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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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.

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U.S. colleges in a unique position to help veterans succeed

Apr 8, 2014, 15:48 PM
legacy id : 53440bcb3edeef174805577a
Summary : The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs continues to project an increasing number of veterans returning to college to pursue a higher education.
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The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs continues to project an increasing number of veterans returning to college to pursue a higher education. With the military downsizing, the ability to transfer benefits to a spouse or dependent, and the 15 years until benefits expire, it is no wonder more veterans are arriving on college campuses every year. With approximately $30 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits paid out since 2009 to nearly 1 million service members, veterans and families pursuing their educational goals, higher education professionals can equip themselves to better serve this student population through recruitment, retention, graduation and job placement.

In the publication Helping Veterans Succeed, campus professionals call for colleges and universities to be proactive in establishing veterans resource centers, updating policy, and creating programs to better support this nontraditional, dynamic student population.

In August 2013 the Obama Administration announced “8 Keys to Success” that pertain to what the future of veterans services should look like on campuses, including:

  • Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans;
  • Use a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans, including demographics, retention and degree completion; and
  • Implement an early alert system to ensure all veterans receive academic, career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming.

With a growing population of veterans looking to reintegrate into civilian life and pursue a higher education, colleges and universities are in a unique position to help them successfully overcome the challenges they face and use their skills to benefit the entire campus culture. 

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  • AACRAO Connect
  • Veterans and Service Members
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