We push VA to protect veterans from colleges’ deceptive recruiting. We helped bring to VA’s attention a Vietnam-era statute, 38 USC 3696, that requires VA to cut off GI Bill funding to schools that engage in deceptive recruiting, and in 2020 we strengthened that statute to cover 21st-century advertising methods and lead generator companies and by requiring VA to act within strict timelines and ensure students are protected.
OUR WORK
Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill Procedural Update – Prohibitions on Advertising, Sales, and Enrollment Practices
Greetings Educational Institutions, Section 1020 of P.L. 116-315, Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, and section 7(a)(5) of P.L. 117-16, Training in High-demand Roles to Improve Veteran [...]
Our Media Advisory: CA Attorney General Trial Starts Monday 11/8 Against For-Profit College Ashford U For Defrauding Students – Especially Veterans
Media Advisory & Backgrounder: Higher Ed & Veterans Story Contacts: Carrie Wofford, President, [email protected] Christopher Madaio, VP for Legal Affairs, [email protected] CA ATTORNEY GENERAL TRIAL STARTS MONDAY 11/8 AGAINST FOR-PROFIT COLLEGE ASHFORD U FOR [...]
Our Interview on the Policy Vets Podcast with Former Secretary Shulkin
Our Vice Presidents, Chris Madaio and Will Hubbard, joined former VA Secretary David Shulkin and Policy Vets Executive Director Lou Celli on their podcast to talk about our work standing up for the GI Bill and [...]
Our Letter to the VA Advisory Committee on Education
October 18, 2021 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Education Service 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission to [email protected] Re: Advisory Committee on Education Meeting October 19-20 Dear Members of [...]
Our Letter with Executive Order Ideas to Protect Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education
MEMORANDUM TO: The Honorable Susan Rice, Director, Domestic Policy Council The Honorable Thomas J. Murphy, Acting Under Secretary for Benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs The Honorable Gilbert Cisneros, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and [...]
Summary of Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about Perdoceo Education Corporation
I. Introduction This memo analyzes and provides representative examples of over 500 complaints from military-connected students who attended schools owned by the Perdoceo Education Corporation, formerly known as the Career Education Corporation and referred to [...]
Student Veteran Statement: Tasha Berkhalter Written Statement to Senate Judiciary Committee
Tasha Berkhalter, Army Veteran Statement for the Record United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Student Loan Bankruptcy Reform Full Committee Hearing August 3, 2021 My name is Tasha Berkhalter, and I am an Army [...]
MORE NEWS & INFO
Republic Report: FBI Raids For-Profit College Owned by Tennessee State Senator
"The school’s website... also states that students may be eligible for veterans benefits, and the organization Veterans Education Success tweeted documentation that the VA has approved the school for those benefits." Read the full story [...]
VA’s Approval of Ashford for GI Bill (Feb. 2020)
On Feb. 14, 2020, VA approved Ashford's eligibility for GI Bill. Letter pasted below. In approving Ashford, VA's leadership is once again flouting 38 USC 3696, which forbids VA from approving GI Bill to schools [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Letter from Congress to VA regarding VA’s obligation to protect veterans from deceptive colleges
December 20, 2019 Dear Secretary Wilkie: We write today in the wake of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlements with for-profit Career Education Corporation (CEC) and University of Phoenix (UOP) for unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices. [...]
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 [...]
.@VetAffairsOIG audit report says @VAVetBenefits is failing to properly regulate State Approving Agencies (SAAs) and without significant change billions of tax dollars meant for veteran education/reintegration will be wasted. https://t.co/IiVCK4xHe4 pic.twitter.com/GqY8FdGutl
— Veterans Education Success (@GIBillRights) December 4, 2018
- VA’s policy advisory to State Approving Agencies to not change a school’s approval based on accreditor probations and other interim government actions (Aug. 30, 2018)
- VA’s 2018 agreement with US Federal Trade Commission (updating its 2015 agreement with US Federal Trade Commission)
- FTC’s response to FOIA request for documents regarding any school recruiting activities referred for review by VA to FTC under the agreement (Nov. 14, 2018)
- Letter to the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 23 veterans and military organizations, led by VES, demanding VA adherence to the law and better oversight of college recruiting and protection for veterans from deceptive recruiting (May 16, 2016)
- New York Times coverage: Veterans Groups Seek a Crackdown on Deceptive Colleges (May 21, 2016)
- Report by Yale Law School, with VES (and commissioned by VES) outlining VA’s obligations under the law: “VA’s Failure to Protect Veterans from Deceptive College Recruiting Practices” (2016)
SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
We stand up for student veterans who were ripped off by predatory bad-actor schools.
Ashford University
Veterans Education Success is closely monitoring Ashford University’s attempts to maintain GI Bill access in light of Ashford’s significant consumer fraud against students and attempts to deceive VA:
- 2021 Update | February 2, 2021
- Decision of the US Federal Circuit Court to Dismiss Ashford University’s Lawsuit against VA | March 3, 2020
- California’s assertion of authority to continue approving and disapproving schools, regardless of VA’s suspension | Sept. 10, 2019
- VA’s suspension of California as a State Approving Agency, based in part on California’s refusal to act on Ashford and California’s disapprovals of other schools | Sept. 6, 2019
- California’s response to VA’s letter requiring it to act on Ashford’s application | Jan. 15, 2019
- VA’s letter to California requiring it to act on Ashford’s application | Jan. 2, 2019
- California declines to act on Ashford’s second request for approval to serve GI Bill students | Dec. 14, 2018
- Ashford petitions US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for an extension of time to file a motion while negotiations with VA continue over state approval | Dec. 7, 2018
- VA’s letter to California regarding its contract performance and disagreements with California’s disapprovals of some schools | Aug. 24, 2018
- California response to VES’ FOIA request showing US Department of Veterans Affairs employees who have a conflict of interest because they are also on payroll at Ashford | April 4, 2018
- California declines to act on Ashford’s request for approval to serve GI Bill students | Feb. 21, 2018
- California Attorney General sues Ashford for deceptive recruiting and marketing and abuses of students in financial products | Nov. 29, 2017
- Ashford sues VA | Nov. 21, 2017
- Senators’ Letter urging Defense Secretary Mattis to warn Servicemembers attending Ashford and to cease new enrollments | Nov. 21, 2017
- Senators’ Letter urging VA Secretary Shulkin to warn GI Bill students attending Ashford | Nov. 21, 2017
- Student Veterans of America cautions students about continued enrollment at Ashford University | Nov. 20, 2017
- VA Announces Potential Probation of Ashford | Nov. 9, 2017
- VA Letter to Ashford Denying Arizona as “main campus” | Nov. 9, 2017
- VA Notice to GI Bill Students at Ashford | Nov. 9, 2017
- VES Report: Ashford’s Fight to Maintain GI Bill Access Raises Questions about the Enforcement and the Adequacy of Statutory Requirements | Nov. 9, 2017
- VES Compilation of a Sampling of Ashford Student Veteran Complaints
- Chronicle of Higher Education expose: “Inside the Scramble to Save Ashford U: How Political Maneuvering Kept GI Bill Funds Flowing to a For-Profit University” | Nov. 9, 2017
- Bridgepoint Company response to VA action | Nov. 9, 2017
- Bridgepoint SEC filing | Nov. 14, 2017
- VA Letter to Ashford re: Iowa and Arizona facility codes | Sept. 13, 2017
- VA Letter to Arizona SAA denying approval of Ashford | Aug. 3, 2017
- VA Letter to Arizona SAA continuing to deny approval of Ashford | Aug. 17, 2017
- Arizona SAA approval of Ashford | July 6, 2017 | and VA’s response
- Arizona’s Application Form for an Out of State License | Arizona’s licensure procedure and requirements
- VA Alert to Students: Ashford University Update — You can continue to attend Ashford beyond August 16th | Aug. 4, 2017
- Ashford e-mail to students | July 26, 2017
- VA Alert to Students: Critical Information for Students Attending Ashford University on the GI Bill | July 20, 2017
- Iowa District Court Rejects Ashford University’s Claims, Effectively Pushing it Out of GI Bill | July 17, 2017
- VA Alert to Students: Information for Students Attending Ashford University on the GI Bill | June 6, 2016
- Ashford CA SAA Application | table of contents
- 2015 Consent Order by US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for Ashford’s deceiving students about its institutional loan scheme
American InterContinental, Colorado Tech, and Trident – owned by Perdoceo (formerly Career Ed Corporation)
- 2021 Update (February 2021)
- The Capitol Forum: Perdoceo Education Corporation: Department of Education Defers $39M of Title IV Money from 2019 to 2020 to Save AIU from Violating 90/10; Experts Expect Congressional Scrutiny (March 2020)
ECPI
- Virginia Department of Veterans Services Withdraws GI Bill Approval for Medical Careers Institute (MCI) – School of Health Science of ECPI University, Virginia Beach Campus | Dec. 2015
- ECPI’s pass/fail rates on the Nursing exam
- Irene Coons, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Use of Standardized Tests Within Nursing Education Programs
Grand Canyon University
- 2021 Update (Feb. 2021)
- Education Department’s denial of non-profit status to the for-profit college Grand Canyon University (Nov. 2019)
ITT Tech
- VA Notice to ITT Students re: Loan Forgiveness Options | Nov. 2016
- Important Announcement for Students Using the GI Bill at ITT Educational Services, Inc.
- CalVet Suspends GI Bill Approval for ITT
DeVry
University of Phoenix
Purdue Global/Kaplan
Other Schools
- VA Notice: Safeguarding the Integrity of the GI Bill | March 2017
- College of Beauty and Barber Culture owners sentenced to jail and to pay $4.5M in restitution)
Good news for #Veterans. If you attended #ITTTech and you still owe #ITT money, that's now erased. If you paid ITT after it declared bankruptcy in Sept. 2016, you'll get that back. Others, please stand by. This is just the first step.
Free help: [email protected] https://t.co/NySN7nWl2b— Veterans Education Success (@GIBillRights) November 28, 2018
“VA’s approval of a program to accept education benefits communicates to potential students that the school is deemed a quality school.” – Our VP @TanyaMAng https://t.co/Io5uH1oZzV
— Veterans Education Success (@GIBillRights) January 27, 2019