Congress Must do More to Help Service Members Transition Back into Civilian Life, Witnesses Tell Education Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With more than 2 million service members returning from combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress and colleges must do more to help them transition back into civilian life, witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training today.
“Congress must have federal regulations in place to protect veterans and service members from unscrupulous companies, institutions, and lenders attempting to cash in on their GI benefits,” said Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D –Texas), the senior Democrat on the Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee. “We owe it to them to make sure that the education they receive is of the highest quality and that they are able to have fulfilling careers. It’s the least we can do to honor the men and women who have courageously served our nation as they attempt to transition to civilian life.”
Unfortunately, for too many returning service members and veterans their real life experiences don’t always translate into college credit. Witnesses testified that more coordination between colleges and states can help veterans make informed decisions when choosing programs to prepare them for the civilian workforce. For instance, credentialing skills obtained while serving is one way to help shorten the time it takes to obtain a degree. This also decreases the need to use federal funds to pay for courses that have already been mastered.
“States, especially state higher education agencies, need to work together in order to better meet the needs of returning service members and their families,” said Ken Sauer, senior associate commissioner for research and academic affairs at the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. “The federal government needs to work in close partnership with states to make progress in this area. States can play an important role in identifying and publicizing a wider range and variety of institutional best practices and can coordinate statewide efforts with essential stakeholders within the state to adopt these best practices.”
As recipients of GI Bill benefits, veterans are often targeted for recruitment by for-profit companies, many offering a questionable return on investment for students. Recent Senate hearings and investigation conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the media have revealed ways some for-profit colleges aggressively recruit veterans for their GI benefits. For example, an investigation by the Department of Education inspector general found that while for-profit colleges enroll 13 percent of all students receiving Title IV aid they account for almost half of all federal loan defaults.
Last April, President Obama signed an executive order aimed at stopping deceptive recruiting practices of schools that target members of the military, veterans and their families. The executive order is intended to crack down on misleading online recruitment from colleges and require schools to provide information about dropout rates and financial aid possibilities.
For more information on the president’s executive order, click here.
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