,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hdae  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #bi1      
#bjbj,mr4 ,cisneros 7for himself and    
,mr4 ,bergman7 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 provide for the          
continuation of certain educational     
assistance benefits during the          
,,covid-#ai emergency1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,restoring          
,education ,access for ,student         
,veterans ,act4  #b4 ,continuation of   
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
educational assistance benefits during  
,,covid-#ai emergency  7a7 ,authority   
,if the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs

 determines under subsection 7c7 that an
 individual is negatively affected by   
the ,,covid-#ai emergency1 the          
,secretary may provide educational      
assistance to that individual under the 
laws administered by the ,secretary as  
if such negative effects did not occur4 
,the authority under this section is in 
addition to the authority provided under
 section #a of ,public ,law #aaf-abh    
7#ch ,u4,s4,c4 #cjja note prec471 but in
 no case may the ,secretary provide more
 than a total of four weeks of          
additional educational assistance by    
reason of section #d of the ,student    
,veteran ,coronavirus ,response ,act of 
#bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-adj2 #ch       
,u4,s4,c4 #cfhj note7 and this section4 
7b7 ,housing and allowances ,in         
providing educational assistance to an  
individual pursuant to subsection 7a71  
the ,secretary may-- 7#a7 continue to   
pay a monthly housing stipend under     
chapter #cc of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code1 during a month the       

individual would have been enrolled in a
 program of education or training but   
for the ,,covid-#ai emergency at the    
same rate such stipend would have been  
payable if the individual had not been  
negatively affected by the ,,covid-#ai  
emergency1 except that the total number 
of weeks for which stipends may continue
 to be so payable may not exceed four   
weeks2 and  7#b7 continue to pay        
payments or subsistence allowances under
 chapters #cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 and #ce of
 such title and chapter #afjf of title  
#aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 during a    
month for a period of time that the     
individual would have been enrolled in a
 program of education or training but   
for the ,,covid-#ai emergency1 except   
that the total number of weeks for which
 payments or allowances may continue to 
be so payable may not exceed four weeks4
  7c7 ,determination of negative effects
 ,the ,secretary shall determine that an
 individual was negatively affected by  
the ,,covid-#ai emergency if-- 7#a7 the 

individual is enrolled in a covered     
program of education of an educational  
institution or enrolled in training at a
 training establishment and is pursuing 
such program or training using          
educational assistance under the laws   
administered by the ,secretary2  7#b7   
the educational institution or training 
establishment certifies to the          
,secretary that such program or training
 is truncated1 delayed1 relocated1      
canceled1 partially canceled1 converted 
from being on-site to being offered by  
distance learning1 or otherwise modified
 or made unavailable by reason of the   
,,covid-#ai emergency2 and  7#c7 the    
,secretary determines that the          
modification to such program or training
 specified under paragraph 7#b7 would   
reduce the amount of educational        
assistance 7including with respect to   
monthly housing stipends1 payments1 or  
subsistence allowances7 that would be   
payable to the individual but for the   
,,covid-#ai emergency4  7d7 ,effect on  

entitlement period ,if the ,secretary   
determines that an individual who       
received assistance under this section  
did not make progress toward the        
completion of the program of education  
in which the individual is enrolled     
during the period for which the         
individual received such assistance1 any
 assistance provided pursuant to this   
section shall not be counted for        
purposes of determining the total amount
 of an individual's entitlement to      
educational assistance1 housing         
stipends1 or payments or subsistence    
allowances under chapters #cj1 #ca1 #cb1
 and #ce of such title and chapter #afjf
 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4   
7e7 ,applicability period ,this section 
shall apply during the period beginning 
on ,march #a1 #bjbj1 and ending on      
,december #ba1 #bjba4  #c4 ,effects of  
closure of educational institution and  
modification of courses by reason of    
,,covid-#ai emergency  7a7 ,closure or  
disapproval ,any payment of educational 

assistance described in subsection 7b7  
shall not-- 7#a7 be charged against any 
entitlement to educational assistance of
 the individual concerned2 or  7#b7 be  
counted against the aggregate period for
 which section #cfie of title #ch1      
,united ,states ,code1 limits the       
receipt of educational assistance by    
such individual4  7b7 ,educational      
assistance described ,subject to        
subsection 7d71 the payment of          
educational assistance described in this
 subsection is the payment of such      
assistance to an individual for pursuit 
of a course or program of education at  
an educational institution under chapter
 #cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 or #ce of title    
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 or chapter  
#afjf of title #aj1 ,united ,states     
,code1 if the ,secretary determines that
 the individual-- 7#a7 was unable to    
complete such course or program as a    
result of-- 7,a7 the closure of the     
educational institution1 or the full or 
partial cancellation of a course or     

