[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8627 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8627

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify certain requirements 
   relating to the recovery by the Department of Veterans Affairs of 
     overpayments made to eligible persons or veterans relating to 
educational assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary of 
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2024

 Mr. Davis of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify certain requirements 
   relating to the recovery by the Department of Veterans Affairs of 
     overpayments made to eligible persons or veterans relating to 
educational assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary of 
               Veterans Affairs, 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 Debt Relief Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. OVERPAYMENTS TO ELIGIBLE PERSONS OR VETERANS.

    Section 3685 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsections:
    ``(f)(1) If the Secretary finds that an overpayment has been made 
to a veteran or eligible person relating to educational assistance 
under a law administered by the Secretary, the overpayment shall not 
constitute a liability for the veteran, eligible person, or educational 
institution if the veteran, eligible person, or educational institution 
demonstrates to the Secretary that--
            ``(A) the Department made an error with respect to the 
        eligibility of the veteran or eligible person for educational 
        assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary; or
            ``(B) the Department of Defense provided incorrect 
        information to the Department of Veterans Affairs with respect 
        to the eligibility of the veteran or eligible person for 
        educational assistance under such laws.
    ``(2)(A) If the Secretary finds that an overpayment has been made 
to a veteran or eligible person relating to educational assistance 
under a law administered by the Secretary and determines, in 
consultation with an educational institution where the veteran or 
eligible person is pursuing a course or program of education using such 
assistance, that liability for the overpayment would be likely to 
result in the inability of the veteran or eligible person to continue 
pursuit of the course or program, the Secretary shall--
            ``(i) review the liability to determine if the liability is 
        eligible for a hardship waiver; and
            ``(ii) if the liability is not eligible, make an attempt to 
        recover the overpayment from the veteran or eligible person.
    ``(B) If the Secretary is unable to recover an overpayment from a 
veteran or eligible person under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary 
shall--
            ``(i) provide to the Under Secretary for Benefits evidence 
        of the attempt to recover the overpayment; and
            ``(ii) establish with the veteran or eligible person a 
        payment plan under which the veteran or eligible person agrees 
        to repay the amount of the overpayment to the Secretary.
    ``(g) The Secretary may not recover an overpayment under this 
section unless--
            ``(1) the overpayment occurs and is identified on or after 
        January 5, 2021; and
            ``(2) the overpayment is identified, and the educational 
        institution is notified of the overpayment, not more than ten 
        years after the overpayment occurs.''.
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