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Results of Our Review of the Texas SAA’s Correspondence Regarding Approval of Retail Ready Career Center

Before it was raided by the FBI in June 2022, the House of Prayer Bible Seminary (HOP) reportedly received approximately $7 million in GI Bill funds from VA to educate veterans. Our review of the Georgia SAA’s approval and oversight correspondence regarding HOP revealed several concerns in the GI Bill approval process. We reviewed more than 100 pages of correspondence and documents to, from, or about HOP spanning 11 years; the Georgia SAA provided these documents in response to our public records request of June 2022, when the news of the FBI raid became public.

Our Press Release: Our Press Release: Local Veterans Sound Alarm On National Stage On Monday 3/4: Exposing How Unfair Practices, Poor-quality School Programs & “Sham Education Factories” Saddle Veterans With Debt & Fuel Student Debt Crisis

MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Ana Cobian (323) 360-1827 [email protected] Local Veterans Sound Alarm on National Stage on Monday 3/4 Exposing How Unfair Practices, Poor-quality School Programs & “Sham Education Factories” Saddle Veterans with Debt & Fuel [...]

Our Letter to Remington College’s Accreditor

January 18, 2024 Holly Eichhorst Manager of Commission Actions and Governance Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges RE: Remington College Dear Holly Eichhorst, Remington College’s Dallas, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Nashville, Tennessee, campuses are [...]

Our Letter to IntelliTec’s Accreditor

January 18, 2024 Holly Eichhorst Manager of Commission Actions and Governance Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges RE: IntelliTec Dear Holly Eichhorst, IntelliTec in Grand Junction, Colorado, is on the list of schools that [...]

Our Letter to Concorde Career College’s Accreditor

January 18, 2024 Holly Eichhorst Manager of Commission Actions and Governance Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges RE: Concorde Career College Dear Holly Eichhorst, The Concorde Career College’s campuses in Aurora, Colorado, and Miramar, [...]

Our Letter to Lincoln Technical Institute’s Accreditor

October 31, 2023 Holly Eichhorst Manager of Commission Actions and Governance Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges RE: Lincoln technical Institute Dear Holly Eichhorst, The Lincoln Technical Institute in New Britain, Connecticut is on [...]

Our Letter to VA regarding Florida Career College, UEI College, and United Education Institute

We are writing to urge VA and the appropriate State Approving Agencies (SAAs) (copied on this letter) to exercise your oversight authority with respect to three affiliated schools – Florida Career College (FCC), UEI College, and United Education Institution. Specifically, we urge you to reassess the approval status for FCC, in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 3675(b)(4) and 38 U.S.C. § 3696, and to conduct risk-based surveys for UEI College and United Education Institute. (According to the Department of Education, these three institutions are all owned by IEC Corporation (IEC)).

School Administrators Poll

Greetings!  At Elevate Vets and Veterans Education Success, we understand the increasingly complex and time consuming role of the School Certifying Official.  Serving our military connected students brings layers of compliance and often complex regulations that [...]

Statement on Fake Letter

RE: Fake Letter with Subject Line “5 Star CDL Training” To Whom It May Concern: It has come to our attention that you may have received a letter purporting to be from Veterans Education Success [...]

Our Letter to VA Regarding Hussian College

July 19, 2023 Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service Veterans Benefits Administration Via email Re: Hussian College Closing Dear Director Garcia, We write to urge the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the appropriate [...]

Our Follow-Up to VA re: Risk-Based Survey SOPs

July 10, 2023 James Ruhlman, Deputy Director Program Management Education Service Veterans Benefits Administration Via email Dear Mr. Ruhlman, In response to concerns we raised about the standard operating procedures for the risk-based surveys as [...]

Veterans and Military Organizations’ Letter to the Department of Education on Rulemaking (Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment, Financial Responsibility, Administrative Capability, Certification Procedures, Ability to Benefit)

June 20, 2023 Secretary Miguel Cardona U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave. SW Washington, DC 20202 RE: Docket ID ED-2023-OPE-0089 Dear Mr. Secretary, The undersigned organizations representing servicemembers, veterans, military families, and survivors are [...]

