releases: https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases/ciscomani-leads-bipartisan-push-increase-benefits-online-student-veterans
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases/ciscomani-leads-bipartisan-push-increase-benefits-online-student-veterans | Ciscomani Leads Bipartisan Push to Increase Benefits for Online Student Veterans | 2023-09-26 | 2023 | 2023-09 | Republican | House | AZ | Juan Ciscomani | C001133 | ciscomani.house.gov | ciscomani | https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases | scraper | WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03) and Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) this week introduced a new effort to increase housing stipends for student veterans attending classes online. The bill, titled the Expanding Access for Online Veteran Students Act, would increase the monthly housing allowance (MHA) for veterans taking online classes during the summer semester. In-person students currently receive the full MHA whereas their counterparts taking classes virtually only receive half. Full bill text is available here. “As our service members transition to civilian life and pursue educational opportunities, they should have full access to all the benefits they have rightfully earned,” said Rep. Ciscomani, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “In response to the growing prevalence of virtual classes, this legislation seeks to eliminate the disparity in benefits between in-person and online student veterans.” “Student veterans should be able to earn their degree on their own time—without worrying about making rent,” said Rep. Stanton. “Our bipartisan legislation brings some much-needed parity and financial stability to students who take online college classes using the VA education benefits they’ve earned.” “We should be making it easier – not harder for student veterans to use the educational benefits they earned,” said Rep. Van Orden, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL. “I am proud to work with Rep. Ciscomani to ensure ample opportunities for our veterans as they transition to civilian life.” “I’m thrilled to introduce this bipartisan bill to expand access for our veterans to further educational opportunities online,” said Rep. Stansbury. “This bill will help close the gap and help our veterans pursue higher education on their own timeline.” The legislation is supported by several Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Student Veterans of America, Military-Veterans Advocacy, and AMVETS. “Veterans taking online courses receive 50 percent less housing allowance than those taking in-person courses,” said Don Shepperd, a retired Major General in the U.S. Air Force and chair of Ciscomani’s Veterans Advisory Council. “Both are receiving the same education and have the same personal expenses. This makes no sense, is patently unfair and should be corrected. I am happy that Rep. Ciscomani is seeking to correct this injustice.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-08T00:37:48Z |