[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 863 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 863

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to repeal time limitations on 
 the eligibility for use of educational assistance under All-Volunteer 
  Force Educational Assistance Program, to improve veterans education 
                   outreach, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 6, 2013

 Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mr. Begich) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to repeal time limitations on 
 the eligibility for use of educational assistance under All-Volunteer 
  Force Educational Assistance Program, to improve veterans education 
                   outreach, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Back to School Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF TIME LIMITATIONS ON USE OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE 
              UNDER ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 3031 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(i)(1) Notwithstanding subsections (a) through (g) and any other 
provision of law, the period during which a covered individual entitled 
to educational assistance under this chapter may use such covered 
individual's entitlement shall not end until the date that is 10 years 
after the date on which such covered individual begins using such 
benefit.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, a covered individual is any 
individual--
            ``(A) whose basic pay was reduced under paragraph (1) of 
        section 3011(b) of this title; or
            ``(B) with respect to whom an amount was collected under 
        paragraph (2) of such section.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 3020(f) of such title is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(4) Subsection (i) of section 3031 of this title shall not apply 
for purposes of this subsection.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--Subsection (i) of section 3031 of such title, 
as added by subsection (a), and paragraph (4) of section 3020(f) of 
such title, as added by subsection (b), shall apply as if such 
subsection and such paragraph had been enacted immediately after the 
enactment of the Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 1984 (Public 
Law 98-525; 98 Stat. 2553).

SEC. 3. VETERANS EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end of subchapter II the following new 
section:
``Sec. 3697B. Veterans education outreach program
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide funding for offices 
of veterans affairs at institutions of higher learning, as defined in 
section 3452(f), in accordance with this section.
    ``(b) Payments to Institutions of Higher Learning.--(1)(A) The 
Secretary shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, make 
payments to any institution of higher learning, under and in accordance 
with this section, during any fiscal year if the number of persons 
eligible for services from offices assisted under this section at the 
institution is at least 50, determined in the same manner as the number 
of eligible veterans or eligible persons is determined under section 
3684(c) of this title.
    ``(B) The persons who are eligible for services from the offices 
assisted under this section are persons receiving educational 
assistance administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
including assistance provided under chapter 1606 of title 10.
    ``(2) To be eligible for a payment under this section, an 
institution of higher learning or a consortium of institutions of 
higher learning, as described in paragraph (3), shall submit an 
application to the Secretary. The application shall--
            ``(A) set forth such policies, assurances, and procedures 
        that will ensure that--
                    ``(i) the funds received by the institution, or 
                each institution in a consortium of institutions 
                described in paragraph (3), under this section will be 
                used solely to carry out this section;
                    ``(ii) for enhancing the functions of its veterans 
                education outreach program, the applicant will expend, 
                during the academic year for which a payment is sought, 
                an amount equal to at least the amount of the award 
                under this section from sources other than this or any 
                other Federal program; and
                    ``(iii) the applicant will submit to the Secretary 
                such reports as the Secretary may require or as are 
                required by this section;
            ``(B) contain such other statement of policies, assurances, 
        and procedures as the Secretary may require in order to protect 
        the financial interests of the United States;
            ``(C) set forth such plans, policies, assurances, and 
        procedures as will ensure that the applicant will maintain an 
        office of veterans' affairs which has responsibility for--
                    ``(i) veterans' certification, outreach, 
                recruitment, and special education programs, including 
                the provision of or referral to educational, 
                vocational, and personal counseling for veterans; and
                    ``(ii) providing information regarding other 
                services provided veterans by the Department, including 
                the readjustment counseling program authorized under 
                section 1712A of this title and the programs carried 
                out under chapters 41 and 42 of this title; and
            ``(D) be submitted at such time or times, in such manner, 
        in such form, and contain such information as the Secretary 
        determines necessary to carry out the functions of the 
        Secretary under this section.
    ``(3) An institution of higher learning which is eligible for 
funding under this section and which the Secretary determines cannot 
feasibly carry out, by itself, any or all of the activities set forth 
in paragraph (2)(C), may carry out such program or programs through a 
consortium agreement with one or more other institutions of higher 
learning in the same community.
    ``(4) The Secretary shall not approve an application under this 
subsection unless the Secretary determines that the applicant will 
implement the requirements of paragraph (2)(C) within the first 
academic year during which it receives a payment under this section.
    ``(c) Amount of Payments.--(1)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
amount of the payment which any institution shall receive under this 
section for any fiscal year shall be $100 for each person who is 
described in subsection (b)(1)(B).
    ``(B) The maximum amount of payments to any institution of higher 
learning, or any branch thereof which is located in a community which 
is different from that in which the parent institution thereof is 
located, in any fiscal year is $150,000.
    ``(2)(A) The Secretary shall pay to each institution of higher 
learning which has had an application approved under subsection (b) the 
amount which it is to receive under this section. If the amount 
appropriated for any fiscal year is not sufficient to pay the amounts 
which all such institutions are to receive, the Secretary shall ratably 
reduce such payments. If any amount becomes available to carry out this 
section for a fiscal year after such reductions have been imposed, such 
reduced payments shall be increased on the same basis as they were 
reduced.
    ``(B) In making payments under this section for any fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall apportion the appropriation for making such 
payments, from funds which become available as a result of the 
limitation on payments set forth in paragraph (1)(B), in an equitable 
manner.
    ``(d) Coordination and Provision of Assistance, Technical 
Consultation, and Information.--The Secretary, in carrying out the 
provisions of this section, shall seek to assure the coordination of 
programs assisted under this section with other programs carried out by 
the Department pursuant to this title, and the Secretary shall provide 
all assistance, technical consultation, and information otherwise 
authorized by law as necessary to promote the maximum effectiveness of 
the activities and programs assisted under this section.
    ``(e) Best Practices and Administration.--(1) From the amounts made 
available for any fiscal year under subsection (f), the Secretary shall 
retain one percent or $20,000, whichever is less, for the purpose of 
collecting information about exemplary veterans educational outreach 
programs and disseminating that information to other institutions of 
higher learning having such programs on their campuses. Such collection 
and dissemination shall be done on an annual basis.
    ``(2) From the amounts made available under subsection (f), the 
Secretary may retain not more than two percent for the purpose of 
administering this section.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 
and each fiscal year thereafter.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 3697A the following new item:

``3697B. Veterans education outreach program.''.
                                 <all>