Servicemembers Improved Transition Through Reforms for Ensuring Progress Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for, once again, bringing up a really important piece of legislation. I believe the gentleman is also the longest serving member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Any piece of important legislation over the last decade-plus has had his hand in it.

H.R. 4830, as amended, is a bill that we have worked on in a bipartisan basis with TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. TAPS came to the committee and to Mr. Bilirakis, after they heard from many surviving spouses that with all of the changes that were being implemented on August 1, there will be delayed payments and processing times for payments for veterans and survivors enrolled for the fall 2018 semester.

The Forever GI Bill that we are all in this body proud of passing and proud of updating contains several large-scale changes the VA is currently working very hard to implement. Some of those changes went into effect in the fall of 2017, and TAPS reported to the committee that, because of delays in VA payments, many schools demanded payment from students.

There were stories of students who were not allowed to attend class, register for classes, or use campus facilities only because the VA payment was delayed. In some cases, students were even put on a payment plan they could not afford or forced to take out student loans with egregious orientation fees in order to continue their education.

This bill will provide students receiving VA payments with the same protections as those who receive title IV funding, such as Pell Grants and Federal student loans. These title IV students are allowed to attend classes, participate in extracurricular activities, and use campus facilities as long as their school knows payment is forthcoming.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4830, as amended, will give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the ability to disapprove any course of education unless the educational institution providing the course permits individuals to attend or participate in courses pending payment by the VA and accept a certificate of eligibility as a promise. As such, the bill will serve as a preventive measure to discourage schools from engaging in shutting out VA beneficiaries simply because of an administrative delay. This is a really good step toward ensuring that our student veterans and other GI Bill beneficiaries are not unnecessarily prevented from getting the most of their benefits due.

To be very clear about this, there are very few benefits that are really earned in the way a GI Bill benefit is earned. Those of us who have used the GI Bill to get an education know how important it is.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for continuing to show care for these veterans. This is a great, smart piece of legislation. I encourage its adoption.

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Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for his great work on this. I encourage its passage.

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