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United States Government Accountability Office: 
GAO: 

Report to Congressional Requesters: 

May 2013: 

VA Education Benefits: 

VA Needs to Improve Program Management and Provide More Timely 
Information to Students: 

GAO-13-338: 

GAO Highlights: 

Highlights of GAO-13-338, a report to congressional requesters. 

Why GAO Did This Study: 

VA provided nearly $10 billion in education benefits to almost 1 
million veterans and beneficiaries in fiscal year 2011. The majority 
of these benefits were provided through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which 
in 2008 established what has since grown into VA’s largest education 
program. GAO was asked to review VA’s education programs. This report 
examines: (1) what challenges, if any, veterans face pursuing higher 
education; (2) how VA supports student veterans on campus; and (3) to 
what extent veterans are achieving successful academic outcomes and 
how VA uses data on student outcomes to improve its education benefit 
programs. 

To address these topics, GAO reviewed existing government studies and 
scholarly research on veterans’ educational challenges, services, and 
outcomes; reviewed VA’s strategic planning documents; interviewed 
officials from VA, Education, higher education associations, and 
veteran service organizations; and conducted focus groups with student 
veterans and interviewed school officials at 11 postsecondary 
institutions. 

What GAO Found: 

Student veterans face many challenges pursuing higher education, and 
problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) administration 
of the Post-9/11 GI Bill create financial challenges that also affect 
veterans’ academic success. Veterans already cope with challenges 
transitioning into college as nontraditional students (older or with 
family obligations) while they are readjusting to civilian life and 
potentially managing disabilities. However, veterans and school 
officials told GAO that delays in VA benefit payments create financial 
challenges for veterans that threaten their ability to pursue higher 
education. In fiscal year 2012, VA’s average processing times for new 
Post-9/11 GI Bill applications (31 days) and benefit payments claims 
(17 days) were over a third higher than its performance targets. 
Processing times during the fall of 2012 were at times even longer. 
These delays led many veterans GAO spoke with to take on personal debt 
to cover their housing expenses or consider dropping out of school. VA 
has taken steps to reduce processing delays, and GAO previously made 
recommendations to address these issues. However, VA provides limited 
information about benefit processing timelines and payment policies to 
student veterans prior to enrollment, which can leave them unprepared 
to deal with these payment delays. In some cases, these delays also 
made it difficult for veterans to access other sources of federal 
grants and loans since some schools are reluctant to distribute this 
aid to students until after tuition and fee payments are received from 
VA. 

VA provides limited direct support to veterans on campus, and schools 
are generally building their own veteran support services without any 
assistance from VA. VA has initiated the VetSuccess on Campus pilot, 
which provides veterans on 32 campuses with direct access to VA 
counselors who help them connect to services. VA also offers 
counseling and funding for academic tutoring to eligible student 
veterans. Some schools are developing services to meet the needs of 
these students, including creating new administrative offices to serve 
them. However, smaller schools have limited resources to devote to 
veteran services and may require different approaches to effectively 
meet veterans’ needs. The Post-9/11 GI Bill has also sparked rapid 
growth in student veteran enrollments, and schools have reported 
concerns about the challenges of supporting this emerging population. 
VA recognizes the need to leverage partnerships with stakeholders to 
better support veterans, but has not sought opportunities to 
disseminate information about best practices for supporting veterans 
that would help schools more effectively build their own on campus 
services. 

It is unclear the extent to which veterans are achieving successful 
academic outcomes, and VA lacks a plan for using student outcomes data 
from its new data collection efforts to improve its education 
programs. Current data on student veteran outcomes are outdated or 
incomplete. For example, existing studies from VA and the Department 
of Education (Education) do not capture the increase in beneficiaries 
under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA is coordinating with Education and the 
Department of Defense to develop additional outcome measures and has 
multiple efforts to collect new data on student veterans, including a 
study that will track Post-9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries over the next 20 
years. However, VA does not yet have a plan to use these data to 
improve program management. These data could provide VA with a tool 
for assessing the effectiveness of its education benefit programs in 
facilitating student veterans’ academic success. 

What GAO Recommends: 

GAO recommends that VA: (1) provide veterans with more information on 
payment timelines and policies; (2) work with schools to facilitate 
earlier access to other sources of federal financial aid; (3) promote 
opportunities to share best practices for serving student veterans; 
and (4) create a plan to use new data on student veteran outcomes to 
improve program management. VA agreed with GAO’s recommendations and 
noted a number of actions it is taking to address these issues. 

View [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-338]. For more 
information, contact Melissa Emrey-Arras at (617) 788-0534 or 
emreyarrasm@gao.gov. 

[End of section] 

Contents: 

Letter: 

Background: 

VA's Problems Administering the Post-9/11 GI Bill Add to Student 
Veterans' Challenges: 

VA Provides Limited Support to Veterans on Campus and Schools are 
Generally Building Services for Veterans Without Guidance from VA: 

Veterans' Academic Success is Unclear, and VA Lacks a Plan For Using 
New Data Collection Efforts to Improve Its Education Programs: 

Conclusions: 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

Appendix II: Title IV Programs Administered By Education: 

Appendix III: Status of Prior GAO Recommendations on VA's Education 
Benefit Programs: 

Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs: 

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: 

Related GAO Products: 

Tables: 

Table 1: Major VA Education Benefit Programs Available to Eligible 
Veterans: 

Table 2: Institutions Included in Study for Interviews with Officials 
and Student Focus Groups: 

Figures: 

Figure 1: Beneficiaries of Selected VA Education Benefit Programs, 
Fiscal Years 2007-2013: 

Figure 2: VA's Processing of Post-9/11 GI Bill Program Claims and 
Payments: 

Figure 3: Notable Challenges Veterans Face Pursuing Their Education: 

Figure 4: GI Bill Call Center Volume (October 2011-December 2012): 

Figure 5: Examples of Support Services Selected Schools Are Providing 
Specifically for Veterans: 

Abbreviations: 

BAH: Basic Allowance for Housing: 

DEA: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program: 

DOD: U.S. Department of Defense: 

Education: U.S. Department of Education: 

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid: 

LTS: Long Term Solution: 

MGIB-AD: Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty: 

MGIB-SR: Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve: 

Post-9/11 GI Bill: Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 
2008: 

PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder: 

REAP: Reserve Educational Assistance Program: 

TBI: traumatic brain injuries: 

VA: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: 

VR&E: Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment: 

Yellow Ribbon: Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program: 

[End of section] 

United States Government Accountability Office: 
GAO: 
441 G St. N.W. 
Washington, DC 20548: 

May 22, 2013: 

The Honorable Bill Flores: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Mark Takano: 
Ranking Member: 
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity: 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: 
House of Representatives: 

The Honorable Bruce Braley: 
House of Representatives: 

The Honorable Marlin Stutzman: 
House of Representatives: 

The passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 
2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) significantly increased postsecondary 
education benefits for veterans.[Footnote 1] By fiscal year 2011, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was providing almost $10 billion 
in education benefits to over 900,000 veterans and their 
beneficiaries, mostly through the Post-9/11 GI Bill.[Footnote 2] 
Participation in this program is expected to increase by almost 10 
percent from 2011 to 2013, in part due to veterans returning from 
service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other veterans are still receiving 
benefits for prior service through older programs like the Montgomery 
GI Bill.[Footnote 3] These benefits enable veterans to pursue an 
education and develop work skills to help them re-enter the workforce. 
However, it has been reported that veterans often face numerous 
challenges completing their degrees and still experience high 
unemployment rates once they graduate. 

