ENHANCEMENT OF EMPLOYEE INCENTIVE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

SEC. 101. ENHANCEMENT OF EMPLOYEE INCENTIVE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. (a) Permanent Authority.—(1) Section 7676 is repealed. (2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 76 is amended by striking the item relating to section 7676. (b) Minimum Period of Department Employment for Eligibility.—Section 7672(b) is amended by striking “2 years” and inserting “one year”. (c) Scholarship Amount.—Subsection (b) of section 7673 is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking “for any 1 year” and inserting “for the equivalent of one year of full-time coursework”; and (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following new paragraph (2): “(2) in the case of a participant in the Program who is a part-time student, shall bear the same ratio to the amount that would be paid under paragraph (1) if the participant were a full-time student in the course of education or training being pursued by the participant as the coursework carried by the participant to full-time coursework in that course of education or training.”. (d) Limitation on Payment.—Subsection (c) of section 7673 is amended to read as follows: “(c) Limitations on Period of Payment.—(1) The maximum number of school years for which a scholarship may be paid under 115 STAT. 2448 subsection (a) to a participant in the Program shall be six school years. “(2) A participant in the Program may not receive a scholarship under subsection (a) for more than the equivalent of three years of full-time coursework.”. (e) Full-Time Coursework.—Section 7673 is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(e) Full-Time Coursework.—For purposes of this section, full-time coursework shall consist of the following: “(1) In the case of undergraduate coursework, 30 semester hours per undergraduate school year, “(2) In the case of graduate coursework, 18 semester hours per graduate school year”. (f) Annual Adjustment of Maximum Scholarship Amount.—Section 7631 is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking “and the maximum Selected Reserve member stipend amount” and inserting “the maximum Selected Reserve member stipend amount, the maximum employee incentive scholarship amount,”; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (6); and (B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph (4): “(4) The term ‘maximum employee incentive scholarship amount’ means the maximum amount of the scholarship payable to a participant in the Department of Veterans Affairs Employee Incentive Scholarship Program under subchapter VI of this chapter, as specified in section 7673(b)(1) of this title and as previously adjusted (if at all) in accordance with this section.”. (g) Technical Amendments.—Section 7631(h) is further amended by striking “this subsection” each place it appears and inserting “this section”.