§3320 — Title 38 Veterans' Benefits | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship to give extra education payments to certain people who already get GI Bill benefits. To qualify, a person must be or have been entitled to benefits under section 3311, have used all those benefits or will use them within 180 days of applying, and be enrolled in or already advanced in study in science, technology, math, engineering, health, agriculture, or other fields the Secretary says meet national needs. Qualification includes students in a standard 120-semester (180-quarter) degree who have finished at least 60 semester (90 quarter) credits, people with a related degree who are in required clinical training for health licensure, or people working toward a teaching certificate. If money is limited, the Secretary can give priority to those who need the most credits and to certain categories of benefit recipients, in this order: undergrad STEM students, teaching certificate students, dual-degree students, undergrad-degree holders in clinical training, then graduate-degree holders in clinical training. The scholarship pays the same monthly rate as section 3313 for up to 9 months, but no person can get more than $30,000 total. The program cannot pay extra under section 3317, though colleges may still contribute under 3317. Recipients may not transfer these scholarship amounts. Annual program funding limits are $25,000,000 for FY2019; $75,000,000 for each of FY2020–2022; and $100,000,000 for FY2023 and later. If the Secretary adds a new eligible field, Congress must get notice at least 90 days before it is used, with any labor-market analysis. A "covered clinical training program" means the clinical training needed for a health professional to get a state or local license.

Title 38, §3320

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to the limitation under subsection (f), the Secretary shall provide additional benefits to eligible individuals selected by the Secretary under this section. Such benefits shall be known as the “Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship”.

(b)For purposes of this section, an eligible individual is an individual—

(1)who is or was entitled to educational assistance under section 3311 of this title;

(2)who has used all of the educational assistance to which the individual is entitled under this chapter or will, based on the individual’s rate of usage, use all of such assistance within 180 days of applying for benefits under this section;

(3)who applies for assistance under this section; and

(4)who—

(A)is an individual who—

(i)is enrolled in a program of education leading to a post-secondary degree that, in accordance with the guidelines of the applicable regional or national accrediting agency, requires at least the standard 120 semester (or 180 quarter) credit hours for completion in a standard, undergraduate college degree, or a dual degree program that includes such an undergraduate college degree, in—

(I)biological or biomedical science;

(II)physical science;

(III)science technologies or technicians;

(IV)computer and information science and support services;

(V)mathematics or statistics;

(VI)engineering;

(VII)engineering technologies or an engineering-related field;

(VIII)a health profession or related program;

(IX)an agriculture science program or a natural resources science program; or

(X)other subjects and fields identified by the Secretary as meeting national needs;

(ii)has completed at least 60 standard semester (or 90 quarter) credit hours in a field referred to in clause (i); or

(B)is an individual who has earned a post-secondary degree in a field referred to in subparagraph (A)(i) and is enrolled in a covered clinical training program for health care professionals or a program of education leading to a teaching certification; or

(C)is an individual who has earned a graduate degree in a field referred to in subparagraph (A)(i) and is enrolled in a covered clinical training program for health care professionals.

(c)(1)If the Secretary determines that there are insufficient funds available in a fiscal year to provide additional benefits under this section to all eligible individuals, the Secretary may give priority to the following eligible individuals:

(A)Individuals who require the most credit hours described in subsection (b)(4).

(B)Individuals who are entitled to educational assistance under this chapter by reason of paragraph (1), (2), (8), (9), (10), or (11) of section 3311(b) of this title.

(2)The Secretary shall give priority to individuals under paragraph (1) in the following order:

(A)Individuals who are enrolled in a program of education leading to an undergraduate degree in a field referred to in subsection (b)(4)(A)(i).

(B)Individuals who are enrolled in a program of education leading to a teaching certificate.

(C)Individuals who are enrolled in a dual-degree program leading to both an undergraduate and graduate degree in a field referred to in subsection (b)(4)(A)(i).

(D)Individuals who have earned an undergraduate degree and are enrolled in a covered clinical training program for health care professionals.

(E)Individuals who have earned a graduate degree and are enrolled in a covered clinical training program for health care professionals.

(d)(1)The Secretary shall pay to each eligible individual who receives additional benefits under this section the monthly amount payable under section 3313 of this title for not more than 9 months of the program of education in which the individual is enrolled (adjusted with respect to the individual pursuant to section 3313(c), as appropriate), except that the aggregate amount paid to an individual under this section may not exceed $30,000.

(2)The Secretary may not pay to such an individual an amount in addition to the amount payable under paragraph (1) by reason of section 3317 of this title.

(3)An individual who receives additional benefits under this section may also receive amounts payable by a college or university pursuant to section 3317 of this title.

(4)Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or chapter 36 of this title, any additional benefits under this section may not be counted toward the aggregate period for which section 3695 of this title limits an individual’s receipt of allowance or assistance.

(e)An individual who receives additional benefits under this section may not transfer any amount of such additional benefits under section 3319 of this title.

(f)The total amount of benefits paid to all eligible individuals under this section may not exceed—

(1)$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2019;

(2)$75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2022; and

(3)$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and each subsequent fiscal year.

(g)If the Secretary identifies a new subject or field pursuant to subsection (b)(4)(A)(i)(XI) as meeting a national need, the Secretary shall submit to Congress notice of such identification at least 90 days before conferring eligibility on any individual for purposes of this section on the basis of such identification, including any analysis of labor market supply and demand used in identifying the new subject or field, as applicable.

(h)In this section, the term “covered clinical training program” means any clinical training required by a health care professional to be licensed to practice in a State or locality.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b)(4)(A)(i). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1001(a)(1), inserted “, or a dual degree program that includes such an undergraduate college degree,” after “standard, undergraduate college degree” in introductory provisions, redesignated subcls. (X) and (XI) as (IX) and (X), respectively, and struck out former subcl. (IX) which read as follows: “a medical residency program;”. Subsec. (b)(4)(B). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1001(a)(2), inserted “covered clinical training program for health care professionals or a” before “program of education” and substituted “; or” for period at end. Subsec. (b)(4)(C). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1001(a)(3), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1001(b), amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “In selecting eligible individuals to receive additional benefits under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to the following individuals: “(1) Individuals who require the most credit hours described in subsection (b)(4). “(2) Individuals who are entitled to educational assistance under this chapter by reason of paragraph (1), (2), (8), or (9) of section 3311(b) of this title.” Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1002(b)(4), substituted “(8), (9), (10), or (11)” for “(8), or (9)”. Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1001(c), added par. (4). Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 116–315, § 1001(d), added subsec. (h). 2019—Subsec. (b)(4)(A)(i). Pub. L. 116–36 substituted “at least the standard 120 semester (or 180 quarter) credit hours” for “more than the standard 128 semester (or 192 quarter) credit hours” in introductory provisions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2021 AmendmentAmendment by section 1002(b)(4) of Pub. L. 116–315 effective immediately after the

Amendments

made by section 105 of Pub. L. 115–48 [

Amendments

effective Aug. 1, 2020] and applicable with respect to a quarter, semester, or term, commencing on or after Aug. 1, 2021, see section 1002(c) of Pub. L. 116–315, set out as a note under section 3311 of this title.

Effective Date

Pub. L. 115–48, title I, § 111(c), Aug. 16, 2017, 131 Stat. 983, provided that: “Section 3320 of title 38, United States Code, shall take effect on August 1, 2019.”

§3320 Edith Nourse Rogers Stem Scholarship

Summary

Title 38, §3320

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Amendments

Amendments

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata