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New York, NY (April 29, 2020) – Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is celebrating the enactment of new legislation to protect student veterans in danger of losing education benefits as a result of the Coronavirus. The president signed the bill into law following passage by Congress earlier this week.
“It’s incredibly reassuring to our members that when veterans are faced with imminent threats to their benefits, both parties can come together, even in these difficult times and fix the problem,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “IAVA applauds Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS), Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT), House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-CA) and Ranking Member Phil Roe (R-TN) for introducing this critical legislation and shepherding it through to passage.”
Specifically, the IAVA-backed legislation ensures that student veterans using the GI Bill can continue receiving benefit payments after classes are stopped, permits veterans in work study programs to continue receiving payments if their program is stopped by the virus, boosts housing allowances for certain veterans if their school closes due to the outbreak, and allows veterans to have their education entitlements restored or extended if schools are closed or veterans must withdraw due to the Coronavirus.
