WASHINGTON– U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today introduced legislation protect student veterans from losing their housing benefits in the event a natural disaster.
Under current law, veterans’ housing benefits could end if a natural disaster closes a school for longer than a month. The Strengthening Disaster Assistance for Student Veterans Act grants the Veterans Affairs secretary the authority to extend those benefits.
“Student veterans have earned their benefits with their service to our nation,” said Dr. Cassidy, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. “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.”
“All three of my older brothers served in the military and taught me about the importance of honoring our promises to the brave men and women in uniform, who deserve the opportunity to build a future for themselves and their families,” said Senator Warren, member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. “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.”
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