The Reducing Arbitrary Barriers to Apprenticeship Act of 2026 amends federal veterans' education benefits to remove financial and administrative obstacles for those pursuing apprenticeships or on-the-job training. The bill increases the monthly housing stipend for full-time apprentices to match the rate paid to military members with dependents, rather than the lower rate currently applied to students without dependents. Additionally, it waives the minimum monthly attendance requirement for veterans enrolled in construction industry programs, allowing them to receive benefits even if their on-site training hours fall below standard thresholds. These changes apply to recipients of Post-9/11 GI Bill, All-Volunteer Force, and Selected Reserve educational assistance.
This bill expands access to educational assistance benefits by adding dependent parents to the list of eligible recipients under the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program. Eligibility is granted to the parent of a service member who dies from a service-connected disability or is rated as totally and permanently disabled due to a service-connected condition. The legislation includes technical amendments to ensure these new beneficiaries are properly recognized in rules regarding when benefits end, how long they last, and how correspondence course payments are processed.
By Ms. Edwards (by request), a petition (accompanied by bill) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Edward Joseph Kennedy for legislation to amend the eligibility date for annuities for blind veterans, paraplegic veterans or veterans with disabilities. Veterans and Federal Affairs.
The Veterans’ Earned Benefits Access Act of 2026 allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recover separation, severance, and readjustment pay from service members who are receiving veterans' disability compensation. To manage this recovery, the bill authorizes deductions from monthly disability payments, with regulations ensuring that no more than 25 percent of a member's compensation is withheld in any given month. The legislation also establishes a process for service members to apply for a waiver if these deductions would cause them financial hardship. These provisions will take effect once final regulations are published and will apply to disability compensation paid on or after that date.
The Restore Veterans’ Compensation Act of 2026 prohibits the government from reducing disability compensation paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs for service members who previously received separation pay or severance benefits. For those receiving retired or retainer pay, the bill limits the repayment of any owed separation funds to a maximum of 25 percent of their monthly pension and requires a 90-day notice period before deductions begin. The legislation also mandates that the Secretary of Defense consult with affected members on repayment rates to prevent undue financial hardship and allows for waivers if repayment would cause significant economic difficulty.
The Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2026 establishes a three-year pilot program to provide grants to eligible veterans for starting or acquiring small businesses, franchises, or other qualifying enterprises. To receive funding, veterans must complete approved entrepreneurship training and submit a business plan that is reviewed and approved by an advisor before any money is disbursed. Grants are distributed in monthly installments over up to 12 months, contingent on the veteran meeting specific milestones outlined in their approved business plan. The program is limited to 250 recipients and requires geographic diversity among applicants, with a final report due two years after the program begins to assess its effectiveness.
The Veterans Medicare Premium Transparency Act requires Medicare to clearly explain how a veteran's enrollment in the Department of Veterans Affairs patient enrollment system affects their monthly insurance premiums. Under this bill, annual notices sent to Medicare beneficiaries will explicitly state that time spent in the VA system counts toward premium calculations and qualifies as valid prescription drug coverage. Additionally, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must post this explanation on the Medicare website and submit a report to Congress within 180 days detailing the updates and estimating how many veterans were previously paying higher premiums due to this lack of clarity.
The Colonel Gary LaGrange AgVets Act of 2026 creates a new grant program to help military veterans develop skills in farming and ranching. Eligible recipients include agricultural colleges, state departments, and nonprofit organizations, which must use the funds to provide education, workshops, and business management training for veterans. To receive these grants, organizations must match the federal funding with an equal amount of non-federal money. The bill authorizes $5 million annually in fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to support these initiatives.
This bill, signed into law by the Governor of Hawaii on July 13, 2026, authorizes the state Department of Education to award high school diplomas to specific individuals who missed earning one due to military service or wartime disruptions. It expands eligibility beyond the previous law to include those who served in the armed forces during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War, as well as those whose education was interrupted by wartime practices during those same conflicts. To receive a diploma, eligible applicants must submit the required forms to the department proving they were residents of Hawaii at the time and did not complete their high school curriculum. This change updates existing statutes to recognize the educational contributions of veterans and affected individuals from three major 20th-century wars.
The Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Veterans Act of 2026 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire an independent research center to evaluate artificial intelligence tools currently used or being developed for patient care within the Veterans Health Administration. This evaluation will focus on five specific high-risk systems to assess their safety, accuracy, fairness, and how well they integrate with existing medical workflows. The law mandates that the findings be reported to Congress within a year, followed by a detailed plan from the VA to address any identified risks or gaps in oversight. Additionally, a government auditor will review both the evaluation and the VA's response plan to ensure accountability, all without requesting new funding for the initiative.
