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Sorry about the delay in posting this. I comb hundreds of articles to determine what is most useful for local veterans. VVA is always the most helpful. Us Vietnam Veterans of America are late bloomers ya know!

Senator Webb Introduces NDAA Amendments to Help Student  Vets

National Salute To Veterans

On November 27, Vietnam veteran Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)  regarding the bipartisan “Military and Veterans Educational Reform Act of 2012″ (S.2179).

Summary of Amendment #2957 (both of these provisions are in the larger bill S.2179):

  • Requires that all programs receiving funding from Tuition Assistance and Post-9/11 GI Bill be “Title IV” eligible, which is already a requirement for schools receiving other types of federal funding. Title IV eligibility requires, among other things, accreditation by a Department of Education-approved accrediting agency; new schools to have an undergraduate withdrawal rate for all students of no more than 33%; and mandated reviews by the Department of Education if a school has high dropout or default rates, which could lead to sanctions or other penalties.
  • Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a compliance review of an educational institution when certain quality measures are triggered.

Summary of Amendment #2958 (this is S. 2179; includes the two provisions in Amdt. #2957):

  • Requires that all programs receiving funding from Tuition Assistance and Post-9/11 GI Bill be “Title IV” eligible, which is already a requirement for schools receiving other types of federal funding. Title IV eligibility requires, among other things, accreditation by a Department of Education-approved accrediting agency; new schools to have an undergraduate withdrawal rate for all students of no more than 33%; and mandated reviews by the Department of Education if a school has high dropout or default rates, which could lead to sanctions or other penalties.
  • Expands the training responsibilities of the State Approving Agencies by requiring them to conduct outreach activities to veterans and members of the Armed Forces; to conduct audits of schools; and to report those findings to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
  • Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to develop a centralized complaints process to report instances of misrepresentation, fraud, waste, and abuse, and other complaints against educational institutions.
  • Requires that all schools with 20 or more students enrolled in VA and/or DOD educational assistance programs provide support services to veterans and military students.
  • Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, to the extent practicable, to provide one-on-one, in-person educational counseling to veterans and members of the Armed Forces participating in programs of educational assistance at or before the individual enrolls.
  • Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to conduct a compliance review of an educational institution whenever certain quality measures are triggered.

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