Veterans groups ask VA secretary to keep GI benefits out of the hands of predatory colleges – The Washington Post
Three dozen advocacy groups are calling on Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to intensify monitoring of college programs that enroll veterans after an audit found lax oversight could result in $2.3 billion in tuition benefits going to predatory schools during the next five years.
Education funding earned by men and women who serve in the U.S. military has become a stable source of revenue for many colleges. But veterans groups say that some schools — especially for-profit colleges — have failed to provide high-quality education and that the federal government has shirked its responsibility to act.
The aggressive recruiting practices of some for-profit colleges have been well-documented. A 2012 Senate investigation found evidence of schools deploying teams at veterans hospitals and wounded-warrior centers to enroll students. Some recruiters misled or lied to veterans in telling them that their military benefits cover the full cost of tuition.