Agencies Work to Bolster Vet, Family Education Outcomes

You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Agencies Work to Bolster Vet, Family Education Outcomes 07/23/2013 01:43 PM CDT Agencies Work to Bolster Vet, Family Education Outcomes By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 23, 2013 - Several government agencies are working on initiatives to improve educational success rates for service members, veterans and their families, senior Department of Veterans Affairs and consumer protection officials told lawmakers today. Curtis L. Coy, deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity for VA's Veterans Benefits Administration, testified with several other witnesses before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on educational outcomes for military members and veterans. Holly Petraeus, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's assistant director for the Office of Servicemember Affairs, also testified. A central question was whether veterans and serving troops are unscrupulously recruited by some for-profit schools. As Petraeus explained, a "90-10" provision in law that is meant to protect students actually creates a loophole some schools are exploiting. She said the rule requires for-profit colleges to get at least 10 percent of their revenues from a source other than Title IV, which covers federal student financial aid programs. The rule is meant to ensure that a college does not exist solely on federal funds, Petraeus said, but although tuition assistance and the Post-9/11 GI Bill are federally funded, they fall into the 10-percent category of the 90-10 rule. "This means that for every service member using [tuition assistance] or GI Bill funds, as well as the spouse or child of a service member, in the case of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, that a for-profit college recruits, the college can then go out and enroll nine other students who are using Title IV funds," Petraeus said. "And that can be a problem." This has given some for-profit colleges an incentive to see service members as "nothing more than dollar signs in uniform," and to use unscrupulous marketing techniques to draw them in, Petraeus added. Coy said that while VA defers to the Education Department on the 90-10 calculation, "we recognize the argument for including the [GI Bill] in the 90 percent limit on federal funding." He also noted, though, that a change in the 90-10 rule could leave some schools ineligible to receive federal funds. "Our concern is to ensure that veterans are not adversely affected by any proposed changes," he said, "or to mitigate them to the extent possible." VA and the Veterans Benefits Administration have collaborated with multiple agencies since 2001 to inform veteran students about their educational opportunities, he said, and resources are available online from VA, VBA and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help potential students assess aptitude, plan a course of study and compare education costs. VA also has placed vocational rehabilitation counselors at military installations across the country, Coy added, and will have counselors on 90 college campuses by the end of the fiscal year. Coy noted VA has greatly increased oversight of all schools, including for-profit schools, and has this year completed more than 3,000 compliance reviews on schools as of the end of May. Nine institutions with a total of 177 veteran students were disqualified from receiving federal aid because of erroneous or misleading practices following those reviews, he said. Petraeus noted a number of initiatives and online resources are in place to help troops and their families navigate post-secondary education. "The wonderful education benefits provided to our military and their families through [tuition assistance] and the GI Bill should not be channeled to programs that do not promote -- and may even frustrate -- this outcome," she said.   Related Sites: Department of Veterans Affairs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau   Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense