VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS TO PUSH BACK AGAINST FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES AS DEPT OF ED IMPLEMENTS CLOSING OF LOOPHOLE THAT INCENTIVIZES FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES TO PREY ON VETERANS

INDIVIDUAL VETERANS WHO WERE SCAMMED OUT OF GI BILL BENEFITS BY FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES TO ALSO TESTIFY 

Tues, Oct. 26 2 PM & Weds, OCT. 27 10 AM EDT

Washington, D.C. — Representatives of the nation’s largest veterans and military service organizations plan a forceful turnout at U.S. Education Department public hearings on rulemaking to limit for-profit colleges’ predatory targeting of veterans and service members.  Individual veterans from around the country will also share their horror stories of having for-profit colleges defraud them out of their GI Bill benefits — enrolling them in worthless degrees that left them loaded with debt and depleted of their GI bill funds.

The Department of Education’s public hearings are about how it will implement the so-called 90/10 loophole, an inadvertent loophole in the Higher Education Act. It  incentivizes for-profit colleges’ sales representatives to recruit veterans and service members with aggressive,deceptive and predatory tactics. A bipartisan Congress finally closed this loophole in March, following a decade of advocacy by veterans and military organizations. 

In their testimony, veteran leaders will push the Department to stringently close the loophole and not allow any weakening, waivers, or carve-outs by for-profit education industry representatives.

Background: 

  • The Department of Ed is following up to implement the new law Congress passed in March to close the “90/10 loophole” that has enabled for-profit colleges to count G.I. benefits as non-federal funds.
  • The loophole has incentivized for-profit colleges to aggressively recruit veteran and military students because their benefits (though underwritten by federal taxpayers) have not been counted against the 90% cap on the amount of tuition revenue they receive from federal student aid. 
  • For-profit colleges have been allowed to count GI Bill and Defense Department Tuition Assistance as part of their requirement to obtain 10% of their revenue from “private” payers.  

WHO:

  • Veterans leaders from the nation’s largest veterans and military organizations, including The American Legion, VFW, Military Officers Association of America, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Student Veterans of America, and Veterans Education Success
  • Individual veterans who were cheated out of their GI Bill

Earlier this month, other veterans shared their stories, as well. See their testimony here. 

(States included are: Texas, Ohio, and Oregon)   

Expert Resource: nonprofit experts from Veterans Education Success are available to provide background and analysis on the problem and solutions.

WHEN: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26 AT 2 PM & WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27 AT 10 AM

WHERE: online viewing with required Dept of Ed pre-registration form(s) 

  • Tuesday October 26 hearing, register here.
  • Wednesday, October 27 hearing, register here.
  • Once pre-registration is complete, the Dept will email access details to you.
  • Additionally, veterans will also testify at Education Department rulemaking on student loans November 1-5 and December 6-10

To speak with the veterans and/or an expert from Veterans Education Success, please contact:  Carrie Wofford, Veterans Education Success, [email protected]

About Veterans Education Success

  • Veterans Education Success is an advocacy organization that works on a bipartisan basis to advance higher education success for veterans, service members, and military families and to protect the integrity and promise of the GI Bill and other federal education programs. 
  • In addition to offering free help, advice, and college and career counseling to servicemembers, veterans, and their survivors and families, the organization also provides policy expertise to federal and state policymakers and conducts non-partisan research on issues of concern to student veterans. Additional information is available at www.vetsedsuccess.org. 

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