Category: We’re In The News

Q: Politico: Ashford University Approved for GI Bill Eligibility

"Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group that focuses on student-veterans, said in statement that it learned "the leadership of VA decided to affirmatively approve Ashford for GI Bill and ensure Ashford's continued access to GI Bill funds." Ashford is the nation’s 13th-largest recipient of GI Bill funds, according to VA data. — "It is outrageous that VA continues to violate federal law in order to help for-profit colleges, while throwing veterans under the bus," Veterans Education Success President Carrie Wofford said. "Veterans have legal rights to be protected from fraud and VA has a legal obligation to stop funding that fraud — but VA keeps refusing to follow the law." Read the story here

Q: WMAR Baltimore: State lawmakers looking at bill that may help veterans with college

"Lawmakers are looking at a bill that might help veterans with college. They say there is a loophole in a college tuition program allowing for-profit colleges to take advantage of loans given to veterans. We've gone over and fought for GI bill benefits but we shouldn't have to come back and fight for a quality education. That's what some law makers want to change." Read the full story by WMAR Baltimore, "State lawmakers looking at bill that may help veterans with college" published February 4, 2020.

Q: Inside Higher Ed: Student Loan Relief for Disabled Vets

"Many of those borrowers are not veterans. But some are veterans who became disabled after they left the military, or whose injuries were not considered service related even though they were on active duty, said Mike Saunders, legal director for Veterans Education Success. While veterans’ groups did not raise the issue in their letter , Saunders said those veterans also should have their loans discharged. 'We shouldn’t just forget about them,' he said." Read the full story by Inside Higher Ed, "Student Loan Relief for Disabled Vets" published February 4, 2020.

Q: Military.com: Veterans Groups Want Government to Expedite Forgiveness of Student Loans

"Led by Veterans Education Success , a bipartisan group dedicated to ensuring career and education success for military families, a collection of 22 veterans groups has sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The letter urges her to direct the Department of Education (DoE) to follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that ordered the department to forgive all outstanding student loans held by permanently and totally disabled veterans. More than 40,000 severely disabled veterans are still waiting on the DoE to automatically forgive their student loan debts, as directed by the administration. The average loan balance eligible for forgiveness is around $30,000. Of those 40,000 veterans, more than 25,000 are in default on their loans and face collection actions, including withholding of federal and civilian pay, disability benefits and tax refunds; bad credit reports; and other financial hardships." Read the full story by Military.com, "Veterans Groups Want Government to Expedite Forgiveness of Student Loans" published January 28, 2020.

Q: Arnold Ventures Podcast: Podcast: ‘Dollar Signs in Uniform’: How For-Profit Education Continues to Target GI Bill Money

"For 75 years, the GI Bill has provided military service members with invaluable educational opportunities. And for just as long, for-profit colleges and universities have sought to gain and maintain access to that funding stream. In the latest episode of “ Deep Dive with Laura Arnold ,” Laura sits down with Carrie Wofford, President of Veterans Education Success, to examine some of the questionable recruiting tactics being employed by for-profit institutions and discuss ways in which the system can be improved for the brave men and women who have proudly served." Learn more and listen to the podcast , ‘Dollar Signs in Uniform’: How For-Profit Education Continues to Target GI Bill Money, featuring President Wofford published January 7, 2020.

Q: New York Times: Protect Veterans from Fraud

On January 1, 2020, the New York Times ran a full-page editorial by the Editorial Board featuring Veterans Education Success' work: "Nevertheless, a 2018 report from Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit that provides legal help to veterans, found that, owing to inaction by the V.A. and its state agents, degree programs that did not qualify students for state licensure in their fields of study were still receiving G.I. Bill money. The bipartisan Senate bill aimed at closing the 90/10 loophole stands a good chance of succeeding where similar bills, supported only by Democrats, have repeatedly failed. The Senate also ought to pass the Protect the G.I. Bill Act , which cleared the House by unanimous vote in November. Among other things, it would clamp down on deceptive recruiting and protect students from fake law schools that are not approved by the American Bar Association. Servicemen and women — and the taxpayers who fund their educations — deserve at least that much." Read the full editorial here .

