Bill > HR2531

This bill, known as the Military Spouses Achieving College Education for Survivors Act of 2015 or the ACES Act of 2015, amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to ensure that surviving spouses of service members who died between September 11, 2001, and December 31, 2005, are eligible for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry scholarship. The Fry scholarship provides educational assistance to surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty after September 11, 2001, typically until they remarry or 15 years after the service member's death. This bill specifically addresses a gap by deeming any service member who died within that 2001-2005 period as having died on January 1, 2006, for the purpose of this scholarship eligibility. Furthermore, it allows surviving spouses who previously chose to receive educational benefits under other programs, such as the Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance program, to revoke that choice and opt for the Fry scholarship, a choice that was previously considered irrevocable.