Sponsors (2)
The bill improves access and clarity for veterans and reservists in construction apprenticeships by exempting Sector 23 from monthly attendance rules and updating benefit formulas, but it may lower payments for some beneficiaries, create uneven treatment across industries, and impose short‑term administrative costs.
Veterans and Selected Reserve members in construction apprenticeships (NAICS Sector 23) can maintain GI Bill/related education benefits without meeting standard monthly attendance rules, accommodating variable on‑the‑job training schedules.
Participants in full‑time apprenticeships and on‑the‑job training (OJT) will have clearer, revised statutory formulas for assistance amounts, making benefit calculations more predictable for beneficiaries.
Aligning rules across the GI Bill, All‑Volunteer Force, and Selected Reserve programs reduces inconsistencies and administrative confusion, likely simplifying benefit access for service members and veterans.
Some apprenticeship/OJT participants could receive lower monthly payments depending on how the replacement formula calculates rates, reducing income for affected beneficiaries.
Exempting construction (Sector 23) apprentices from monthly attendance rules creates unequal treatment compared with apprentices in other industries, raising fairness concerns.
The VA and DoD will face a temporary increase in administrative burden to update systems and guidance to implement the NAICS‑based exemption and new formulas.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts construction-sector apprentices from minimum monthly attendance rules and revises how apprenticeship/on-the-job training benefit amounts are set in three federal education-assistance laws.
Official title: To amend title 38, United States Code, and title 10, United States Code, to eliminate those provisions relating to veterans educational assistance that disadvantage eligible individuals who choose to pursue programs of apprenticeship or other on-job training instead of a four-year college degree, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 3, 2026 by Brad Finstad · Last progress September 3, 2026
Makes targeted changes to Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery/All-Volunteer Force educational assistance, and Selected Reserve education benefits to change how benefits are calculated for full-time apprenticeship/on-the-job training and to exempt construction-sector apprentices from a minimum monthly attendance rule. The bill replaces existing statutory language on benefit amounts for apprenticeship/on‑the‑job training and adds an explicit exception so occupations in NAICS Sector 23 (construction) are not subject to the monthly-attendance minimum. The amendments are parallel across three veteran and military education statutes, add conforming edits to rate/amount language, and do not authorize new funding or create new programs; they change eligibility/administration rules for apprenticeships in the construction sector and how benefit amounts are determined for apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs.