OUR RESEARCH & REPORTS
Our published reports regarding college accountability and students’ rights.
Summary of Veteran and Servicemember Student Complaints about University of Phoenix
As part of the free legal assistance we provide to students, Veterans Education Success receives complaints from students using veterans’ benefits, such as the GI Bill, to attend colleges and universities around the country. We [...]
Law Enforcement Actions Against Predatory Colleges
This document summarizes government actions against predatory colleges, providing links to the government actions. If you are aware of a law enforcement action or private lawsuit that is not listed, please email us at [email protected] [...]
VA and States Should Act on Early Warning Signs When Risks to GI Bill Beneficiaries and Taxpayers Emerge at Participating Schools
This report is one in a series of three reports by Veterans Education Success on State Approving Agency (SAA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversight of GI Bill participating schools. A second report examines [...]
Congress Should Consider Authorizing VA to Require Letters of Credit from Schools in order to Mitigate Risks to Veterans and Taxpayers
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) lacks the authority to require letters of credit (LOC) from schools eligible to enroll GI Bill beneficiaries. In contrast, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) can require schools [...]
VA Still Not Enforcing 1974 Ban on Schools that Engage in Deceptive Advertising and Recruiting
Summary: This Issue Brief examines the history of schools that rely on misleading advertising and recruiting to enroll veterans and eligible family members and subsequent ban by Congress in 1974 based on contemporaneous findings of [...]
Proposed Short-Term Pell Safeguards Should Be Further Strengthened
Highlights Recently reintroduced legislation known as the JOBS Act would make federal Pell Grants available for very short, 8-week programs intended to help individuals “afford the skills training and credentials that are in high-demand in [...]
Overemphasis on Payment Accuracy Impedes More Effective SAA Oversight of Schools Participating in the GI Bill
Executive Summary State Approving Agencies (SAA), state-level entities that operate under contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), were established to serve as gatekeepers for GI Bill participating schools. Their ability to provide effective, [...]
Analysis of the Impact of Closing the 90/10 Loophole
We used a December 2016 Department of Education study to estimate the number of schools that would be affected by including GI Bill and Defense Department tuition and fee payments in the 90 cap on [...]
Army.com List of Partner Schools Exposed
The Federal Trade Commission shut down a number of copycat military websites in September of 2018. This report examines one of those websites, Army.com, and the list of partner schools it displayed while in operation. [...]
Proposed Education Department Regulatory Changes Should Be Reevaluated Based on GI Bill Oversight Lessons
ED’s rulemaking should be revaluated based on the lessons learned from GI Bill oversight and the impact on veterans. In each of the areas ED is proposing changes, veterans have been disproportionally harmed in a [...]
Could Education Corporation of America’s Sudden Closure Have Been Avoided?
Earlier this month, another for-profit college chain closed abruptly, leaving more than 20,000 students and 4,000 GI Bill beneficiaries wondering why this happened and how this will affect their future educational endeavors. On December 5, [...]
Is Trident University a Good Choice for Military-Connected Students?
Trident, a University that focuses heavily on recruiting military-connected students, has a mixed record. Its outcomes are better than Ashford’s, another for-profit school that is exclusively online, and the proportion of Trident students with federal [...]
OUR ADVOCACY LETTERS
Veterans Education Success works with our military and veteran allies to send policy advice to government officials.
Student Veteran Submission: Linda Lopez Testimony to the Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Public Comment of Linda Lopez February 18, 2022 Good afternoon. My name is Linda Lopez. I graduated from University of Oregon at 58 years old, and I’m currently working [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Daniel Dresen Testimony to the Department of Education
Testimony of Veteran Daniel Dresen U.S. Education Department’s Negotiated Regulatory Rulemaking Panel February 2022 Good afternoon, my name is Daniel Dresen and I’m a US Army National Guard veteran from North Highland, California. After serving [...]
Our Letter to VA on the Principles of Excellence Complaint Feedback Tool
February 18, 2022 Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Via electronic submission Re: Principles of Excellence Complaint Feedback Tool, OMB Control No. 2900-0797 Dear [...]
Our Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking February Public Hearings
STATEMENT REGARDING ONGOING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEGOTIATED RULEMAKING February 17, 2022 Hello, and thank you for the time to present here today. My name is Will Hubbard. I am a proud Marine Corps Veteran and [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Jenica King Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Jenica King and I’m an Army veteran and the spouse of an active duty servicemember. I used my GI Bill to attend Ashford University. One reason I went there is [...]
Student Veteran Submission: John Roberts Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is John Roberts, and I am an Army veteran. I was trained to fly helicopters, and when I retired, I wanted to earn my certification to fly airplanes. Liberty University was [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Ryan McKenzie Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Ryan McKenzie and I’m an Army veteran who attended DeVry University online. When I contacted DeVry, I was working long hours at a factory and needed to provide a better [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Alphi Coleman Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Alphi Black and I’m an Army veteran who used my GI Bill to attend the University of Phoenix. I graduated in 2018, but this did not provide the fulfillment and [...]
