WASHINGTON – Congressman Vern Buchanan announced today that his bill, the VETS Credit Act 2.0 (H.R. 4850), which will expand eligibility for G.I. Bill benefits for student veterans has passed the U.S. House. His legislation was included as part of a broader bill, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.
The new bill expands upon a Buchanan proposal passed into law last Congress, the Veterans Eligible to Transfer School (VETS) Credit Act, which aims to help student veterans by ensuring they are able to quickly and easily transfer their course credits to another institution should their school close or program end suddenly. Specifically, Buchanan’s bill required the VA to work with students and explain the school credit transfer process and to provide them with a certificate of eligibility from the VA providing proof of their restored benefits.
Buchanan subsequently introduced the VETS Credit Act 2.0 this Congress to ensure the VA provides the same help and services to eligible student veterans whose schools closed or programs ended after August 1, 2021.
“America’s veterans have earned every opportunity to succeed, and we owe it to them to protect the benefits they’ve worked so hard for,” said Buchanan. “The VETS Credit Act 2.0 will expand eligibility for student veterans to ensure that no veterans will lose valuable G.I. Bill credits because their school closed by no fault of their own. My bill will require the VA to provide much-needed assistance to our student veterans and ensure they are able to continue their education without any further unnecessary barriers.”
Buchanan has a proven record of fighting for veterans and military families. On top of the passage of the VETS Credit Act, a Buchanan measure to reduce military training accidents following the death of Bradenton soldier Nicolas Panipinto was enacted into law in December 2021. Buchanan also reintroduced the Veterans Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act, which requires the VA to study the link between addictive opioids and the alarmingly high rate of suicides among veterans. Buchanan is currently a cosponsor of the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum Act.
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