Sole Liability for Transferred Educational Assistance By An Individual Who Fails to Complete A Service Agreement

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 290, as amended, to create a sole liability for GI Bill payments during transfer in certain cases. This bill would hold a servicemember liable should they transfer the GI Bill entitlement but fail to complete their service obligation.

The GI Bill is a fantastic benefit. The GI Bill has helped tens of thousands of veterans and their families obtain a higher education. Some servicemembers are eligible to transfer their GI Bill entitlement to a dependent. They can do this once they have completed 6 years of active service and agree to serve an additional 4 years.

Under my bill, if the servicemember begins to transfer the entitlement at the 6-year mark but fails to complete the additional 4 years of the required service, their dependent would not be held liable for overpayments. This would help dependents avoid unexpected VA debt for actions outside of their control. Some overpayments can total hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is only right that we ensure that they are assigned to the right person.

Madam Speaker, I thank our VSO partners, especially those at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors for bringing this issue to my attention.

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Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I just want to encourage all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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