We advocate for student veterans before VA
VA’s Obligation to Stop Colleges’ Deceptive Recruiting
We have pushed VA for years to stop 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. We continue to prod VA to comply with the law, including engaging Congressional pressure on VA.
GI Bill Reinstatement for Students Whose School Closed
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 allows VA to restore entitlement to beneficiaries affected by school closure or disapproval (if the disapproval was due to a change in law or VA interpretation of statute).
National GI Bill Delays
We worked to ensure that GI Bill delays were addressed immediately, and has fought to make sure the VA makes back payments on all missed payments.
VA Proposes to Waive Ethics Rule for VA Employees
When the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a rule to waive federal ethics rules to legalize bribery of VA employees, we alerted and worked closely with ethics experts, and our military, veteran and education allies to organize opposition efforts to force VA to reverse its decision.
OUR LETTERS TO VA
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, I am sending this letter to more fully explain how we believe the Veterans Eligible [...]
Letter Reply from VA re: Risk-Based Survey SOPs (June 15, 2023)
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Veterans Benefits Administration Washington, D.C. 20420 June 15, 2023 Carrie Wofford, President Veterans Education Success 1501 K St., Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 Dear Ms. Wofford: Thank you for your letter, dated June 1,2023, to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expressing additional concerns regarding the [...]
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 surveys. We apologize for our delay. We appreciate your detailed response, which was informative. While [...]
Our Letter to VA regarding Florida Career College’s Loss of Title IV Approval
April 13, 2023 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 Joseph L. Garcia, Executive Director Education Service Veteran Benefits Administration Via email Re: Florida Career College Dear Director Garcia, Ms. Wickham, and [...]
Letter Reply from VA re: Risk-Based Survey SOPs (March 16, 2023)
March 16, 2023 Carrie Wofford, President Veterans Education Success 1501 K St., Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 Dear Ms. Wofford: Thank you for your letter, dated March 7, 2023, to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding the implementation of risk-based surveys, as codified in 38 U.S.C. § 3673(e) (“Notice [...]
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 implementing risk-based surveys as required by the Protect the GI Bill Act, enacted as part [...]
VA REPORTS & PRESS RELEASES
VA’s Revised Guidance to Schools on Correcting Violations of 38 USC 3696
On May 26, 2020, VA sent revised guidance to schools at risk of losing eligibility to enroll GI Bill students due to deceptive and misleading advertising and recruiting, in violation of 38 USC 3696. This May 26th guidance significantly eased the burden on schools of correcting the harm they caused [...]
VA’s Guidance to Schools on Correcting Violations of 38 USC 3696
On May 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sent guidance to 5 schools at risk of losing eligibility to enroll GI Bill students because of 38 USC 3696, which prohibits VA from approving schools for GI Bill if the schools engaged in deceptive or misleading advertising or recruiting [...]
Initial Notification Letters from VA to Colleges on 38 USC 3696
University of Phoenix Career Education Corporation Temple University Bellevue University
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment 2018 Longitudinal Study
The Department of Veterans Affairs published the results for Fiscal Year 2018 of its Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment longitudinal study. The main goal of the study is to examine the post-program outcomes for the VR&E program.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Annual Reports on GI Bill Usage and Other Benefits
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published reports on the usage of GI Bill and other military benefits.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Inspector General: VA’s Oversight of State Approving Agency Program Monitoring for Post-9/11 GI Bill Students
Prior VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reports have identified significant financial risks in how the education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill are administered. The OIG conducted this audit to determine if VA and State Approving Agencies (SAAs) effectively reviewed and monitored education programs in accordance with the provisions [...]
MORE NEWS & INFO
Military.com: VA is Asking DOJ for Help Getting Back GIBill.com After Losing Domain Rights
"Veterans Education Success, a nonpartisan veteran advocacy group, sent a letter to Biden last week urging him to take steps to expand GI Bill protections, including reclaiming the lost domain GIBill.com, which has in the past been used by the for-profit education industry to deceive veterans. 'It's very risky to [...]
Marine Times: Congress finalizes sweeping veterans policy bill with new protections for women, students
“This landmark legislation will significantly weed out predatory colleges that seek to take advantage of veterans,” said Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success. She praised lawmakers for “stepping up to protect veterans and their hard-earned GI Bill from waste, fraud, and abuse.” Read the full story by Marine Times, [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Unanimous Passage of Landmark Legislation to Protect Student Veterans and Ensure Better Oversight of GI Bill Colleges
December 16, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford: [email protected] Veterans Education Success hails unanimous passage of landmark legislation to protect student veterans and ensure better oversight of GI Bill colleges Veterans Education Success proposed, and provided significant input on, key legislation Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously voted [...]
Our Letter to the VA Advisory Committee on Education
December 7, 2020 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Education Services 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington DC 20420 Via electronic submission to [email protected] Re: Advisory Committee on Education Dear Members of the Advisory Committee, Veterans Education Success is a non-profit organization that works to advance higher education success for [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Senate Passage of Landmark Legislation to Protect Student Veterans and Ensure Better Oversight of GI Bill Colleges
December 9, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford ([email protected]) and Tanya Ang ([email protected]) Veterans Education Success hails Senate passage of landmark legislation to protect student veterans and ensure better oversight of GI Bill colleges Veterans Education Success proposed, and provided significant input on, key legislation Tonight, the U.S. Senate [...]
Comment to VA on Its Employees’ Conflicts of Interest in For-Profit Schools
August 21, 2020 Dr. Paul Lawrence, Undersecretary for Benefits Veterans Benefits Administration Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission Re: VBA’s Collection of Conflicting Interests Certification for Proprietary Schools, OMB Control Number: 2900-0657 Dear Dr. Lawrence: Thank you for the opportunity to [...]