Our Letter to VA regarding the VETS Credit Act

June 14, 2023 Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service Veterans Benefits Administration Via email Re: School closings and GI Bill Restoration information Dear Director Garcia, As you requested in our meeting on May 24, [...]

Our Follow-Up to VA re: Risk-Based Survey SOPs

June 1, 2023 Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service Veterans Benefits Administration Via email Re: Risk-Based Surveys Dear Director Garcia: Thank you for your response to our previous letter concerning the implementation of risk-based [...]

Our Press Release: Nationally Known Policy Expert Available for Comment/Context on the Imminent Release of U.S. Department of Education Proposed Rules On “Gainful Employment,” Financial Responsibility, Administrative Capability, and Certification

MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Ana Cobian - 323.360.1827 [email protected] Nationally Known Policy Expert Available for Comment/Context on the Imminent Release of U.S. Department of Education Proposed Rules On “Gainful Employment,” Financial Responsibility, Administrative Capability, and Certification [...]

Proposal for Idaho to purchase University of Phoenix should stop in its tracks

The Idaho State Board of Education made a stunning announcement Wednesday afternoon: The following day, it would “consider a proposal by the University of Idaho to create a not-for-profit entity to acquire the University of Phoenix.” The proposal was listed as an action item, meaning with almost no public debate, the board could act Thursday.

Coalition Letter on Third Party Servicer Guidance

March 30, 2023 Annmarie Weisman Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Innovation Office of Postsecondary Education U.S. Department of Education Re: Docket ID ED-2022-OPE-0103 Submitted electronically via regulations.gov Dear Deputy Assistant Secretary Weisman, On [...]

Coalition Letter on Maryland 90/10

March 27, 2023 Emily A. A. Dow, Ph.D. Assistant Secretary for Academic Affairs Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) 6 N. Liberty St., 10th Fl. Baltimore, MD 21201 By Email Dear Dr. Dow, The undersigned organizations, [...]

U.S. taxpayers stuck with the tab as helicopter flight schools exploit GI Bill loophole

For some flight schools that train helicopter pilots, the GI Bill that took effect in 2009 was a windfall the government never intended. Helicopter schools had been struggling financially, and the bill excluded them from direct funding. But after finding a loophole in the law that allows them to train military veterans completely at government expense, with no cap on what they can charge, the schools rapidly expanded. They now collect tens of millions a year in taxpayer dollars.

Our Letter to VA re Risk-Based Survey SOPs

March 7, 2023 Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service Veteran Benefits Administration Via email Re: Risk-Based Surveys Dear Director Garcia: We thank you and your team at the Education Service for making progress towards [...]

Veterans & Military Organizations’ Letter to the Dept. of Education re: “Low-Financial-Value” Colleges

The undersigned military and veteran organizations write to provide comments on the above-referenced Request for Information (RFI). We agree with the Department that low-financial-value programs “may cause particularly acute harm for student loan borrowers who may struggle to repay their debts after discovering too late that their postsecondary programs did not adequately prepare them for the workforce” and that “taxpayers also shoulder the costs.” We write specifically regarding the impact on student veterans and military-connected students.

Coalition Letter for Higher Education Accountability Priorities

As 40 organizations working on behalf of students, consumers, veterans, faculty and staff, civil rights advocates, and researchers concerned about unaffordable student debts and predatory practices, we write to share our coalition’s higher education priorities. As Congress continues to consider long-overdue reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) and to evaluate other higher education proposals, we strongly urge you to support policies that better protect students - especially low-income students and students of color - and the taxpayers who invest in them.

