Emergency fix for GI Bill payouts at colleges shuttered by coronavirus advances, but final passage uncertain – Military Times
The Senate on Monday rushed through emergency legislation to help tens of thousands of student veterans whose GI Bill benefits could be disrupted in coming weeks, but the fate of the measure in the House remains unclear.
In late work Monday evening, the upper chamber of Congress approved plans from Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and ranking member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., that would ensure VA education benefits are not disrupted by college’s plans to shift to remote learning options.
In the last few weeks, as the coronavirus has spread throughout the world, dozens of U.S. colleges and universities have announced plans to keep students at home for the remainder of the spring semester with online-only classes.
Health experts have praised the move as a way to help curb the spread of the virus, which has already claimed more than 7,000 lives worldwide. Earlier on Monday, President Donald Trump recommended that Americans avoid gatherings of more than 10 people for the next two weeks.
But veterans advocates have warned that without a change in federal law, student veterans could see severe financial consequences.