U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced a bipartisan bill on Nov. 7 that would prevent student veterans from losing their housing benefits during a natural disaster.
Under current law, veterans’ housing benefits could end if a natural disaster results in the closure of a school for longer than a month.
“Student veterans have earned their benefits with their service to our nation,” said Sen. Cassidy, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “Losing those benefits because of a disaster is a failure of the law. When recovering after disaster, losing housing should not be on the list of worries for our veterans.”
Sen. Cassidy sponsored the Strengthening Disaster Assistance for Student Veterans Act, S. 2811, with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). S. 2811 would extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to continue paying for educational assistance or subsistence allowances to those eligible when educational institutions are temporarily closed, according to the text of the bill.
“Student veterans should never have to worry about obstacles that can undermine their educational goals, including affording a place to live when their school is closed due to an emergency, and that’s why Senator Cassidy and I have a bipartisan bill to ensure our government keeps its promises to our student veterans,” Sen. Warren said.