking may use and all that follows through but4 7d7 ,conforming amendments for reserve component programs 7#a7 ,selected reserve ,section #afacc7;b7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking section #cjca7;f7 and inserting subsections 7a7 and 7b7 of section #cjca2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#c71 by inserting 1 as such section existed on the day before the date of the enactment of the ,veterans ,education ,flexibility ,act1 after title #ch4 7#b7 ,other reserve ,components ,section #afafd7;b77#b7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended to read as follows3 7#b7 ,the following provisions shall apply to the period of entitlement prescribed by paragraph 7#a73 7,a7 ,subsections 7a7 and 7b7 of section #cjca of title #ch4 7,b7 ,subsection 7d7 of section #cjca of title #ch1 as such subsection existed on the day before the date of the enactment of the ,veterans ,education ,flexibility ,act4 4 7e7 ,applicability ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to any individual who has been entitled to educational assistance under chapters #cj1 #cb1 or #cc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 ,for purposes of determining the number of months of entitlement to such educational assistance that an individual is entitled to1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall disregard any delimiting date eliminated by this ,act that occurred before the date of the enactment of this ,act4