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Announced in
honor of the U.S. federal holiday Veterans Day, which fell on
Wednesday, the change is part of President Barack Obama's
"steadfast commitment" to military families and aims to make
sure veterans can both access and get the most out of higher
education, administration officials said.
Officials also announced the launch of a revamped comparison
tool to offer veteran-specific admissions statistics, which aims
to help applicants better evaluate programs, and a new effort to
curb deceptive enrollment tactics used by schools aiming to
recruit veterans.
Cecilia Munoz, a top domestic policy adviser to the president,
said while Obama is pressing his administration to push these
changes forward quickly, he is also calling on Congress to move
forward on three pieces of legislation to help improve veterans'
education.
"These pieces of legislation will really ensure that veterans
have the opportunities and assistance to ... realize the
American dream," Munoz told reporters on a conference call.
One bill would heighten standards for schools receiving G.I.
Bill funds, while another would help protect G.I. Bill benefits
for veterans whose schools close mid-term. A third, just
introduced on Tuesday, would increase regulation of for-profit
colleges, many of which target veterans.
"What we think this does is ramp up the accountability" of those
schools, Munoz said, adding that it ensures "we are requiring a
high-quality education for veterans that have served us well."
(Reporting by Megan Cassella; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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