BOOKING ADVISORY
CONTACT: Ana Cobian | ana.cobian@wardcirclestrategies.com | 323-360-1827

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

Congress Has One More Chance to Get the GI Bill Right
Ohio Veteran & National Veterans Advocate Have One Message
for Lawmakers This August Recess:
Don’t Let Another Veteran Be Cheated Out of Their GI Bill

OHIO — As members of Congress spend the August recess meeting with veterans, military families, and constituents across the state, one Ohio Army veteran hopes lawmakers return to Washington with one goal: protect the GI Bill before final passage of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA).

Her fear – Congress may change veterans’ education benefits in ways that create new opportunities for predatory schools to exploit those who served…like her.

Members of Congress left Washington with massive controversy swirling around the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA) that has the veteran community divided. Congress is expected to resume debate this fall on veterans’ education provisions that could reshape the GI Bill for future generations.

National veteran advocate and Marine Corps Veteran, Will Hubbard, from the nonpartisan, nonprofit Veterans Education Success can speak to his organization’s recently released SitRep – outlining all the ways that GI Bill recipients might be harmed or helped by the bill being debated.

Veterans Education Success Situation Report urges Congress to:

  • Restore GI Bill benefits to veterans who were defrauded by schools.
  • Strip out a provision that would send GI Bill dollars to unaccredited, fully online training programs—a path proven to fail, especially in fields that require hands-on learning. (for example, online welding classes)
  • Strip out a provision that would create misleading incentives for veterans to pull out of in-person or hybrid low-cost university programs in order to attend expensive, low-quality online chain schools.
  • Protect the bipartisan 90/10 loophole reform. Congress should stop in its tracks any proposal that reopens a loophole that for years allowed schools to treat GI Bill benefits differently from other federal education dollars. It created a financial incentive to target veterans and service members simply because their benefits helped schools evade the cap on the amount of federal funds an education institution could accept. Veterans fought for more than a decade to close this loophole, because it made GI Bill recipients prey for schools and programs seeking their tuition dollars. Congress finally closed the loophole, and did so on a bipartisan basis. That protection should remain in place.

For Ohio Army veteran Tasha Berkhalter, those concerns are deeply personal. She has been a tireless volunteer working with Veterans Education Success to help others by advocating for the right solutions for veterans and their families.

  • After serving her country, Berkhalter enrolled at ITT Technical Institute, believing the school’s promises that her GI Bill would help her build a career. Instead, she was left with nearly $100,000 in student loan debt after the school misled students.
  • Although her federal student loans were eventually discharged through the Department of Education’s Borrower Defense program, the GI Bill benefits she earned through military service were exhausted.
    Berkhalter and Will Hubbard, Vice President for Veterans & Military Policy at Veterans Education Success and a Marine Corps veteran, are able to talk about this narrow window Congress has to ensure the solutions work for Ohio’s veteran and military service community.

Available for Interviews
Tasha Berkhalter
U.S. Army Veteran | Lima, Ohio | Mother of Five
Berkhalter can discuss:

  • Why Congress should act now so future veterans don’t face the same experience.
  • The financial and personal consequences of laws that enable predatory schools and programs and enable them to take GI Bill dollars without providing quality education.
  • Why veterans who were cheated should have the GI Bill benefits they earned restored.

William Hubbard
Vice President, Veterans & Military Policy, Veterans Education Success
Marine Corps Veteran
Hubbard can discuss:

  • The impact of what Congress may decide on the future education opportunities for veterans and military service members and their families.
  • Congress has one final opportunity to strengthen the GI Bill before final passage of TCAVA.
  • The critical veteran protections are still missing from the legislation.
  • Why protecting educational quality protects both veterans and taxpayers.
  • Why the GI Bill should continue supporting high-quality education that leads to good paying jobs and careers.
  • The importance of using this Congressional recess time to discuss veteran and military service members’ GI Bill needs in advance of the narrow window Congress will have in the fall to strengthen the legislation.

Why It Matters in Ohio
Ohio is home to more than 700,000 veterans, many of whom rely on the GI Bill to pursue higher education, technical training, apprenticeships, and civilian careers.
As Ohio’s congressional delegation meets with constituents during the August recess, Berkhalter and Hubbard hope lawmakers remember that the GI Bill is more than an education benefit—it’s a promise earned through military service.

Video & Other Assets
Veteran Education Success Folder Link Here with:

  • SitRep | As Congress Returns, It Has One More Chance to Get the GI Bill Right
  • Short Video Veteran and Ed Advocates’ Highlights from Press Conference — What’s at Stake for Veterans: A Virtual Briefing on GI Bill Legislation Leadership Short Video with:
    • William Hubbard
      Vice President, Veterans & Military Policy
      Veterans Education Success
      Marine Corps Veteran
    • Dr. Kyleanne Hunter
      Chief Executive Officer
      Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
      Marine Corps Veteran
    • Chris Madaio
      Senior Advisor
      The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)
  • Webinar Recording: What’s at Stake for Veterans: A Virtual Briefing on GI Bill Legislation

Tasha Berhalter:

Tasha has been fighting for these protections for years. She spoke at a press conference in 2020. Her remarks can be found here, and the video can be viewed here (Tasha begins speaking around the 6:40 mark). Tasha also shared remarks with the Department in October 2021 as it considered the right policy approaches to protect and support student veterans.

About Veterans Education Success
Veterans Education Success is a nonprofit organization that works on a bipartisan basis to advance higher education success for veterans, service members, and military families while protecting the integrity and promise of the GI Bill and other federal postsecondary education programs. The organization provides free college and career counseling to veterans, offers nonpartisan policy expertise to federal and state policymakers, and conducts research on issues affecting student veterans. More information is available at vetsedsuccess.org.

Contact: Ana Cobian; ana.cobian@wardcirclestrategies.com; c: 323-360-1827

VES- Ohio GI Bill Booking Advisory