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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

House Education Committee Chair Calls for Streamlined Loan Benefits

Oct 31, 2013, 18:23 PM
legacy id : 52729ee505646712c0c2ee00
Summary : Rep. Kline reaches out for input on how Congress might streamline the processing of interest rate benefits for active duty servicemembers.
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House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan asking for input on how Congress might streamline the processing of interest rate benefits for active duty servicemembers.

Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), student loans taken out by borrowers on active duty prior to military service are capped at 6 percent. The statue requires servicemembers to provide a copy to the loan servicer of his or her military orders and a written request that the SCRA benefit be applied.

Recent reports from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that servicemembers were having trouble obtaining and providing that documentation, and loan servicers were not always able to verify borrowers' active duty status to alleviate either of the requirements.

Rep. Kline expressed concern that the SCRA requirements create unnecessary obstacles and cause significant delays in the processing of benefits, and asked Education Secretary Duncan to suggest legislative remedies to streamline processing.

 

Related Links

Letter to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan

http://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/10-23-13-ed-interest_rate_benefits_for_servicemembers_final.pdf

Michelle Cormier Mott
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  • Advocacy
  • Veterans and Service Members
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