Letter to NC-SARA re: Proposal to Elevate SARA’s Consumer Protection Standards

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), administered by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), lowers barriers for schools to offer online programs in multiple states, easing the way for institutions to expand the reach of their online programs. SARA’s impact is immense - almost 6 million students were enrolled in online programs at more than 2,300 SARA participating schools in Fall 2020, including 1.6 million students enrolled in online programs based outside of their state.1 Every state except for California is a SARA member. 2 However, the agreement’s standards set an extremely low bar for consumer protection, leaving millions of online students vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous schools.

Our Letter to VA Regarding Living Arts College Closure

January 10, 2022 Timothy D. Freeman, Executive Director North Carolina State Approving Agency Via email Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service Veterans Benefits Administration Via email Re: Living Arts College Closure Dear Mr. Garcia [...]

Our Letter to VA with Additional Information Regarding Bay State College

January 9, 2023, George O’Connor Assistant Commissioner for Academic & Veterans Affairs Department of Higher Education Commonwealth of Massachusetts Via email Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service. Veteran Benefits Administration Via email Re: Bay State College Dear Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Garcia...

The Untold Story of Warren Seavey and His Students

At the close of World War II, a renegade professor admitted a wave of returning veterans to Harvard Law, even though some had questionable credentials and others didn’t even apply. They’d be called “the best class there ever was.

Our Letter to the Department of Education on the Council on Occupational Education.

VES advocacy letter on behalf of students and veterans in higher education in response to the call for third-party comments announced on November 14, 2022, in the Department of Education’s Notice Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education. 1 Our comments concern the Council on Occupational Education (“COE”) and the senior Department official’s (SDO) decision letter dated October 27, 2021, requiring COE to come into compliance with 34 C.F.R. Part 602 within 12 months and to submit a compliance report within 30 days thereafter.

The Hidden Loophole: How Predatory Offshore Medical Schools are Partnering with U.S. Universities to Access Federal Student Aid Funds

For-profit, offshore Caribbean medical schools that are not eligible to participate in Federal Student Aid’s Direct Loan Program are taking advantage of a regulatory loophole to obtain Title IV, Higher Education Act (HEA) funds. In this report, we discuss how these predatory, offshore medical schools, partnering with American schools, are taking advantage of students to syphon Title IV funds, and call on the U.S. Department of Education to implement policies to address the regulatory loophole and protect students and preserve the integrity of the Title IV program.

Can Information and Advising Affect Postsecondary Participation and Attainment for Non-Traditional Students?

Lack of information and advising prior to college matriculation may contribute to poor postsecondary outcomes among non-traditional students. We conducted a large-scale, multi-arm field experiment with the U.S. Army to investigate whether a package of research-based personalized information and access to advising affects postsecondary choices and attainment among a large non-traditional adult population. We find no impact of the intervention on whether veterans enroll in college, on the quality of their college enrollment, or on their persistence in college. Our results suggest that influencing non-traditional populations’ educational decisions and outcomes will require substantially more intensive programs.

VA FOIA Request Response RE: SAA requests for waivers of 38 USC 3683

VA's Agency Decision to VES' September 14, 2022, request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, submitted to the Veterans Benefits Administration Central Office (VBACO) FOIA Office, for access to records regarding information on whether any current State Approving Agencies employees have requested, received, or been denied a waiver under Sec. 3683, which prohibits SAA employees from receiving wages, salaries, gifts, profits, dividends, or services from a for-profit school.

U.S. Department of Education Renews Contracts with Troubled For-Profit Colleges

A new Student Defense analysis reveals that the U.S. Department of Education - through both decisions and inaction - continues to allow predatory institutions to scam students and taxpayers with impunity and without rebuke. This analysis comes nearly two years after Student Defense called on the Biden Administration to use civil law enforcement authorities to better protect student loan borrowers.

Letter to VA Regarding Bay State College

November 21, 2022 George O’Connor, Assistant Commissioner for Academic & Veterans Affairs Department of Higher Education Commonwealth of Massachusetts Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary [...]