Q: Military Times: Veterans Group Applauds FTC for Gaining $50 Million Settlement Plus $141 Million in Canceled Student Debt in University of Phoenix Deceptive Ad Case

The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work. “The FTC’s findings should shock every patriotic American," she said. “Enough is enough. It’s time to stop the fleecing of America’s veterans and service members by predatory colleges.” Read the full story here .

Q: NBC News: University of Phoenix Settlement "Drop in the Bucket" for Student Debt, Advocates Say

"Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, called the settlement a 'really important step forward' in protecting veterans. 'The broader context of this case is for-profit colleges are incentivized by federal laws to target veterans,' she said. "For-profit schools cost on average twice as much as public colleges , and most of their revenues come directly from taxpayers through federal financial aid. The schools also spend heavily on marketing to recruit students who qualify for federal aid, especially veterans." Read the full story here .

Q: Associated Press: The University of Phoenix to Cancel $141 Million in Student Debt

"The settlement was commended by some educational groups, including Veterans Education Success , which main advocacy is to help military veterans. The organization's president, Carrie Wofford, thanked the FTC for its work. She said that 'enough is enough. It's time to end the defrauding of America's veterans and service members by predatory colleges .'" This story was published by the Associated Press newswire and was re-printed in dozens of newspapers across the country, such as here .

Q: PBS NewsHour & Hechinger Report: For-Profit Colleges that Get GI Bill Money Need More Oversight, Veterans Say

The VA has received at least 37 complaints about Ashford from GI Bill beneficiaries. An advocacy group called Veterans Education Success (VES) has collected 113 more from veterans and service members, many of which echo student veteran Richard Baca's criticisms about quality and cost. "When Congress first passed the GI Bill, they didn't think about accountability, about measuring outcomes or returns on investment," said Walter Ochinko, research director at VES, which recently released a report on the confusing oversight statutes . "As a result, there are now gaping holes in the GI Bill." A series of changes in 2011 and 2016 meant to clarify oversight roles has only muddled things, according to the VES report. "I have paid out of pocket for a lot of my degree because [Ashford] cannot seem to work with our benefits like they said they could," one veteran said. "The school continuously maxed me out on student loans every semester even though I got [the] GI Bill," a disabled veteran wrote. "Now not only do I have two degrees that are almost practically useless, but I am over $70,000 in debt." Read the full story here .

Carrie Wofford2020-01-05T13:42:10+00:00January 1st, 2020|Categories: 90/10, Deceptive Colleges, Editorials by Newspaper Editors, Quality of Education & Student Outcomes - more news & info, School Accountability & Student Protections - more news & info, We're In The News|

Military Times: Veterans Group Applauds FTC for Gaining $50 Million Settlement Plus $141 Million in Canceled Student Debt in University of Phoenix Deceptive Ad Case

Carrie Wofford2019-12-14T14:01:26+00:00December 14th, 2019|Categories: Deceptive Colleges, School Accountability & Student Protections - more news & info, We're In The News|

VES in the News

Politico: Ashford University Approved for GI Bill Eligibility

WMAR Baltimore: State lawmakers looking at bill that may help veterans with college

Inside Higher Ed: Student Loan Relief for Disabled Vets

Politico Morning Ed: Nearly Two Dozen Veteran and Military Service Organizations Are Continuing to Press DeVos

Military.com: Veterans Groups Want Government to Expedite Forgiveness of Student Loans

Arnold Ventures Podcast: Podcast: ‘Dollar Signs in Uniform’: How For-Profit Education Continues to Target GI Bill Money

New York Times: Protect Veterans from Fraud

Military Times: Veterans Group Applauds FTC for Gaining $50 Million Settlement Plus $141 Million in Canceled Student Debt in University of Phoenix Deceptive Ad Case

NBC News: University of Phoenix Settlement “Drop in the Bucket” for Student Debt, Advocates Say

Associated Press: The University of Phoenix to Cancel $141 Million in Student Debt

PBS NewsHour & Hechinger Report: For-Profit Colleges that Get GI Bill Money Need More Oversight, Veterans Say

NBC News: University of Phoenix to Cancel $141 Million in Student Debt

Veterans Education Success