§16162a Accelerated payment of educational assistance

Summary

Eligible reserve members who get education benefits can choose to get part of their benefit paid up front for certain short programs. To qualify, the program must be approved, not more than two years long, and not lead to a college degree. The program’s monthly tuition and fees must be more than 200 percent of the normal monthly benefit rate. The up-front payment will be the smaller of 60 percent of the program’s regular tuition and fees or the total benefit money the member still has left. The school must tell the VA the student is enrolled and how much the charges are. The VA must pay by the last day of the month after it gets the school’s certification. Definitions: "eligible member" — a reserve member getting education benefits who meets the rules above. "established charges" — the tuition and fees others would normally pay for that program (does not include vehicle purchases). The up-front payment uses up months of the member’s benefit by dividing the payment by the full‑time monthly rate at the start of the enrollment; if the monthly rate goes up during the program, the VA will prorate the charge. The VA will make rules for requests, payments, and recovering any overpayments. Total accelerated payments for these short programs cannot exceed $3,000,000 in a fiscal year.