§16131a Accelerated payment of educational assistance

Summary

Gives eligible people the choice to get their education benefit paid early in a lump sum. To qualify, a person must be in an approved program that lasts no more than two years and does not lead to a degree, and the program’s tuition and fees per month must be more than 200% of the regular monthly education benefit they would otherwise get. The lump sum paid is the smaller of 60% of the program’s established charges or the total benefits the person has left. “Established charges” means the tuition and fees a similar non‑benefit student would pay (counted by term or for the whole program) and does not include vehicle purchase costs. The school must tell the VA the enrollment and the established charges. The VA must pay the lump sum by the last day of the month after it gets the school’s certification. Each lump sum reduces the person’s remaining months of benefits by dividing the payment by the full‑time monthly benefit rate in effect at the start of the enrollment; if that monthly rate rises during the enrollment, the VA will prorate the charge. The VA will create rules for requests, payments, receipts, and recovering overpayments. Payments for these short non‑degree programs are capped at $4,000,000 in any fiscal year.