What We Do (parent category)

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 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)).

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 [...]

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, [...]

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...

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 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.

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.

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 [...]

NACIQI Chairmanship Letter

February 14, 2022 Ms. Lisa Brown General Counsel U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Dear Ms. Brown: We write to express concerns regarding a longstanding conflict of interest that undermines [...]

Inside Higher Ed: Controversial Transfer Agreement Ends

“California never should have signed a contract with a predatory for-profit college that was sued by law enforcement for high-pressure enrollment tactics and failing to disclose job prospects to student veterans and military students,” Carrie [...]

Our Comment on Record Keeping at Flight Schools

January 7, 2022 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Education Service 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission Re: Agency Information Collection Activity: Record Keeping at Flight Schools, 86 FR 61855 Dear Sir [...]

Background on the Protect the GI Bill Act: Understanding Section 1016 In 2016, a unanimous Congress enacted the Career Ready Student Veterans Act, preventing GI Bill funding to be wasted at education programs which leave [...]

HR 3486: Recognizing Military Service in PSLF Act

"To direct the Secretary of Education to deem each month for which certain Federal student loans are in deferment during a period of active duty service as months counted toward public service loan forgiveness." Sponsored [...]

Coalition Letter: Support for California’s SB-802

The Honorable Jose Medina Assembly Higher Education Committee Legislative Office Building, Room 173 Sacramento, California 95814 RE: SUPPORT for SB 802 as Amended 5/5/2021  Dear Chair Medina:  We represent a group of student, veteran, consumer, [...]

The Capitol Forum: Perdoceo Education Corporation: Data Shows that Deferral of $39M Title IV Funds in 2019 Saved Company from 90/10 Violation; Company Likely Needs to Find New Funding Sources Ahead of 2023 When New Law Closing 90/10 Loophole Takes Effect

"Perdoceo thought that its purchase of Trident University International would cure its problem with AIU’s nearly 90 percent 90/10 ratio as of 2019,” said Walter Ochinko, Research Director at Veterans Education Success. "However, Percdoceo failed [...]

Our Letter to DoD & ED Asking Them to Improve PSLF

May 7, 2021   The Honorable Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC  20202   Secretary Lloyd Austin US Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1000 [...]

Be Careful of Income Sharing Agreements

By Alex Kish   At this point in the game, it might seem cliché to talk about the impact COVID-19 has had on higher education and how students have been forced online.  But that doesn’t [...]

Our FTC Petition: Lead Generators

Complaint, Request for Investigation, Injunction, and Other Relief Submitted by Veterans Education Success Pursuant to the Commission’s Rules, 16 C.F.R. § 2.2, Veterans Education Success respectfully requests that the Commission institute an investigation of businesses [...]

Our FTC Petition: Army.com and Partner Schools

Complaint, Request for Investigation, Injunction, and Other Relief Submitted by Veterans Education Success Pursuant to the Commission’s Rules, 16 C.F.R. § 2.2, Veterans Education Success respectfully requests that the Commission institute an investigation of schools [...]

Schools with Repeat Law Enforcement Settlements

Many Corporate School Chains Repeatedly Settled Lawsuits for Misleading Advertising, High-Pressure Recruiting, and False Certifications On March 9, 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notified five institutions of higher education that it possessed evidence [...]

State Policy Advocacy Report January 2019 – April 2020

In just the last sixteen months, Veterans Education Success has worked with state legislators, higher education non-profits, and veteran/military service organizations to introduce first-in-the-nation 90/10 loophole closure bills in three states.

Oregon: Institutional Sector Comparisons

This fact sheet provides statistics comparing Oregon public, for-profit, and nonprofit postsecondary institutions with respect to: • Enrollment—total vs. students using the GI Bill and DOD Tuition Assistance, • Dollars received for students using the [...]

Maryland: Institutional Sector Comparisons

This fact sheet provides statistics comparing Maryland public, for-profit, and nonprofit postsecondary institutions with respect to: Enrollment—total vs. students using the GI Bill and DOD Tuition Assistance, Dollars received for students using the GI Bill [...]

New York: Institutional Sector Comparisons

This fact sheet provides statistics comparing New York public, for-profit, and nonprofit postsecondary institutions with respect to: Enrollment—total vs. students using the GI Bill and DOD Tuition Assistance, Dollars received for students using the GI [...]

