1.This Act may be cited as the
Veterans and Survivors Employment and
Training Act of 2007
.
2.Expansion of education programs eligible
for accelerated payment of educational assistance under the Montgomery GI
bill
(a)Subsection (b) of section 3014A of title
38, United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the
following new paragraph (1):
(1)enrolled in either—
(A)an approved program of education that leads
to employment in a high technology occupation in a high technology industry (as
determined pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary); or
(B)an approved program of education lasting
less than two years that leads to employment in a sector of the economy, as
identified by the Department of Labor, that—
(i)is projected to—
(I)experience a substantial increase in the
number of jobs; or
(II)positively affect the growth of another
sector of the economy; or
(ii)consists of existing or emerging businesses
that are being transformed by technology and innovation and require new skills
for workers;
and
.
(b)Conforming expansion of program of
educationSuch section is
further amended—
(1)by redesignating subsection (g) as
subsection (h); and
(2)by inserting after subsection (f) the
following new subsection (g):
(g)For purposes of this section, a program of
education includes a program of education (as defined in section 3002(3) of
this title) pursued at a tribally controlled college or university (as such
term is defined in section 2 of the Tribally Controlled College or University
Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C.
1801)).
.
(c)
(1)The heading of such section is amended to
read as follows:
3014A.Accelerated payment of basic educational
assistance
.
(2)The item relating to such section in the
table of sections at the beginning of chapter 30 of such title is amended to
read as follows:
3014A. Accelerated payment of
basic educational
assistance.
.
3.Accelerated payment of survivors' and
dependents' educational assistance for certain programs of education
(a)Subchapter IV of chapter 35 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 3532 the following
new section:
3532A.Accelerated payment of educational
assistance allowance
(a)The educational assistance allowance
payable under section 3531 of this title with respect to an eligible person
described in subsection (b) may, upon the election of such eligible person, be
paid on accelerated basis in accordance with this section.
(b)An eligible person described in this
subsection is an individual who is—
(1)enrolled in either—
(A)an approved program of education that leads
to employment in a high technology occupation in a high technology industry (as
determined pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary); or
(B)an approved program of education lasting
less than two years that leads to employment in a sector of the economy, as
identified by the Department of Labor, that—
(i)is projected to—
(I)experience a substantial increase in the
number of jobs; or
(II)positively affect the growth of another
sector of the economy; or
(ii)consists of existing or emerging businesses
that are being transformed by technology and innovation and require new skills
for workers; and
(2)charged tuition and fees for the program of
education that, when divided by the number of months (and fractions thereof) in
the enrollment period, exceeds the amount equal to 200 percent of the monthly
rate of educational assistance allowance otherwise payable with respect to the
individual under section 3531 of this title.
(c)(1)The amount of the accelerated payment of
educational assistance payable with respect to an eligible person making an
election under subsection (a) for a program of education shall be the lesser
of—
(A)the amount equal to 60 percent of the
established charges for the program of education; or
(B)the aggregate amount of educational
assistance allowance to which the individual remains entitled under this
chapter at the time of the payment.
(2)In this subsection, the term
established charges
, in the case of a program of education,
means the actual charges (as determined pursuant to regulations prescribed by
the Secretary) for tuition and fees which similarly circumstanced nonveterans
enrolled in the program of education would be required to pay. Established
charges shall be determined on the following basis:
(A)In
the case of an individual enrolled in a program of education offered on a term,
quarter, or semester basis, the tuition and fees charged the individual for the
term, quarter, or semester.
(B)In
the case of an individual enrolled in a program of education not offered on a
term, quarter, or semester basis, the tuition and fees charged the individual
for the entire program of education.
(3)The educational institution providing the
program of education for which an accelerated payment of educational assistance
allowance is elected by an eligible person under subsection (a) shall certify
to the Secretary the amount of the established charges for the program of
education.
(d)An accelerated payment of educational
assistance allowance made with respect to an eligible person under this section
for a program of education shall be made not later than the last day of the
month immediately following the month in which the Secretary receives a
certification from the educational institution regarding—
(1)the person’s enrollment in and pursuit of
the program of education; and
(2)the amount of the established charges for
the program of education.
(e)(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), for
each accelerated payment of educational assistance allowance made with respect
to an eligible person under this section, the person's entitlement to basic
educational assistance under this chapter shall be charged the number of months
(and any fraction thereof) determined by dividing the amount of the accelerated
payment by the full-time monthly rate of educational assistance allowance
otherwise payable with respect to the person under section 3531 of this title
as of the beginning date of the enrollment period for the program of education
for which the accelerated payment is made.
(2)If the monthly rate of educational
assistance allowance otherwise payable with respect to an eligible person under
section 3531 of this title increases during the enrollment period of a program
of education for which an accelerated payment of educational assistance
allowance is made under this section, the charge to the person's entitlement to
educational assistance under this chapter shall be determined by prorating the
entitlement chargeable, in the manner provided for under paragraph (1), for the
periods covered by the initial rate and increased rate, respectively, in
accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(f)The Secretary may not make an accelerated
payment of educational assistance allowance under this section for a program of
education with respect to an eligible person who has received an advance
payment under section 3680(d) of this title for the same enrollment
period.
(g)For purposes of this section, a program of
education includes a program of education (as defined in section 3002(3) of
this title) pursued at a tribally controlled college or university (as such
term is defined in section 2 of the Tribally Controlled College or University
Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801)).
(h)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations
to carry out this section. The regulations shall include requirements,
conditions, and methods for the request, issuance, delivery, certification of
receipt and use, and recovery of overpayment of an accelerated payment of
educational assistance allowance under this section. The regulations may
include such elements of the regulations prescribed under section 3014A of this
title as the Secretary considers appropriate for purposes of this
section
.
(b)The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 35 of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to
section 3532 the following new item:
3532A. Accelerated payment of educational assistance
allowance.
.