§16162a Accelerated Payment of Educational Assistance

Summary

Allows eligible reserve members to get their education benefit paid early for programs that last two years or less and do not lead to a degree. To be eligible, the program’s tuition and fees per month must be more than 200% of the normal monthly benefit. The early payment equals the smaller of 60% of the school’s normal tuition/fee charges or the total benefit money the member still has left. “Established charges” means what other students would pay for tuition and fees (it does not include vehicle purchases). The school must certify the student’s enrollment and the charges to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA must send the payment by the last day of the month after it gets the school’s certification. The payment reduces the member’s remaining months of benefits by dividing the payment by the full-time monthly benefit rate at the start of the enrollment. If the monthly rate increases during the enrollment, the VA will split the charge between the old and new rates. The VA will make rules about how to request, give, use, and recover these payments. All such accelerated payments for these short programs are limited to $3,000,000 per fiscal year.