To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations providing for the reimbursement of certain educational expenses for students determined to be medically ineligible for continued participation in the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Self introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill addresses a gap in ROTC financial aid procedures. When students apply for ROTC scholarships, they must participate in ROTC training while their application is being processed. If they are later denied financial aid solely for medical reasons (not academic or disciplinary), they are currently stuck paying for their educational expenses during that waiting period. This bill requires the Department of Defense to reimburse students who end up in this situation for their tuition, fees, laboratory expenses, and room and board.
Who Benefits and How
The primary beneficiaries are college students participating in ROTC programs who are disqualified for medical reasons while waiting for their financial aid decision. These students would receive full reimbursement for educational expenses incurred during the waiting period, including tuition, fees, lab costs, and room and board. The bill requires the DoD to process reimbursement claims within 90 days, providing timely financial relief. Educational institutions with ROTC programs also benefit indirectly by reducing the financial risk for students participating in their programs, potentially making ROTC more attractive.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Defense bears both administrative and financial burdens. The DoD must create and implement new regulations, establish a reimbursement process, and handle claims within 90 days. The Defense budget will fund these reimbursements, though the bill does not specify an amount or funding source. DoD administrative staff will face increased compliance burdens to manage the new program.
Key Provisions
- Amends Title 10 USC Section 2107(c) to add a new paragraph requiring DoD reimbursement regulations
- Covers students who participate in ROTC while awaiting financial aid decisions under paragraphs (1) or (2)
- Reimbursement only applies to students denied aid "solely for medical reasons" (not academic or disciplinary)
- Reimbursable expenses include tuition, fees, laboratory expenses, and room and board
- DoD must establish a claims process with 90-day turnaround time for qualified applicants
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires DoD to reimburse ROTC students for educational expenses if they are later determined medically ineligible for ROTC financial assistance after already participating.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Address financial hardship for students who participate in ROTC in good faith but are later disqualified for medical reasons beyond their control"
Likely Beneficiaries
- ROTC students disqualified for medical reasons
- College students with pending ROTC financial aid applications
Likely Burden Bearers
- Department of Defense (administrative and financial burden)
- Military education budget
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An individual who is required to participate in a unit of the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at an educational institution while a decision on the eligibility of that individual for financial assistance under paragraph (1) or (2) is pending, and who is later determined to be ineligible for such financial assistance solely for medical reasons
Costs for tuition, fees, laboratory expenses, and room and board, as applicable, incurred to attend an educational institution during ROTC participation
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology