GI Bill & Other Education Benefits

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 [...]

GI Bill Payments and Enrollment, Fiscal Years 2009 to 2018

Total GI Bill payments and enrollment grew significantly after the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits in August 2009. Eighty three percent of the $105 billion in expenditures on educational benefits from Fiscal [...]

VA and SAA Approval and Disapproval Authority Should Be Clarified

Executive Summary State Approving Agencies (SAAs) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are expected to work in tandem to approve, disapprove, and oversee the educational benefits provided under 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) [...]

Why Aren’t More Undergraduate Student Veterans Enrolling at Selective Colleges? Veteran Undergraduate vs Graduate Student Demographics

Selective colleges with high graduation rates enroll far fewer veterans pursuing undergraduate certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degrees than those seeking post-baccalaureate degrees such as master’s, PhD’s, or certifications. This Issue Brief explores demographic and enrollment [...]

Large For-Profit Schools Remain Dependent on Recruiting GI Bill Students Despite Overall Enrollment Declines

For several years, the media has reported on the decline in for- profit schools’ student enrollment. Missing in these articles are data on a key subset of students who are specifically targeted by for-profits—GI Bill [...]

For-Profit Schools’ Post-9/11 GI Bill Revenue and Enrollment Declined from 2014 to 2016

In this brief, we report separately on total GI Bill enrollment and enrollment for only the Post-9/11 benefit. Post-9/11 revenue includes tuition payments for qualifying GI Bill students through the Yellow Ribbon program under which [...]

Schools Receiving the Most Post-9/11 GI Bill Tuition and Fee Payments Since 2009

This issue brief focuses on cumulative Post-9/11 payments to schools, not enrollment. Eight of the top 10 recipients of Post-9/11 tuition and fee payments from fiscal years (FY) 2009 through 2017 were for-profit schools. These 8 [...]

Repayment Status for First-Time Student Veterans 12 Years After Enrolling

Drawing on the National Center for Education Statistics' First Look report on Student Loan Debt, Repayment and Default, this Issue Brief highlights key findings on veteran student loan debt.

Joint Letter in Support of Shalala Amendment on DoD Tuition Assistance

On July 25, 2019, twenty-six student, education, military, and veterans service organizations expressed their support for an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 that would require the Defense Department to make public [...]

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. [...]

Our Letter urging VA to follow the law on schools that defraud veterans

After multiple for-profit colleges have been caught defrauding veterans, the VA has still failed to act. VES wrote a letter to the VA reminding the agency of its duty to protect veterans.

Free Credit Monitoring for Servicemembers

VES and other veterans and military service organizations write to US Federal Trade Commission regarding free credit monitoring for servicemembers

DOL Urged to Exercise Caution With Apprenticeship Programs

Letter urging the US Department of Labor to ensure adequate quality controls in apprenticeship programs approved for GI Bill

Our Letter to FTC Regarding Fake Military Recruiting Websites

28 Veterans and Military Leaders ask US Federal Trade Commission to release the names of the schools that participated in fake military recruiting websites   Related letter to US Congressional Armed Services Committees [...]

Veterans Organizations Call for Automatic Loan Forgiveness for Disabled Veterans

A letter to the Department of Education requesting automatic loan forgiveness for disabled veterans.

Career-Ready Student Veterans Act

Veterans and Military Organizations Write VA to Fix Delays in GI Bill Payments

As an IT issue wreaked havoc on GI Bill payments, 15 veteran and military organizations wrote a letter urging VA Secretary Wilkie to find a prompt solution.

CFPB and DoD: Protect Servicemembers’ Rights

38 veterans and military service organizations call on the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and US Defense Department to stop the rollback of servicemembers' rights under the Military Lending Act   Resubmitted Sept. [...]

U.S. Navy position paper opposing “PROSPER” Act

The US Navy issued a position paper opposing the House PROSPER Act, which would curtail Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which the Navy relies upon for military recruiting and retention.

