H.R. 913: Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans Act of 2025
Sponsor
Jay Obernolte
Republican · CA-23
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Apr 9, 2025
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Disabled veterans shouldn't need a degree to fly
Why it matters
Right now, if you're a veteran with a service-connected disability and you want the VA to fund flight training, the course usually has to count toward a college degree. H.R. 913 lets the VA approve professional flight courses that sit outside the degree system, so aviation becomes a real career path under your rehabilitation benefits.
H.R. 913, the Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans Act of 2025 — the SAFE Veterans Act — makes one targeted change to how the VA's vocational rehabilitation program works.
Today, when a veteran with a service-connected disability uses Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits (the program lawyers call Chapter 31), the VA approves a training plan to get them back into the workforce. But flight training is treated differently from most career training: as a rule, the VA can only approve it when the course is part of a college degree the veteran is pursuing. Standalone, professional pilot courses fall outside that box.
H.R. 913 hands the VA explicit authority to approve a flight course even when it isn't tied to a degree. The bill folds that authority into the rehabilitation plan itself, so an eligible veteran could train to be a commercial pilot the same way they might train for any other job.
The change is deliberately narrow. It doesn't create a new GI Bill benefit, it doesn't open flight school to every veteran, and it doesn't set aside any money. It applies only to disabled veterans inside the Chapter 31 program, and only to rehabilitation plans the VA approves on or after August 1, 2025.
H.R. 913 Bill Summary
What H.R. 913 actually does.
VA can fund flight training that isn't a college course
The bill lets the VA approve a flight course inside a rehabilitation plan even when it's not given by a college for credit toward a degree the veteran is seeking — opening the door to standalone professional pilot training.
Only for disabled veterans in vocational rehab
The authority is limited to veterans with service-connected disabilities who are using Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits, not the general veteran population.
Lifts the existing flight-training limit for these plans
The bill says the VA may approve these courses even though a separate provision of veterans' law normally restricts flight training, clearing the legal block for this specific group.
Starts with plans approved on or after August 1, 2025
The new authority applies to rehabilitation plans the VA approves on or after August 1, 2025. Veterans approved before that date aren't covered by the change.
Who benefits from H.R. 913?
Disabled veterans who want to fly for a living
Veterans with service-connected disabilities in the Chapter 31 program could finally use their rehabilitation benefits for professional flight training instead of being limited to degree-linked courses.
Veterans already in vocational rehab
If you're working with a VA counselor on a Chapter 31 plan, aviation becomes a career option that can be written directly into that plan.
Standalone flight schools
Professional pilot programs that aren't run by colleges could see more VA-funded students if the VA starts approving their courses under the new authority.
Who is affected by H.R. 913?
The Department of Veterans Affairs
The VA gains new approval authority and has to decide which non-degree flight programs qualify, how to vet them, and how quickly to process the approvals.
Veterans outside the Chapter 31 program
Veterans who aren't in the Veteran Readiness and Employment program are not covered. The bill changes vocational rehabilitation only, not the GI Bill or other benefits.
Colleges with degree-based aviation programs
Schools that offer flight training only for degree credit could face more competition, since the VA could now fund standalone courses that don't lead to a degree.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 913 has come up 4 times in the Congressional Record so far.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 980. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and my friend and colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden) for including my bill, H.R. 913, the Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans Act, in the text of this bill. This bill will make meaningful improvements to the way that the VR&E program serves our disabled veterans, and my section of the bill will enable those veterans to use their VR&E benefits to pursue vocational flight training. Mr.
H.R. 913 also appeared in 1 routine cosponsor filing.
HR913 Legislative Journey
House: Vote Held
Apr 9, 2025
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
House: Committee Action
Mar 11, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Mar 6, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
House: Committee Action
Feb 4, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
About the Sponsor
Jay Obernolte
Republican, California's 23rd congressional district · 5 years in Congress
Committees: Science, Space, and Technology, the Budget, Energy and Commerce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (1)
This bill has 1 cosponsor: 1 Democrat. Cosponsors represent 1 state: Hawaii.
Committee Sponsors
Veterans' Affairs Committee
0 of 24 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
14 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 913 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Veterans' Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Introduced
- Feb 4, 2025
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Apr 9, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with status, text, actions, and summaries for the Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans Act of 2025.
VA’s official page for the Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness and Employment program that the bill amends for eligible veterans.
Official VA guidance on flight training benefits, useful background for how VA treats aviation training programs.
Official U.S. Code text for section 3104, the specific provision H.R. 913 amends to authorize certain non-degree flight training.
Official statutory text for section 3680A, the flight-training limitation H.R. 913 says does not apply for these Chapter 31 approvals.
VA’s official education benefits hub, relevant because the bill affects how VA may approve training tied to veterans’ education and rehabilitation pathways.
Official VA homepage for agency-wide guidance and future implementation details related to approval of non-degree flight training programs.
H.R. 913 Common Questions
What does H.R. 913 actually change?
It lets the VA fund flight training that isn't tied to a college degree. Today, the VA's vocational rehab program can usually only approve flight courses that count toward a degree. H.R. 913 lets disabled veterans train as pilots without that requirement.
Which veterans qualify under H.R. 913?
Only veterans with a service-connected disability who are using Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits. It's not open to every veteran, and it doesn't touch the GI Bill.
Can I use the VA to pay for a standalone flight school?
If you have a service-connected disability and you're in a Chapter 31 rehab plan, yes. H.R. 913 lets the VA approve a professional flight course that isn't run by a college for degree credit, as part of your approved plan.
When does the new rule take effect?
It applies to rehabilitation plans the VA approves on or after August 1, 2025. If your plan was approved before that date, the change doesn't reach back to cover it.
Does H.R. 913 create a new flight-school benefit for everyone?
No. It's a narrow fix inside the existing Chapter 31 program for disabled veterans, not a new general benefit. It doesn't add money or open flight training to the wider veteran population.
Why couldn't the VA fund this kind of flight training before?
Veterans' law generally restricts flight training to courses tied to a college degree. H.R. 913 sets that limit aside for disabled veterans in vocational rehab, so the VA can approve standalone pilot courses for them.
Where does H.R. 913 stand right now?
A House subcommittee forwarded it to the full Veterans' Affairs Committee on a voice vote in April 2025. It's bipartisan — sponsored by Rep. Jay Obernolte (R) and cosponsored by Rep. Jill Tokuda (D) — but it hasn't passed the House yet.
Based on H.R. 913 bill text
H.R. 913 Bill Text
“To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to approve a rehabilitation program for a certain veterans with service-connected disabilities that include the pursuit of non-degree flight training programs, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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