The Capitol Forum: For-Profit Colleges Under CFPB Scrutiny for Lending Practices; Experts Expect Data Sharing with Education Department
“Essentially every for-profit institution we’ve looked at does [institutional loans],” said Christopher Madaio, vice president for legal affairs at Veterans Education Success. Depending on the circumstances, students may not fully understand that they are taking [...]
Our Statement for the Record on Securing High-Demand Jobs for Veterans
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON SECURING HIGH-DEMAND JOBS FOR VETERANS SUBMITTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 2, 2022 Chairman Levin, Ranking Member [...]
Spectrum News 1 SoCal: Veteran Says For-Profit Trade School Took His GI Bill Funds and Left Him Career-Less
The corporation was one of many for-profit institutions that Chris Madaio with Veterans Education Success believes took advantage of a federal loophole that allowed GI Bills not to count as federal funds. He says it [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Controversial Transfer Agreement Ends
“California never should have signed a contract with a predatory for-profit college that was sued by law enforcement for high-pressure enrollment tactics and failing to disclose job prospects to student veterans and military students,” Carrie [...]
MORE NEWS & INFO
Student Veteran Submission: Ryan McKenzie Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Ryan McKenzie and I’m an Army veteran who attended DeVry University online. When I contacted DeVry, I was working long hours at a factory and needed to provide a better [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Alphi Coleman Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Alphi Black and I’m an Army veteran who used my GI Bill to attend the University of Phoenix. I graduated in 2018, but this did not provide the fulfillment and [...]
Coffee Or Die: GI Bill Benefits May Soon be Less Appealing to ‘Predatory’ Schools
“It’s a very community-driven process,” said William Hubbard of Veterans Education Success, an organization that advocates for student veterans. Veterans Education Success and numerous veterans it represents have testified during the Department of Education’s rule-making process. [...]
Our Statement for the Record on Securing High-Demand Jobs for Veterans
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON SECURING HIGH-DEMAND JOBS FOR VETERANS SUBMITTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 2, 2022 Chairman Levin, Ranking Member [...]
Education Counsel: Lessons from a Risk-Based Oversight Model Designed to Protect Students and Taxpayers
Over the past 20 years, many higher education institutions have closed without warning, leaving student veterans without degrees and with few options to complete their degrees and get better jobs. Partially in response to these [...]
Spectrum News 1 SoCal: Veteran Says For-Profit Trade School Took His GI Bill Funds and Left Him Career-Less
The corporation was one of many for-profit institutions that Chris Madaio with Veterans Education Success believes took advantage of a federal loophole that allowed GI Bills not to count as federal funds. He says it [...]
Whistleblower Submission: Dr. Mary Ann Markey Testimony to the Department of Education
Testimony of Dr. Mary Ann Markey U.S. Education Department’s Negotiated Regulatory Rulemaking Panel January 2022 Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Mary Ann Markey, and I have been teaching for Grand Canyon University since 2010, [...]
American GI Forum Testimony on the 90/10 Loophole at the Department of Education Hearings
Department of Rulemaking Public Comment Hearing Testimony of the American G.I. Forum on the 90/10 Loophole Luis Vasquez-Contes, National Commander Good afternoon, to the leaders and staff members of the Department of Education. My name [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Randy Diel Testimony to the Department of Education
My name is Randy Diel and I’m an Army veteran who attended American InterContinental University. As I was finishing my bachelors degree in computer information systems, the school convinced me to continue my education through [...]
Student Veteran Submission: Sean Braunstein Testimony to the Department of Education
Good afternoon. My name is Sean Braunstein. I am an Army veteran and recipient of educational benefits that I earned while serving our country on active duty. I am here to tell my story in [...]
The American Legion Testimony on the 90/10 Loophole at the Department of Education Hearings
NEGOTIATED RULEMAKING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION JOSEPH SHARPE PUBLIC COMMENT On behalf of National Commander Paul Dillard and the nearly two million members of The American Legion, we thank The Department of Education for inviting us [...]
WTKR News (Norfolk): Virginia Beach veteran says she was scammed out of GI Bill benefits
"We have gotten complaints from many, many veterans from at least 10, significantly large for-profit institutions, that many veterans are not really being told the truth," said Chris Madaio, the vice president for legal affairs [...]
ISSUES
Policy issues of Veterans Education Success
Veterans Education Success works to improve post-secondary quality and student outcomes to ensure military-connected students enjoy a solid education leading to a successful civilian career. You will find research reports and coalition letters related to college quality and student outcomes.
Veterans Education Success seeks to ensure students have adequate protections and rights and also believes bad actor colleges should be held accountable if they’ve trampled on students’ rights. You will find research reports and coalition letters related to student protections and college accountability.
Vterans Education Success works to protect the GI Bill and other federal education benefits.