[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 177 (Thursday, December 8, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 JEFF MILLER AND RICHARD BULMENTHAL VETERANS HEALTH CARE AND BENEFITS 
                        IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2016

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JODY B. HICE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2016

  Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 6416, the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care 
and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016. I commend Chairman Miller's and 
Congressman Roe's work on this important legislation.
  I'm pleased to say that language from one of my bills, the Protecting 
Veterans' Educational Choice Act, is included in this bill as section 
415. This section will require the VA to inform student-veterans--on 
the front-end, before they spend a dime of their Post-9/11 GI Bill 
benefits--about agreements between schools regarding the transfer of 
credits.
  Despite having access to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, many veterans 
still end up having to take out student loans to cover the full cost of 
their education. In many cases, this is due to situations where 
veterans aren't aware that credits earned at one institution will not 
transfer to another school until after they have already expended a 
significant portion of their benefits.
  By requiring that the VA provide veterans with this information on 
the front-end of the process, this legislation will address flaws in 
the system where veterans--many of whom are first-generation college 
students--are surprised by this feature of higher education.
  Ultimately, decisions regarding how and where to use these benefits 
are rightfully left to those who served our country. Our veterans 
earned their benefits, and this bill will empower our veterans by 
arming them with the information and resources that they need to make 
the best decisions for themselves and their families. I urge all of my 
colleagues to support H.R. 6416.

                          ____________________