11th Circuit ruling in Great Lakes

We filed an amicus brief about veterans' need for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, in support of a legal case regarding students' rights to use state law to sue loan servicing companies that fail to honor [...]

Inside Higher Ed: Maryland Closes 90-10 Loophole

“This groundbreaking legislation makes Maryland the first in the nation to stand up for veterans and stop predatory schools from cheating them out of their hard-earned GI Bill,” said Ramond Curtis, state policy manager for [...]

Press Release: Veterans Education Success Praises Decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to Suspend New GI Bill Students from Enrolling at the University of Phoenix, Career Education Corporation Institutions, Bellevue University, and Temple University

For Immediate Release              Contact:  Carrie Wofford | President (202) 838-5050 Tanya Ang | Vice President (202) 838-5050 March 9, 2020  Veterans Education Success Praises Decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to Suspend New [...]

HR 6157: Transparency for Student Veterans Act

"To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to collect and include certain student outcome information in the GI Bill comparison tool of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and [...]

Testimony in Support of Maryland HB 1562

This bill would ban abusive debt collection tactics by preventing creditors from obtaining court orders to garnish wages and seize assets to repay defaulted student loans that creditors cannot prove borrowers owe, and it offers bowers tools to halt abuses when debt collectors and creditors break the law.

Lima Veteran Goes to Washington

A terrific news story about a brave veteran, Tasha Berkhalter, whom we brought to Washington to tell Congress what they need to do to help veterans with student debt caused by college fraud. Lima Veteran [...]

Veterans Education Success Letter in Support for SB 1544

"We at Veterans Education Success are writing in support of Senate Bill 1544. This bill will protect veterans and servicemembers from fraud and abuse by predatory colleges that target them with aggressive and deceptive recruiting just to get their GI Bill."

MSO-VSO Letter Supporting MLA Expansion

November 15, 2019   The Honorable Mike Crapo, Chair Senate Committee on Banking SD-534 Dirksen Senate Office Committee Washington, DC 20510   The Honorable Sherrod Brown, Ranking Member Senate Committee on Banking SD-534 Dirksen Senate [...]

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 [...]

The 85-15 Rule and Related GI Bill Safeguards

The impact of the 85-15 rule—a requirement that education programs enroll at least 15% non-veterans to ensure schools are not bilking VA, as occurred after WWII—has evolved over time. This Issue Brief presents the Congressional [...]

Inside Higher Ed: House Dems’ Vision for Higher Ed

"The College Affordability Act also would make the federal student loan program more generous for student borrowers....the bill has received endorsements from Third Way, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Veterans Education Success, the National Association [...]

HR 4613: VA Reporting Transparency Act

This bill requires VA to post on the VA website all reports to Congress, so that the public may see them. Read the full bill at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4613/text

Learn about the Protect the GI Bill Act

Overview of The Protect the GI Bill Act Gives Student Veterans the Same Rights as Other Students Contained within the larger Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement [...]

HR 4162: GI Bill Planning Act of 2019

This bill: extends in-state tuition at public universities and colleges for all veterans, eliminating the provision that had required veterans to enroll "within 3 years" of leaving military service; gives servicemembers more time (6 months) [...]

The Military Lending Act and You

This post was originally published by Military.com on August 13, 2019.  The Military Lending Act and You By Mike Saunders, Director for Military and Consumer Policy, Veterans Education Success As an active-duty service member, you [...]

Army.com List of Partner Schools Exposed

The Federal Trade Commission shut down a number of copycat military websites in September of 2018. This report examines one of those websites, Army.com, and the list of partner schools it displayed while in operation. [...]

HR 4085: Student Veteran Empowerment Act of 2019

We are grateful to the GOP leadership of the House Veterans Affairs Committee for this excellent bill, which: Helps solve the problem of GI Bill overpayments by requiring monthly enrollment verification; Ensures that "deemed approved" [...]

HBO: Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas: The Cost of College

The HBO news show, Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas, worked with Veterans Education Success to expose for-profit colleges' targeting and fraud against veterans.  They interviewed student veterans we are helping and whistleblower former college recruiters [...]

Protecting Servicemember Loan Rates

Military and veteran groups wrote to the Department of Defense thanking them for automating SCRA rights and asking for restitution to servicemembers who previously were not accorded to these rights that they were entitled to. [...]

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