# Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act of 2021

This bill is designed to protect military veterans who are using their GI Bill benefits to attend college or vocational schools. The main goal is to make sure schools are being honest about their programs and aren't taking advantage of veterans' education benefits.

Here's what the bill does in practical terms: It requires schools to be transparent about their costs, graduation rates, job placement rates, and how much debt students typically graduate with. Schools also have to disclose whether they're approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs and what their refund policies are. If a school makes misleading claims about its programs or financial aid, the bill creates consequences for that school. Additionally, the bill protects veterans from predatory practices by requiring schools to give veterans clear information before they enroll, so they can make informed decisions about where to spend their benefits.

The bill also establishes protections if a school closes down or loses its accreditation while a veteran is enrolled. In those situations, veterans would be able to transfer their unused benefits to another school without losing money or time. This matters because veterans have earned these education benefits through their military service, and the bill ensures they're not wasted due to a school's problems.

Essentially, this legislation treats veterans' education benefits as something that deserves special protection. It puts guardrails around schools to prevent them from exploiting veterans' benefits for profit while delivering poor quality education or misleading information about their programs.

Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act of 2021

Schatz, Brian

Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act of 2021 This bill addresses the maintenance of the GI Bill Comparison Tool and administration of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance. The VA must maintain the tool and ensure its historical data remains easily and prominently accessible on the VA's benefits website for at least seven years from the initial publication. The VA must retain, maintain, and publish feedback from students and state approving agencies regarding the quality of instruction, recruiting practices, and post-graduation employment placement of approved institutions of higher learning for the duration that the institution is approved for VA benefit purposes. The bill provides institutions of higher learning with up to 30 days to review and respond to any feedback and address issues before the feedback is published. The bill requires that the GI Bill Comparison Tool include updated information, including descriptions of each federal student aid program and the amount of educational assistance an individual may be eligible to receive under the program. The VA must train personnel that provide education benefits counseling, vocational or transition assistance, or similar functions to properly use the comparison tool and provide appropriate education counseling services. The VA must restore entitlement to educational assistance in situations where there is a civil enforcement action or VA action against an educational institution, and an individual was unable to complete the course or program of education due to such action. Individuals may be charged against their entitlement at their request.