[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6322 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.6322

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twenty


                                 An Act


 
  To make certain improvements in the educational assistance benefits 
under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the 
     case of changes to courses of education by reason of emergency 
                   situations, 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 ``Student Veteran Coronavirus Response 
Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. COVERED PERIOD DEFINED.
    For purposes of this Act, the term ``covered period'' means the 
period beginning on March 1, 2020, and ending on December 21, 2020.
SEC. 3. PAYMENT OF WORK-STUDY ALLOWANCES DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
    During the covered period, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
apply section 3485 of title 38, United States Code, as if it were 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f)(1) In case of an individual who is in receipt of work-study 
allowance pursuant to an agreement described in subsection (a)(3) as of 
the date on which an emergency situation occurs and who is unable to 
continue to perform qualifying work-study activities described in 
subsection (a)(4) by reason of the emergency situation--
        ``(A) the Secretary may continue to pay work-study allowance 
    under this section or make deductions described in subsection 
    (e)(1) during the period of such emergency situation, 
    notwithstanding the inability of the individual to perform such 
    work-study activities by reason of such emergency situation; and
        ``(B) at the option of the individual, the Secretary shall 
    extend the agreement described in subsection (a)(3) with the 
    individual for any subsequent period of enrollment initiated during 
    the emergency situation, notwithstanding the inability of the 
    individual to perform work-study activities described in subsection 
    (a)(4) by reason of such emergency situation.
    ``(2) The amount of work-study allowance payable to an individual 
under paragraph (1)(A) during the period of an emergency situation 
shall be an amount determined by the Secretary but may not exceed the 
amount that would be payable under subsection (a)(2) if the individual 
worked 25 hours per week paid during such period.''.
SEC. 4. PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES TO VETERANS ENROLLED IN EDUCATIONAL 
INSTITUTIONS CLOSED FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
    (a) In General.--During the covered period, the Secretary may pay 
allowances to an eligible veteran or eligible person under section 
3680(a)(2)(A) of title 38, United States Code, if the veteran or person 
is enrolled in a program or course of education that--
        (1) is provided by an educational institution that is closed by 
    reason of an emergency situation; or
        (2) is suspended by reason of an emergency situation.
    (b) Amount of Allowance.--The total number of weeks for which 
allowances may be paid under this section may not exceed four weeks.
    (c) Not Counted for Purposes of Limitation.--Any amount paid under 
this section shall not be counted for purposes of the limitation on 
allowanced under section 3680(a)(2)(A) of title 38, United States Code.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF CHARGE TO ENTITLEMENT OF STUDENTS UNABLE TO 
PURSUE A PROGRAM OF EDUCATION DUE TO AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.
    During the covered period, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
apply section 3699(b)(1) of title 38, United States Code, as if it were 
amended--
        (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' at the end;
        (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``and'' at the end and 
    inserting ``or'' ; and
        (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
            ``(C) the temporary closure of an educational institution 
        or the temporary closure or termination of a course or program 
        of education by reason of an emergency situation; and''.
SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF TIME LIMITATIONS FOR USE OF ENTITLEMENT.
    (a) Montgomery GI Bill.--During the covered period, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall apply section 3031 of title 38, United States 
Code, as if it were amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(i) In the case of an individual eligible for educational 
assistance under this chapter who is prevented from pursuing the 
individual's chosen program of education before the expiration of the 
10-year period for the use of entitlement under this chapter otherwise 
applicable under this section because the educational institution 
closed (temporarily or permanently) under an established policy based 
on an Executive order of the President or due to an emergency 
situation, such 10-year period--
        ``(1) shall not run during the period the individual is so 
    prevented from pursuing such program; and
        ``(2) shall again begin running on the first day after the 
    individual is able to resume pursuit of a program of education with 
    educational assistance under this chapter.''.
    (b) Post-9/11 Educational Assistance.--
        (1) In general.--During the covered period, the Secretary of 
    Veterans Affairs shall apply section 3321(b)(1) of such title as if 
    it were amended--
            (A) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``Subsections'';
            (B) by striking ``and (d)'' and inserting ``(d), and (i)''; 
        and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
        ``(B) Subsection (i) of section 3031 (as described in section 6 
    of the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020) shall 
    apply with respect to the running of the 15-year period described 
    in paragraphs (4)(A) and (5)(A) of this subsection in the same 
    manner as such subsection applies under section 3031 with respect 
    to the running of the 10-year period described in section 
    3031(a).''.
