Senate Hearing on Student Veterans Legislation

On July 13, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on pending legislation impacting veterans. During the hearing, committee members discussed the unintended consequences of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) recent 85-15 policy reset. The Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act clarifies the 35 percent exemption to the 85-15 rule and ensures that veterans can continue to enroll in quality programs of their choosing. The American Council on Education provided testimony on the legislation, stating “By clarifying the 35 percent exemption, S. 4458 would undo the negative impacts of VA’s recent policy change on institutions with low total veteran populations and the veterans they serve. It will also ensure that veterans who attend these institutions will be able to enroll in their program of choice. For many institutions, registration for the fall term begins in August. We appreciate that S. 4458 would become effective upon enactment and hope that the legislation might be cleared before the August recess. This would help eliminate any disruptions for student veterans this fall. Without this critical fix, institutions will be forced to deny veterans from enrolling in certain programs, and in some cases, may have to turn them away entirely.” CGS recently signed on to a letter supporting the assurance that veterans can continue to enroll in quality programs of their choosing on our campuses.