In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) REMOTE Act to protect VA benefits for student veterans was signed into law. The Responsible Education Mitigating Option and Technical Extensions (REMOTE) Act will ensure that eligible student veterans can access their full VA housing allowances while pursuing education remotely during the pandemic.
KTVN: Senator Cortez Masto Legislation To Protect Benefits For Student Veterans Signed Into Law
“If you are an eligible veteran, and you are learning remotely, getting an education remotely, you will get a 100% allowance. That was set to expire at the end of this month,” said Cortez Masto. “So the REMOTE Act extends it for another semester for our veterans”
Schroeder won’t have to worry about losing part of benefit moving forward, as the Responsible Education Mitigating Option and Technical Extensions (REMOTE) Act signed Tuesday by President Joe Biden ensures veterans will be able to get their full Veterans Affairs housing allowances while pursuing education during the pandemic.
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Cutting the benefits would have created “extreme uncertainty” for veterans who could have been forced to abandon their education in order to make up the cost of rent or a mortgage, said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who introduced the act in the Senate along with fellow Democrat Jon Tester of Montana.
“Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who sponsored the measure in the Senate, praised the bill signing as a critical support step for veterans and their families.
“Student veterans who are learning remotely deserve their full VA housing benefits, and this legislation will make sure they are not unfairly penalized for pursuing their education online during the pandemic,” she said in a statement. “[The law allows] veterans in Nevada and across the country to celebrate the holidays without worrying about how they will pay rent during their upcoming semester.”
KOLO: Pandemic protection for student veterans extended to June
“The Remote Act, introduced by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Tuesday. The legislation partly extends GI Bill Benefits, which cover all or some education costs, to veterans who were forced into online learning due to COVID-19.
“Traditionally, pre-pandemic, if you were learning remotely, you did not get 100 percent housing allowance, but because of the pandemic, we were trying to get people to shelter in place to stop the spread of it,” said Cortez Masto. “Many went remote learning to our universities and our colleges and we want to make sure they have the ability to get the full support.”
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