This bill — the SIT REP Act — would require educational institutions receiving funding from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a 90-day grace period for veterans whose GI Bill funds are delayed, thus enabling them to continue their education in the interim. Currently, the VA pays for the tuition and fees of veterans at higher education institutions under the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the vocational rehabilitation and education benefits program. The VA makes these payments directly to the institutions, usually at the start of the academic term; however, payments are occasionally delayed for various reasons, and in those instances, some institutions will ban beneficiaries from beginning or continuing their educations.

Under this bill, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs could approve only those institutions that allow veteran beneficiaries to attend the institution for up to 90 days after the VA certifies that the student is eligible for benefits, regardless of whether the VA has made payments of tuition and fees. Under this bill, the Secretary would be empowered to disapprove institutions that do not adopt this policy, making such institutions ineligible for VA funding.

The bill’s full title is the Servicemembers Improved Transition through Reforms for Ensuring Progress Act.