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Veterans & Service Members

AACRAO recognizes and honors the sacrifices these men and women have made and its members are proud to assist them and meet their educational needs. Veterans and students on active military duty and their families face special circumstances and challenges.

Changes in federal statute and executive actions have greatly promoted the expansion of services toward veterans and their families. Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill was passed in 2009, close to 1 million veterans, service members, and eligible dependents have taken advantage of the educational benefits available to them. With the passage of more recent legislation, such as the Forever GI Bill in 2017 and the Isakson Roe and THRIVE Acts in 2021, there will be significant changes to military education benefits over the coming years.

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Latest Actions

AACRAO recently hosted a webinar to discuss the implementation of veteran legislation passed in December 2020, also known as the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act. This law will have a transformative effect on the mission of Education Service to provide ready access to, and timely and accurate delivery of, education benefits to Veterans, Service members, and their families, as well as further enable the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to empower GI Bill beneficiaries to achieve their vocational and career goals.

Other recent legislation introduced in both the House and Senate include important provisions to help ensure veterans can continue to receive their education benefits as well as technical corrections to the legislation passed last year.

UPDATES

DoD Announces Major Changes to SOC Programs and Services

Aug 18, 2014, 20:13 PM
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The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) last week announced a modified contract for Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) programs and services.

In a letter sent this week to all SOC Consortium schools, the DoD's Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense outlines the upcoming changes to the Defense-wide contract.

Effective October 1, 2014, the DoD plans to:

  • Dissolve the SOC Consortium and phase it out by January 2015. The enhanced DoD Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) provides a mechanism for current SOC Consortium institutions to continue serving as valued education partners with DoD.
  • Consolidate the Degree Network System (DNS) by removing service distinctions (SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR, and SOCCOAST). Servicemembers will have full access to all associate and bachelor's DNS programs irrespective of the member's branch of service.
  • Establish and expand membership in SOC DNS based on criteria reflective of the needs of the servicemembers, geographic location, and the type and quality of educational program offerings.
  • Develop and maintain a resource guide of vocational-technical degrees and certificate programs that will assist servicemembers in gaining credentials for the civilian job market.
  • Engage SOC to assist the DoD and the services in documenting, investigating, and resolving concerns and complaints submitted regarding compliance with the Voluntary Education Partnership MOU or the Postsecondary Education Complaint System.

AACRAO will provide additional updates regarding the changes and their potential impact on institutions.

 

Related Links

U.S. Department of Defense Letter to SOC Colleagues

Michelle Mott
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  • AACRAO Transcript
  • Advocacy
  • Veterans and Service Members
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