program of education1 by reason of the  
,,covid-#ai emergency2 or  7,b7 the     
disapproval of the course or a course   
that is a necessary part of that program
 under chapter #cf of title #ch1 ,united
 ,states ,code1 because the course was  
modified by reason of such emergency2   
and  7#b7 did not receive credit or lost
 training time1 toward completion of the
 program of education being so pursued4 
7c7 ,housing assistance ,in this        
section1 educational assistance         
includes1 as applicable-- 7#a7 monthly  
housing stipends payable under chapter  
#cc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 for any month the individual would have
 been enrolled in a course or program of
 education2 and  7#b7 payments or       
subsistence allowances under chapters   
#cj1 #ca1 #cb1 and #ce of such title and
 chapter #afjf of title #aj1 ,united    
,states ,code1 during a month the       
individual would have been enrolled in a
 course or program of education4  7d7   
,period not charged ,the period for     

which1 by reason of this subsection1    
educational assistance is not charged   
against entitlement or counted toward   
the applicable aggregate period under   
section #cfie of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 shall not exceed the     
aggregate of-- 7#a7 the portion of the  
period of enrollment in the course from 
which the individual did not receive    
credit or with respect to which the     
individual lost training time1 as       
determined under subsection 7b77#b72 and
  7#b7 the period by which a monthly    
stipend is extended under section       
#cfhj7;a77#b77;,b7 of title #ch1 ,united
 ,states ,code4  7e7 ,continuing pursuit
 of disapproved courses  7#a7 ,in       
general ,the ,secretary may treat a     
course of education that is disapproved 
under chapter #cf of title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 as being approved under  
such chapter with respect to an         
individual described in paragraph 7#b7  
if the ,secretary determines1 on a      
programmatic basis1 that-- 7,a7 such    

disapproval is the result of an action  
described in subsection 7b77#a77;,b72   
and  7,b7 continuing pursuing such      
course is in the best interest of the   
individual4  7#b7 ,individual described 
,an individual described in this        
paragraph is an individual who is       
pursuing a course of education at an    
educational institution under chapter   
#cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 or #ce of title #ch1
 ,united ,states ,code1 or chapter #afjf
 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 as
 of the date on which the course is     
disapproved as described in subsection  
7b77#a77;,b74  7f7 ,status as full-,time
 student for purposes of housing stipend
 calculation ,in the case of an         
individual who1 as of the first day of  
the ,,covid-#ai emergency was enrolled  
on a full-time basis in a program of    
education and was receiving educational 
assistance under chapter #cc of title   
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 or          
subsistence allowance under chapter #ca 
of such title1 and for whom the         

,secretary makes a determination under  
subsection 7b71 the individual shall be 
treated as an individual enrolled in a  
program of education on a full-time     
basis for the purpose of calculating    
monthly housing stipends payable under  
chapter #cc of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code1 or subsistence allowance 
payable under chapter #ca of such title1
 for any month the individual is        
enrolled in the program of education on 
a part-time basis to complete any course
 of education that was partially or     
fully canceled by reason of the         
,,covid-#ai emergency4  7g7 ,notice of  
closures ,not later than #e business    
days after the date on which the        
,secretary receives notice that an      
educational institution will close or is
 closed by reason of the ,,covid-#ai    
emergency1 the ,secretary shall provide 
to each individual who is enrolled in a 
course or program of education at such  
educational institution using           
entitlement to educational assistance   

under chapter #cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 or #ce
 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 or
 chapter #afjf of title #aj1 ,united    
,states ,code1 notice of-- 7#a7 such    
closure and the date of such closure2   
and  7#b7 the effect of such closure on 
the individual's entitlement to         
educational assistance pursuant to this 
section4  7h7 ,applicability ,this      
section shall apply with respect to the 
closure of an educational institution1  
or the cancellation or modification of a
 course or program of education1 that   
occurs during the period beginning on   
,march #a1 #bjbj1 and ending on         
,december #ba1 #bjba4  #d4 ,definitions 
,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,the term covered   
program of education means a program of 
education 7as defined in section #cjjb  
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code7    
approved by a ,state approving agency1  
or the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs 
when acting in the role of a ,state     
approving agency4  7#b7 ,the term       
,,covid-#ai emergency means the public  

health emergency declared pursuant to   
section #cai of the ,public ,health     
,service ,act on ,january #ca1 #bjbj1   
entitled ,determination that a ,public  
,health ,emergency ,exists ,nationwide  
as the ,result of the #bjai ,novel      
,coronavirus4  7#c7 ,the term           
educational institution has the meaning 
given that term in section #cdeb7;c7 of 
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 and   
includes an institution of higher       
learning 7as defined in such section74  
7#d7 ,the term ,state approving agency  
has the meaning given that term in      
section #cfga of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code4  7#e7 ,the term training 
establishment has the meaning given that
 term in section #cdeb7;e7 of title #ch1
 ,united ,states ,code4  7#f7 ,the term 
training includes on-job training and   
apprenticeship programs and vocational  
rehabilitation programs4