Five Senate Democrats sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis last week raising concerns about the Pentagon's oversight of colleges participating in the Tuition Assistance (TA) program.
Department of Defense (DoD) officials recently announced plans to select 200 of the more than 2,000 colleges that educate military service members through the TA program for an audit each year and pick an additional 50 schools that are identified as low-performing on a series of metrics.
In the letter, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) issue their concern that the plan would not adequately deter misconduct at colleges and could also "artificially limit" the number of schools singled out for a review.
Additionally, the department's plan to hire an outside firm to conduct the reviews could present a conflict of interest because some colleges hire the company for other services. "An arrangement that allows this company to participate in oversight over the same colleges that pay the firm to conduct financial auditing services raises significant conflicts of interest questions," the senators wrote.
Related Links
Letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis
https://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/2017_04_05_Mattis_DOD_Tuition_Assistance_Letter.pdf