        (2) Transfer period.--During the covered period, the Secretary 
    of Veterans Affairs shall apply section 3319(h)(5) of such title as 
    if it were amended--
            (A) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ``or (C)'' after 
        ``subparagraph (B)''; and
            (B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
            ``(C) Emergency situations.--In any case in which the 
        Secretary determines that an individual to whom entitlement is 
        transferred under this section has been prevented from pursuing 
        the individual's chosen program of education before the 
        individual attains the age of 26 years because the educational 
        institution closed (temporarily or permanently) under an 
        established policy based on an Executive order of the President 
        or due to an emergency situation, the Secretary shall extend 
        the period during which the individual may use such entitlement 
        for a period equal to the number of months that the individual 
        was so prevented from pursuing the program of education, as 
        determined by the Secretary.''.
    (c) Vocational Rehabilitation and Training.--
        (1) Period for use.--During the covered period, the Secretary 
    of Veterans affairs shall apply section 3103 of such title as if it 
    were amended--
            (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``or (e)'' and inserting 
        ``(e), or (g)''; and
            (B) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) In any case in which the Secretary determines that a veteran 
has been prevented from participating in a vocational rehabilitation 
program under this chapter within the twelve-year period of eligibility 
prescribed in subsection (a) by reason of an Executive order of the 
President or due to an emergency situation, such twelve-year period--
        ``(1) shall not run during the period the individual is so 
    prevented from participating such program; and
        ``(2) shall again begin running on the first day after the 
    individual is able to resume participation in such program.''.
        (2) Duration of program.--During the covered period, the 
    Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall apply section 3105(b) of such 
    title as if it were amended--
            (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
        inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
            (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3)(A) In any case in which the Secretary determines that a 
veteran has been prevented from participating in counseling and 
placement and postplacement services described in section 3104(a)(2) 
and (5) of this title by reason of an Executive order of the President 
or due to an emergency situation, the Secretary shall extend the period 
during which the Secretary may provide such counseling and placement 
and postplacement services for the veteran for a period equal to the 
number of months that the veteran was so prevented from participating 
in such counseling and services, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(B) In any case in which the Secretary determines that a veteran 
has been prevented from participating in a vocational rehabilitation 
program under this chapter by reason of an Executive order of the 
President or due to an emergency situation, the Secretary shall extend 
the period of the veteran's vocational rehabilitation program for a 
period equal to the number of months that the veteran was so prevented 
from participating in the vocational rehabilitation program, as 
determined by the Secretary.''.
    (d) Educational Assistance for Members of the Selected Reserve.--
During the covered period, the Secretary concerned shall apply section 
16133(b) of title 10, United States Code, as if it were amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(5) In any case in which the Secretary concerned determines that 
a person entitled to educational assistance under this chapter has been 
prevented from using such person's entitlement by reason of an 
Executive order of the President or due to an emergency situation, the 
Secretary concerned shall extend the period of entitlement prescribed 
in subsection (a) for a period equal to the number of months that the 
person was so prevented from using such entitlement, as determined by 
the Secretary.''.
SEC. 7. RESTORATION OF ENTITLEMENT TO REHABILITATION PROGRAMS FOR 
VETERANS AFFECTED BY SCHOOL CLOSURE OR DISAPPROVAL.
    (a) Entitlement.--During the covered period, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall apply section 3699 of title 38, United States 
Code, as if it were amended by striking ``chapter 30,'' each time it 
appears and inserting ``chapter 30, 31,''.
    (b) Payment of Subsistence Allowances.--During the covered period, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall apply section 3680(a)(2)(B) of 
title 38, United States Code, as if it were amended--
        (1) by inserting ``or a subsistence allowance described in 
    section 3108'' before ``, during''; and
        (2) by inserting ``or allowance'' after ``such a stipend''.
SEC. 8. EXTENSION OF PAYMENT OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SUBSISTENCE 
ALLOWANCES.
    In the case of any veteran whom the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
determines is satisfactorily following a program of employment services 
provided under section 3104(a)(5) of title 38, United States Code, 
during the covered period, the Secretary may pay the veteran a 
subsistence allowance, as prescribed in section 3108 of such title for 
full-time training for the type of program that the veteran was 
pursuing, for two additional months.
SEC. 9. EMERGENCY DESIGNATIONS.
    (a) In General.--This Act is designated as an emergency requirement 
pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 
U.S.C. 933(g)).
    (b) Designation in Senate.--In the Senate, this Act is designated 
as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 
71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal 
year 2018.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.