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.

Capitol

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

Education Dept. Issues Final Prison Ed Program, Change in Ownership, 90/10 Rules

Oct 27, 2022, 11:47 AM
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Summary : Regulations aim to crack down on the for-profit college industry and restore Pell Grants for prisoners, among other things.
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Today, the U.S. Education Department announced final rules that aim to crack down on the for-profit college industry and restore Pell Grants for prisoners, among other things. 

More specifically, the Education Department's rules carry out the removal of the federal ban on incarcerated students receiving Pell Grants and clarify the requirements and approval process for participating prison education programs. The final regulations also increase oversight of college conversions, updating the agency's approval process for the sale of a college to new owners or the conversion of a for-profit college into a nonprofit entity.

The alteration to the 90/10 rule carries out new funding restrictions recently enacted by Congress. As part of last year's American Rescue Plan, lawmakers expanded the 90 percent cap on for-profit colleges' funding to include all types of federal funding, including veterans' benefits. Previously, federal law did not count military and veterans' education benefits as federal aid toward that threshold. The updated formula now applies GI Bill benefits and Pentagon tuition assistance toward that limit and the proposed regulations implement that change. Under the new rules, revenue from the sale of institutional loans, income-share agreements, or similar alternative financing options also count in the 90/10 calculation. 

"Today, we're raising the bar for oversight and accountability for colleges and career schools that prioritize profiting off federal financial aid programs over preparing students for success in the workforce," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement. "These new rules crack down on some of the most deceptive practices we see in higher education, such as predatory marketing tactics that target U.S. service members and veterans, and changes in ownership designed to evade accountability to taxpayers. I'm also proud that starting July 1, 2023, incarcerated students will have access to federal Pell Grants to enroll in high-quality prison education programs that we know reduce their risk of returning to prison and prepare these individuals to lead productive and meaningful lives in their communities."

AACRAO, along with 16 other higher education associations, previously submitted comments on the proposed regulatory changes, expressing general support for the goals of the rules and offering a number of recommended improvements to the language on change in ownership and prison education programs.  

Related Link

U.S. Education Department Press Release

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-unveils-final-rules-protect-veterans-and-service-members-improve-college-access-incarcerated-individuals-and-improve-oversight-when-colleges-change-owners 


Michelle Mott
Categories :
  • Advocacy
  • Compliance and Reporting
  • Financial Aid and FAFSA
  • Veterans and Service Members
Tags :
  • 90/10 rule
  • accountability
  • education department
  • Federal Regulations
  • Federal relations
  • for-profit colleges
  • gi bill
  • incarceration
  • Negotiated Rulemaking
  • pell grant
  • prison
  • student loans
  • tuition assistance program
  • VA Programs
  • Veterans and service members issues
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