S. 3993 — Reducing Arbitrary Barriers to Apprenticeship Act of 2026

This section revises monthly payment rates and attendance requirements for full-time programs of apprenticeship or other on-the-job training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (38 U.S.C. §3313(g)(3)(B)), Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (38 U.S.C. §3032(c)), and Selected Reserve GI Bill (10 U.S.C. §16131(d)). (As background, these programs provide education benefits including monthly housing stipends or assistance allowances to eligible servicemembers and veterans pursuing approved training, but previously reduced payments for such non-college training to tiered rates declining to 20% after 24 months and required at least 120 hours of training per month for full payment.) Specifically, for all three programs, the section (1) increases the monthly payment to 100% of the otherwise applicable housing stipend or educational assistance allowance (from tiered reductions to as low as 20%), with the Post-9/11 GI Bill stipend equal to the basic allowance for housing (BAH) payable under 37 U.S.C. §403 for an E-5 with dependents in the military housing area encompassing the employer's ZIP code; and (2) waives the 120-hour minimum monthly attendance requirement for training in construction occupations (i.e., North American Industry Classification System Sector 23). (Thus, eligible individuals receive full benefits without payment reductions or hour thresholds for these programs.)