Letter to VA Regarding Florida Career College

November 21, 2022 Betsy Wickham, Bureau Chief State Approving Agency Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Via email David Salgado, Director Veterans Education Program Texas Veterans Commission Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing [...]

Letter to VA Regarding Full Sail University

November 21, 2022 Betsy Wickham, Bureau Chief State Approving Agency Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary for Benefits Veterans Benefits [...]

Letter to VA Regarding ASA College

November 21, 2022 William Clarke, Veterans Program Manager Bureau of Veterans Education New York State Division of Veterans’ Services Via email Joshua Jacobs, Senior Advisor for Policy Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary [...]

Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act of 2022

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the process by which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines whether an educational institution meets requirements relating to the percentage of students who receive educational assistance [...]

Buchanan Introduces Bill to Help Student Veterans

William Hubbard, the Vice President for Veteran and Military Policy at Veterans Education Success said, "When a student veteran faces the collapse of their school, added layers of bureaucracy only serve to worsen an already [...]

How does virtual learning impact students in higher education?

In 2020, the pandemic pushed millions of college students around the world into virtual learning. As the new academic year begins, many colleges in the U.S. are poised to bring students back to campus, but a large amount of uncertainty remains. Some institutions will undoubtedly continue to offer online or hybrid classes, even as in-person instruction resumes. At the same time, low vaccination rates, new coronavirus variants, and travel restrictions for international students may mean a return to fully online instruction for some U.S. students and many more around the world.

NYS Senate Public Hearing on Higher Education

Senate Standing Committee on Higher Education Chair: Senator Toby Ann Stavisky Public Hearing: To explore ways to review oversight over for-profit schools in order to better inform students, parents and consumers about for-profit education schools. - April, 2019

Testimony of Student Veteran Jay Hernandez

Testimony of Jay Hernandez before the Oregon House Committee on Education at the hearing on HB 2976 - Veterans Private Education Protection Act: "I lost a year of education benefits that I could be going towards earning a Masters" March, 2019

Testimony of Student Veteran Ryan Preston

Testimony of Ryan Preston before the Oregon House of Representatives Committee on Education at the hearing on HB 2976 - Veterans Private Education Protection Act: "I received a total of 2 online job leads and then the university reps tried forcing me to sign a release of liability so they would not be obligated to assist me in finding employment" March, 2019

Testimony of Our State Policy Manager Ramond Curtis

Testimony in support of Gov. Cuomo's "For-Profit College Accountability Act” before the NY state Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee by VES State Policy Manager Ramond Curtis: "New York can prevent predatory practices and bad outcomes by implementing strong policies that hold for-profit colleges accountable to the students and taxpayers they have an obligation to serve." March, 2019

Testimony of Student Veteran Michael Miedzinkski before Maryland State Senate

Testimony regarding predatory practices by veteran Michael Miedzinkski before Maryland State Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee: "I was recruited at a college transfer fair at the community college I was attending. After a number of red flags, I began to realize I had made a mistake" February, 2019

Testimony of Student Veteran Cynthia Castellon before Maryland State Senate

Testimony regarding predatory practices by veteran Cynthia Castellon before Maryland State Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee: "I was lied to and manipulated into using my Post 9/11 GI Bill, AND taking out unnecessary loans, just so Everest could make a profit" February, 2019

Testimony of Our State Policy Manager Ramond Curtis before Maryland State Senate

Testimony regarding predatory practices by VES State Policy Manager Ramond Curtis before Maryland State Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee: "Maryland’s 157 for-profit colleges and career schools offer a variety of career-oriented programs, ranging from courses in medical billing to programs in building trades. We know that these institutions are crossing ethical and legal lines to boost their veteran enrollment across the country." February, 2019

Testimony of Student Veteran Zachary Hastie

Testimony of Zachary Hastie before the Joint Legislative Hearing on Higher Education: "I trusted that my interests as a veteran and a student were being put first, but it was a mistake" January, 2019

Veterans Education Success

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Web: VetsEdSuccess.org

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