Dallas News: Hundreds of veterans scramble after Garland for-profit college closes

GARLAND — Hundreds of veterans are scrambling to figure out what’s next for them after a for-profit college they were attending suddenly shut down Wednesday. The Texas Veterans Commission issued a news release Thursday evening [...]

Chicago Sun Times: More GI Bill horror stories: Vets say government reneged on promise to pay for kids’ college

"Hower and her father are among more than a dozen families who contacted the Chicago Sun-Times after a story Nov. 10 on military families hit with hefty college bills they were promised would be covered [...]

Press Release: Veterans Education Success Praises Senator Alexander’s Support for Closing the 90-10 Loophole

For Immediate Release      Contacts:  Carrie Wofford, President | carrie@vetsedsuccess.org (202) 422-6338 Veterans Education Success Praises Senator Alexander's Support for Closing the 90-10 Loophole Senator Alexander (R-TN) Announced His Support for the Protect VETS Act of [...]

Our Statement for the Record on Forever GI Bill Implementation Efforts for Nov. 19 HVAC Economic Opportunity Subcommittee Hearing

STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE OVERSIGHT HEARING ON EXAMINING ONGOING FOREVER GI BILL IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 19, 2019 Chairman Levin, [...]

Press Release: Veterans Education Success Praises Bi-partisan Bill to Close 90-10 Loophole

For Immediate Release      Contacts:  Carrie Wofford, President | carrie@vetsedsuccess.org (202) 422-6338 Veterans Education Success Praises Bi-partisan Bill to Close 90-10 Loophole Proposed legislation in the U.S. Senate will close the 90-10 loophole and remove the [...]

Chicago Sun Times: The Navy told him he served long enough to get his kids free college. Its math was 6 days off.

"Dotson, who’s from Michigan, didn’t know that the promised education would be yanked out from under them, that this gift would turn into debt-collection notices for his daughter amounting to $20,000 and growing. The Dotsons [...]

Learn About HR 4625: The Protect the GI Bill Act of 2019

Overview of HR 4625, The Protect the GI Bill Act of 2019 We are grateful to the bipartisan leadership of House Veterans Affairs Committee for this joint bill that would: Require risk-based oversight (and [...]

Joint Press Release: Veterans & Military Service Organizations Response to Sen. Alexander’s Higher Education Legislation

October 19, 2019 For Immediate Release Contact: Tanya Ang | Vice President | (949) 244-7690 Lauren Augustine | Vice President of Government Relations (SVA) | (703) 772-9919 Barrett Y. Bogue | Senior Communication Advisor | [...]

Sacramento Bee: Veterans Affairs Moves to Strip California’s Power in Fight Over For-Profit Schools

“It’s hard to argue that the VA has the interests of veterans and taxpayers at heart when it allows things like Thomas Jefferson. Why would they rescind these actions?” said Walter Ochinko, research director for [...]

Our Oral Testimony on VA’s Debt Collection & GI Bill Overpayments

On Sept. 19, 2019, Veterans Education Success' Director of Military & Consumer Policy, Mike Saunders, testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, regarding GI Bill "overpayments" and VA's aggressive debt [...]

Politico Morning Education: Veterans Education Success is Out with Two Reports

Veterans Education Success this week released two new reports about federal and state oversight of colleges receiving GI Bill funding: "Overemphasis on Payment Accuracy Impedes More Effective SAA Oversight of Schools Participating in the GI Bill" [...]

Veterans Education Success releases 2 new reports on VA’s oversight of the GI Bill

VES released 2 new reports:  VA’s increased Tasking of SAAs with Payment Audits is Impeding Quality Oversight of Schools; and Inconsistent Governing Statutes are Fueling Disagreements Between VA and the States Reports Shed Light on [...]

House Veterans Chairman Takano’s statement on VA’s suspension of California SAA

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement after the Department of Veterans’ Affairs decided to break with the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education [...]