H.R. 5284: Vet OUTREACH Act

116th Congress

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize State approving agencies to carry out outreach activities.

Sponsor: Rep. Ro Khanna — D — CA

Authorizes State Approving Agencies (SAAs) to conduct outreach activities, such as providing information on VA education programs to potential beneficiaries if those agencies have performed their enforcement and approval duties. Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides education benefits through several programs to eligible service members, veterans, and their dependents. Those benefits are paid for programs of education offered by educational institutions and training establishments that have been approved by the SAA for each jurisdiction. Typically, SAAs are state agencies that enter cooperative agreements with VA to conduct that oversight. The department reimburses SAAs from mandatory appropriations for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in overseeing, evaluating, and approving programs of education. The amount VA can spend to support all SAAs each year is capped at $24 million in 2020; that limit is adjusted annually for inflation.

View the full vote history of this bill on GovTrack.us.