# 119-s-1308: VETS Opportunity Act of 2025

119-s-1308, VETS Opportunity Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1308
- As of: 2026-08-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1308
- Congress: 119
- Title: VETS Opportunity Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-04
- Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 11
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-05

## Summary

**This bill would tighten standards for VA-funded independent-study courses by requiring _regular and substantive interaction_ between students and instructors and by limiting eligible providers to Title IV-participating colleges.** - Veterans and students: Veterans would be eligible for education benefits for an independent-study course only if the course includes regular and substantive interaction and the institution is an institution of higher education that participates in Title IV student aid programs. This changes what independent-study offerings qualify for VA support. - Institutions and providers: To qualify as an eligible provider a school must meet the Higher Education Act section 102 definition of an institution of higher education and participate in Title IV programs. Non-Title IV providers would not meet the revised eligibility test. - Administration and timing: The VA would apply the new rules to any quarter, semester, or term beginning on or after August 1, 2025. The change applies to the term schedule in effect at that date and not to earlier terms.

## Cosponsors (11)

- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH] (R-OH), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-04-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tighter VA rules for online courses: cost, high. If enacted, VA would only pay for independent study courses that require regular and substantive interaction with instructors. The school would have to be an institution of higher education under the Higher Education Act and participate in Title IV federal student aid programs. These rules would ap…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.

## Sources
- [119-s-1308 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1308)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1308 (as of 2026-08-05).