§ 16131 — Educational Assistance Program: Establishment; Amount

(a) To encourage membership in units of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, the Secretary of each military department, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, shall establish and maintain a program to provide educational assistance to members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned who agree to remain members of the Selected Reserve for a period of not less than six years. (1) Except as provided in subsections (d) through (f), each educational assistance program established under subsection (a) shall provide for payment by the Secretary concerned, through the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to each person entitled to educational assistance under this chapter who is pursuing a program of education of an educational assistance allowance at the following rates: (A) $251 (as increased from time to time under paragraph (2)) per month for each month of full-time pursuit of a program of education; (B) $188 (as increased from time to time under paragraph (2)) per month for each month of three-quarter-time pursuit of a program of education; (C) $125 (as increased from time to time under paragraph (2)) per month for each month of half-time pursuit of a program of education; and (D) an appropriately reduced rate, as determined under regulations which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe, for each month of less than half-time pursuit of a program of education, except that no payment may be made to a person for less than half-time pursuit if tuition assistance is otherwise available to the person for such pursuit from the military department concerned. (2) With respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide a percentage increase (rounded to the nearest dollar) in the rates payable under subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1) equal to the percentage by which— (A) the Consumer Price Index (all items, United States city average) for the 12-month period ending on the June 30 preceding the beginning of the fiscal year for which the increase is made, exceeds (B) such Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period preceding the 12-month period described in subparagraph (A). (1) Educational assistance may be provided under this chapter for pursuit of any program of education that is an approved program of education for purposes of chapter 30 of title 38. (2) Subject to section 3695 of title 38, the maximum number of months of educational assistance that may be provided to any person under this chapter is 36 (or the equivalent thereof in part-time educational assistance). (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or chapter 36 of title 38, any payment of an educational assistance allowance described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall not— (i) be charged against the entitlement of any individual under this chapter; or (ii) be counted toward the aggregate period for which section 3695 of title 38 limits an individual’s receipt of assistance. (B) The payment of the educational assistance allowance referred to in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph is the payment of such an allowance to the individual for pursuit of a course or courses under this chapter if the Secretary of Veterans Affairs finds that the individual— (i) had to discontinue such course pursuit as a result of being ordered to serve on active duty under section 12301(a), 12301(d), 12301(g), 12302, 12304, 12304a, or 12304b of this title; and (ii) failed to receive credit or training time toward completion of the individual’s approved educational, professional, or vocational objective as a result of having to discontinue, as described in clause (i), the individual’s course pursuit. (C) The period for which, by reason of this subsection, an educational assistance allowance is not charged against entitlement or counted toward the applicable aggregate period under section 3695 of title 38 shall not exceed the portion of the period of enrollment in the course or courses for which the individual failed to receive credit or with respect to which the individual lost training time, as determined under subparagraph (B)(ii). (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the amount of the monthly educational assistance allowance payable to a person pursuing a full-time program of apprenticeship or other on-the-job training under this chapter is— (A) for each of the first six months of the person’s pursuit of such program, 75 percent of the monthly educational assistance allowance otherwise payable to such person under this chapter; (B) for each of the second six months of the person’s pursuit of such program, 55 percent of such monthly educational assistance allowance; and (C) for each of the months following the first 12 months of the person’s pursuit of such program, 35 percent of such monthly educational assistance allowance. (2) In any month in which any person pursuing a program of education consisting of a program of apprenticeship or other on-the-job training fails to complete 120 hours of training, the amount of the monthly educational assistance allowance payable under this chapter to the person shall be limited to the same proportion of the applicable full-time rate as the number of hours worked during such month, rounded to the nearest 8 hours, bears to 120 hours. (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), for each month that such person is paid a monthly educational assistance allowance under this chapter, the person’s entitlement under this chapter shall be charged at the rate of— (i) 75 percent of a month in the case of payments made in accordance with paragraph (1)(A); (ii) 55 percent of a month in the case of payments made in accordance with paragraph (1)(B); and (iii) 35 percent of a month in the case of payments made in accordance with paragraph (1)(C). (B) Any such charge to the entitlement shall be reduced proportionately in accordance with the reduction in payment under paragraph (2). (A) The amount of the educational assistance allowance payable under this chapter to a person who enters into an agreement to pursue, and is pursuing, a program of education exclusively by correspondence is an amount equal to 55 percent of the established charge which the institution requires nonveterans to pay for the course or courses pursued by such person. (B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term “established charge” means the lesser of— (i) the charge for the course or courses determined on the basis of the lowest extended time payment plan offered by the institution and approved by the appropriate State approving agency; or (ii) the actual charge to the person for such course or courses. (C) Such allowance shall be paid quarterly on a pro rata basis for the lessons completed by the person and serviced by the institution. (2) In each case in which the amount of educational assistance is determined under paragraph (1), the period of entitlement of the person concerned shall be charged with one month for each amount equal to the amount of the monthly rate payable under subsection (b)(1)(A) for the fiscal year concerned which is paid to the individual as an educational assistance allowance. (1) Each individual who is pursuing a program of education consisting exclusively of flight training approved as meeting the