Veterans' Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 1989

Veterans' Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 1989 - Title I: Educational Assistance and Vocational Rehabilitation Program Improvements - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to repeal a current requirement that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs make separate determinations of whether the achievement of a vocational goal is reasonably feasible for veterans under the age of 50. Provides that a pension being paid to a veteran who, while participating in a veterans' vocational training program, secures employment in an area related to the veteran's vocational training goal, shall not be terminated unless the veteran maintains that employment for 12 consecutive months.

Eliminates the reference to a high school equivalency certificate (as a requirement for eligibility for educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill), instead requiring that an individual have certain alternate school credentials accepted by the armed forces, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Defense, which are equivalent to a secondary school diploma.

Changes the date by which an individual serving on active duty or in the Selected Reserve must elect not to participate in certain educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill to within 14 days of the date such individual begins service.

Makes permanent the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program for the provision of independent living services and assistance for severely handicapped veterans.

Deletes a provision authorizing the advance payment of a work-study allowance for veteran-students. Expands the eligibility for the provision of work-study benefits to include veterans who: (1) are pursuing programs of rehabilitation on at least a half-time basis; and (2) have disabilities rated at 50 percent or more and are pursuing programs of education or training on at least a half-time basis.

Title II: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions - Deletes a provision authorizing the advance payment of a veterans' rehabilitation subsistence allowance.

Revises provisions allowing for the renewal of educational assistance to a veteran that has been discontinued after unsatisfactory progress to allow such renewal under the following circumstances: (1) the cause of the unsatisfactory conduct or progress has been removed; (2) the program proposed to be pursued is suitable to the veteran's aptitudes, interests, and abilities; or (3) if a program change is involved, the change meets certain requirements of approval established by the Secretary under current Federal law.

Revises current Federal provisions which provide for the measurement of certain unit courses or subjects pursued by veterans toward a standard college degree to measure such course enrollment by converting the credit hours being pursued to equivalent clock hours, and combining this number with the actual number of clock hours concurrently being pursued, if any, to determine appropriate training time to be credited to such veterans.

Amends a provision of the All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program to provide for a proportionate reduction in the educational assistance entitlement in accordance with the reduction in the monthly educational assistance allowance paid when a veteran pursuing an apprenticeship or other on-the-job training program fails to complete 120 hours of such training in a month. Makes an identical reduction in such assistance under the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program.