H.R. 5436 would prohibit educational institutions from withholding the academic transcripts of students who use benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Those benefits are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and paid from mandatory appropriations; they are reflected in the federal budget as direct spending. CBO expects that nearly all educational institutions would comply with the requirement so that they can continue to receive payment of tuition and fees under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. To the extent that some institutions do not comply and beneficiaries attend other institutions as a result, spending on benefits could change relative to current law. CBO estimates that direct spending would change by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Paul B.A. Holland. The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
