25 U.S.C. § 13d–2 — Enrollment and general assistance payments

(a) In general — The Secretary of the Interior runs general assistance payments through the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Indians who qualify. This section says the Secretary cannot stop those payments, or lower the amount for a household, just because the person is enrolled at least half-time in certain kinds of school or training — as long as they're doing well enough to be expected to finish and get a job from it. The covered programs are: (1) a tribal college backed by the Bureau under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978 or the Navajo Community College Act; (2) a college or vocational school that qualifies for federal student aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965; (3) a course that leads to a high school diploma or its equivalent; or (4) any other program or training the Secretary or a tribal education, employment, or training program approves. (b) Factors not to be considered — When figuring out how much general assistance to give, the Secretary cannot count two things against the person: (1) any extra costs from the study or training described in subsection (a), and (2) any financial aid the person gets as a student or trainee. (c) No effect on other eligibility requirements — This section only changes one rule: the requirement to be available for and looking for work. It does not change any other rule for who can get general assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.