requirements of section 16136(c) of this title shall be paid an educational assistance allowance under this chapter in the amount equal to 60 percent of the established charges for tuition and fees which similarly circumstanced nonveterans enrolled in the same flight course are required to pay. (2) No educational assistance allowance may be paid under this chapter to an individual for any month during which such individual is pursuing a program of education consisting exclusively of flight training until the Secretary has received from that individual and the institution providing such training a certification of the flight training received by the individual during that month and the tuition and other fees charged for that training. (3) The period of entitlement of an individual pursuing a program of education described in paragraph (1) shall be charged with one month for each amount equal to the amount of the monthly rate payable under subsection (b)(1)(A) for the fiscal year concerned which is paid to that individual as an educational assistance allowance for such program. (4) The number of solo flying hours for which an individual may be paid an educational assistance allowance under this subsection may not exceed the minimum number of solo flying hours required by the Federal Aviation Administration for the flight rating or certification which is the goal of the individual’s flight training. (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall approve individualized tutorial assistance for any person entitled to educational assistance under this chapter who— (i) is enrolled in and pursuing a postsecondary course of education on a half-time or more basis at an educational institution; and (ii) has a deficiency in a subject required as a part of, or which is prerequisite to, or which is indispensable to the satisfactory pursuit of, the program of education. (B) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall not approve individualized tutorial assistance for a person pursuing a program of education under this paragraph unless such assistance is necessary for the person to successfully complete the program of education. (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary concerned, through the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall pay to a person receiving individualized tutorial assistance pursuant to paragraph (1) a tutorial assistance allowance. The amount of the allowance payable under this paragraph may not exceed $100 for any month, nor aggregate more than $1,200. The amount of the allowance paid under this paragraph shall be in addition to the amount of educational assistance allowance payable to a person under this chapter. (B) A tutorial assistance allowance may not be paid to a person under this paragraph until the educational institution at which the person is enrolled certifies that— (i) the individualized tutorial assistance is essential to correct a deficiency of the person in a subject required as a part of, or which is prerequisite to, or which is indispensable to the satisfactory pursuit of, an approved program of education; (ii) the tutor chosen to perform such assistance is qualified to provide such assistance and is not the person’s parent, spouse, child (whether or not married or over eighteen years of age), brother, or sister; and (iii) the charges for such assistance do not exceed the customary charges for such tutorial assistance. (A) A person’s period of entitlement to educational assistance under this chapter shall be charged only with respect to the amount of tutorial assistance paid to the person under this subsection in excess of $600. (B) A person’s period of entitlement to educational assistance under this chapter shall be charged at the rate of one month for each amount of assistance paid to the individual under this section in excess of $600 that is equal to the amount of the monthly educational assistance allowance which the person is otherwise eligible to receive for full-time pursuit of an institutional course under this chapter. (h) A program of education in a course of instruction beyond the baccalaureate degree level shall be provided under this chapter, subject to the availability of appropriations. (1) In the case of a person who has a skill or specialty designated by the Secretary concerned as a skill or specialty in which there is a critical shortage of personnel or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain personnel, the Secretary concerned may increase the rate of the educational assistance allowance applicable to that person to such rate in excess of the rate prescribed under subparagraphs (A) through (D) of subsection (b)(1) as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate, but the amount of any such increase may not exceed $350 per month. (2) In the case of a person who has a skill or specialty designated by the Secretary concerned as a skill or specialty in which there is a critical shortage of personnel or for which it is difficult to recruit or, in the case of critical units, retain personnel, who is eligible for educational benefits under chapter 30 (other than section 3012) of title 38 and who meets the eligibility criteria specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 16132(a)(1) of this title, the Secretary concerned may increase the rate of the educational assistance allowance applicable to that person to such rate in excess of the rate prescribed under section 3015 of title 38 as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate, but the amount of any such increase may not exceed $350 per month. (3) The authority provided by paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be exercised by the Secretaries concerned under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. (1) Subject to paragraph (3), the amount of educational assistance payable under this chapter for a licensing or certification test described in section 3452(b) of title 38 is the lesser of $2,000 or the fee charged for the test. (2) The number of months of entitlement charged in the case of any individual for such licensing or certification test is equal to the number (including any fraction) determined by dividing the total amount of educational assistance paid such individual for such test by the full-time monthly institutional rate of educational assistance which, but for paragraph (1), such individual would otherwise be paid under subsection (b). (3) In no event shall payment of educational assistance under this subsection for such a test exceed the amount of the individual’s available entitlement under this chapter. (1) In the case of an individual entitled to educational assistance under this chapter who is pursuing education or training described in subsection (a) or (c) of section 2007 of this title on a half-time or more basis, the Secretary concerned shall, at the election of the individual, pay the individual educational assistance allowance under this chapter for pursuit of such education or training as if the individual were not also eligible to receive or in receipt of educational assistance under section 2007 for pursuit of such education or training. (2) Concurrent receipt of educational assistance under section 2007 of this title and educational assistance under this chapter shall not be considered a duplication of benefits if the individual is enrolled in a program of education on a half-time or more basis.