President Issues Executive Order on Higher Ed Service to Military

President Obama has issued an executive order outlining several steps the administration will take to help assure that educational institutions appropriately serve veterans and other military-related college students.  A major focus of the order is combatting fraudulent and deceptive recruitment practices targeted to these students. It also focuses on the need for all institutions serving GI-Bill and other military-related education benefit recipients to provide appropriate information and support. 

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs will hold a hearing on the executive order on May 16.  

Major components of the April 27 order include:

• Program Integrity:  Current Title IV requirements - such as those related to misrepresentation, incentive compensation, refund policies, and re-admission - will be applied to all institutions that educate veteran and military students.  In addition, new procedures on educational institutions' access to military installations will be established.  And, in an effort to prevent marketing abuses, the administration will seek trademark protection for the term "GI Bill."
  
• Comparable Information:  To help students compare aid packages, institutions would be required to provide a "personalized and standardized form" outlining total program costs, available financial aid, and other financially related information.  The form - along with comparable student outcome measures - will be developed by the Department of Education, in cooperation with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.  Ultimately, prospective students will be able to compare institutions using these measures through the Department of Veterans Affairs eBenefits portal.
  
• Complaint Process:  A centralized complaint system will be established for students receiving military and veterans educational benefits, to include uniform procedures for receiving, processing, and referring complaints. 

Administration officials have already begun work on these initiatives, and expect all items in the order to be fully implemented by the 2013-14 academic year. 

For more information, please contact:
Tim Powers