June 25, 2015
United Spinal Association’s VetsFirst program today announced its support for the Military and Veterans Education Protection Act, a bill introduced by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) designed to improve educational benefits for our nation’s military and veterans.
The bill will remedy a loophole in a law whereby the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) educational dollars were deemed as non-federal funds.
The law, designed to protect all students by requiring at least 10% of tuition payments be non-federal loans, left open a loophole that led to aggressive marketing towards veterans and military service members. The result was that many veterans found themselves without degrees or nontransferable credits after disreputable schools closed.
The legislation introduced yesterday at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. is a solution to protect military and veteran students, as well as taxpayers, by ensuring that for-profit schools obtain at least 10 percent of their revenues from non-federal funding sources.
“VetsFirst is proud to show its support for this necessary legislation that evens the playing field and protects our nation’s veterans,” said Director of VetsFirst Ross Meglathery, MPA.
The new legislation would amend title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require proprietary institutions of higher education to derive at least 10% of their revenue from sources other than title IV or federal educational assistance programs for military personnel and veterans, or become ineligible for title IV funding and participation in those programs.
The Military and Veterans Education Protection Act closes the 90-10 loophole by counting VA educational programs (Post-9/11 GI Bill) and DOD educational programs (Tuition Assistance) on the 90 percent side of the 90-10 formula rather than the 10 percent side.