text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Education Flexibility 
  Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
  
      (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
              (1) According to the ``National Survey of Veterans, Active 
          Duty Service Members, Demobilized National Guard and Reserve 
          Members, Family Members, and Surviving Spouses Final Report'', 
          commissioned by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 2010, 20.6 
          percent of eligible veterans--approximately 2,621,753 
          veterans--were unable to use their GI bill educational benefits 
          because their period of eligibility expired.
              (2) The time limitations for using GI bill educational 
          benefits do not reflect the realities of the modern economy of 
          the United States. After leaving the service, many veterans 
          postpone further education to join the workforce and support 
          their families or are faced with lengthy rehabilitations from 
          service-related injuries.
              (3) Access to education and job retraining has proved the 
          arbiter of success in today's economy, and if the United States 
          is to lower the unemployment rate among the veteran population, 
          the United States must provide veterans unfettered access to 
          educational benefits.
      (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to remove the delimiting 
  dates and retroactively restore the Department of Veterans Affairs 
  Educational benefits within the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational 
  Assistance Program (VEAP), Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD), 
  and Post-9/11 GI Bill.
  
  SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF TIME LIMITATION FOR USE OF ELIGIBILITY AND 
                ENTITLEMENT TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.
  
      (a) Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty.--
              (1) In general.--Section 3031 of chapter 30 of title 38, 
          United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
  ``Sec. 3031. Extension of entitlement to educational assistance 
                expiring during a quarter or semester or after a major 
                portion of a course is complete
      ``(a) Educational Institutions Operating on Quarter or Semester 
  System.--If an individual eligible for educational assistance under 
  this chapter is enrolled under this chapter in an educational 
  institution regularly operated on the quarter or semester system and 
  the period of such individual's entitlement under this chapter would, 
  under section 3013, expire during a quarter or semester, such period 
  shall be extended to the end of such quarter or semester.
      ``(b) Other Educational Institutions.--If an individual eligible 
  for educational assistance under this chapter is enrolled under this 
  chapter in an educational institution not regularly operated on the 
  quarter or semester system and the period of such individual's 
  entitlement under this chapter would, under section 3013, expire after 
  a major portion of the course is completed, such period shall be 
  extended to the end of the course or for 12 weeks, whichever is the 
  lesser period of extension.''.
              (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
          beginning of such chapter is amended by striking the item 
          relating to section 3031 and inserting the following new item:
  
  ``3031. Extension of entitlement to educational assistance expiring 
                              during a quarter or semester or after a 
                              major portion of a course is complete.''.
              (3) Conforming amendments.--Chapter 33 of title 38, United 
          States Code, is amended--
                      (A) in section 3018C(e)(3)(B)--
                              (i) by striking ``(i) The Secretary'' and 
                          inserting ``The Secretary''; and
                              (ii) by striking clause (ii); and
                      (B) in section 3020--
                              (i) in subsection (f)(1), by striking 
                          ``Subject to the time limitation for use of 
                          entitlement under section 3031 of this title, 
                          an'' and inserting ``An''; and
                              (ii) in subsection (h), by striking 
                          ``Notwithstanding section 3031 of this title, 
                          a'' and inserting ``A''.
      (b) Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program.--
              (1) In general.--Section 3232 of title 38, United States 
          Code, is amended--
                      (A) by striking subsections (a) and (b); and
                      (B) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
                  subsections (a) and (b), respectively.
              (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 3035(b)(1) of title 38, 
          United States Code, is amended by striking ``and from'' and all 
          that follows through ``title''.
      (c) Post-9/11 GI Bill.--
              (1) In general.--Section 3321 of chapter 30 of title 38, 
          United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
  ``Sec. 3321. Extension of entitlement to educational assistance 
                expiring during a quarter or semester or after a major 
                portion of a course is complete
      ``Section 3031 shall apply with respect to the termination of an 
  individual's entitlement to educational assistance under this chapter 
  in the same manner as such section applies to the termination of an 
  individual's entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 30, 
  except that, in the administration of such section for purposes of this 
  chapter, the reference to section 3013 shall be deemed to be a 
  reference to section 3312 of this title.''.
              (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
          beginning of such chapter is amended by striking the item 
          relating to section 3321 and inserting the following new item:
  
  ``3321. Extension of entitlement to educational assistance expiring 
                              during a quarter or semester or after a 
                              major portion of a course is complete.''.
              (3) Conforming amendments.--Chapter 33 of title 38, United 
          States Code, is amended--
                      (A) in section 3312(b), by striking ``3321(b)(2)'' 
                  and inserting ``3321'';
                      (B) in section 3319--
                              (i) in subsection (f)(1), by striking 
                          ``Subject to'' and all that follows through 
                          ``an'' and inserting ``An''; and
                              (ii) in subsection (h)(5)(A), by striking 
                          ``may use'' and all that follows through 
                          ``but''.
      (d) Conforming Amendments for Reserve Component Programs.--
              (1) Selected reserve.--Section 16133(b) of title 10, United 
          States Code, is amended--
                      (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``section 
                  3031(f)'' and inserting ``subsections (a) and (b) of 
                  section 3031''; and
                      (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, as such 
                  section existed on the day before the date of the 
                  enactment of the Veterans Education Flexibility Act,'' 
                  after ``title 38''.
              (2) Other reserve components.--Section 16164(b)(2) of title 
          10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
      ``(2) The following provisions shall apply to the period of 
  entitlement prescribed by paragraph (1):
              ``(A) Subsections (a) and (b) of section 3031 of title 38.
              ``(B) Subsection (d) of section 3031 of title 38, as such 
          subsection existed on the day before the date of the enactment 
          of the Veterans Education Flexibility Act.''.
      (e) Applicability.--The amendments made by this section shall apply 
  with respect to any individual who has been entitled to educational 
  assistance under chapters 30, 32, or 33 of title 38, United States 
  Code. For purposes of determining the number of months of entitlement 
  to such educational assistance that an individual is entitled to, the 
  Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall disregard any delimiting date 
  eliminated by this Act that occurred before the date of the enactment 
  of this Act.
target: Veterans Education Flexibility Act This bill declares that, if an individual eligible for educational assistance under the all-volunteer force educational assistance program of the Department of Veterans Affairs is enrolled in an educational institution and the period of entitlement (10 years after discharge or release from active duty) would expire during a quarter or semester of enrollment, the period shall be extended to the end of that period (or until the earlier of the end of the course or 12 weeks in the case of an educational institution not regularly operated on a quarter or semester basis). The bill: (1) repeals the delimiting period for the use of assistance under the post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance program (generally 10 years after the veteran's last discharge or release from active duty), and (2) applies the assistance extension provided under the all-volunteer force educational assistance program to the post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program.
feat_title: Veterans Education Flexibility Act