Researchers have become increasingly interested in better 
understanding postsecondary student outcomes and identifying the 
various factors that can help students achieve academic success. 
Policymakers have also raised questions about the effect of federal 
assistance on student outcomes such as graduation rates, and whether 
there is an appropriate return on the federal investment. In light of 
these issues, you asked us to review several issues related to VA's 
higher education programs. For this report, we examined: 

1. What challenges, if any, do veterans face pursuing higher education? 

2. How does VA support student veterans on campus? 

3. To what extent are veterans achieving successful academic outcomes 
and how does VA use data on student outcomes to improve its education 
benefit programs? 

To identify the challenges student veterans face, we conducted a 
literature review of relevant studies and interviewed officials from 
VA and higher education and veteran service organizations. We selected 
11 institutions to interview school officials and facilitate focus 
groups with student veterans to discuss the challenges veterans face. 
We selected this non-generalizable sample of schools to include a mix 
of program lengths, sectors (public, private not-for-profit, and 
private for-profit), traditional classroom-based as well as online 
schools, institutions with student veteran populations ranging from 
less than 200 to nearly 40,000, schools with and without VA counselors 
located on campus, and schools located in different geographic areas 
of the country, to capture diverse perspectives on the various 
challenges students veterans may face. We limited our scope to 
institutions of higher learning, defined as institutions offering 
postsecondary-level academic instruction that leads to an associate's 
or higher degree. We did not include other types of approved training 
programs under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, such as on-the-job training and 
flight training. We also reviewed VA's performance metrics for 
education benefit claims processing and VA's National Education Call 
Center, which responds to phone call inquiries regarding VA education 
benefits. To identify how VA supports student veterans, we reviewed 
program documents and interviewed VA officials. We also interviewed 
officials from higher education associations and at the 11 
institutions in our study about the various support services schools 
provide specifically for veterans. To analyze the collection and use 
of student veteran outcomes, we reviewed existing data collected by 
VA, the Department of Education (Education), and other federal 
sources. We also interviewed officials from VA, Education, and 
selected schools about their data collection efforts. We reviewed VA's 
strategic plan and performance and accountability report, and examined 
federal guidance on performance measures. We also interviewed 
officials at VA and Education. We assessed the reliability of the 
outcomes data from VA, Education, and other federal sources as well as 
the performance metrics data from VA by reviewing existing information 
about the data and the systems or studies that produced them and 
interviewing knowledgeable agency officials. We determined the data 
were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report. See 
appendix I for more information about our scope and methodology and a 
list of the schools included in the study. 

We conducted this performance audit from April 2012 to May 2013 in 
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 
that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

Background: 

VA has been providing veterans educational assistance benefits since 
1944.[Footnote 4] These benefits have been put in place over time in 
order to compensate for compulsory service, encourage voluntary 
service, avoid unemployment, provide equitable benefits to all who 
served, or promote military retention. There are currently five major 
benefit programs available to eligible individuals who pursue 
education or training (see table 1). 

Table 1: Major VA Education Benefit Programs Available to Eligible 
Veterans: 

Program: Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program (Post-9/11 
GI Bill) 38 U.S.C. §§ 3301-3334; 
Description: Provides benefits to veterans and service members who 
served on active duty for at least 90 days after September 10, 2001. 
The program is designed to provide individuals who served on active 
duty for a full 36 months with the full cost of attendance at a public 
school and up to $17,500 for private nonprofit and private for-profit 
schools. The 36 months of benefits is equivalent to a traditional 4-
year bachelor's degree program (36 months of classes spread over four 
9-month academic years). Veterans who served on active duty for less 
than 36 months are eligible for a portion of the maximum benefit 
amount based on their time served. Beneficiaries can also receive 
additional funding for housing expenses (Basic Allowance for Housing) 
as well as books; 
Participants (FY2011): 555,329; 
Obligations (FY2011): $7,656 million. 

Program: Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD) 38 U.S.C. §§ 3001-
3036; 
Description: Provides a fixed monthly allowance primarily to veterans 
who enter active duty after June 30, 1985. In fiscal year 2013, the 
benefit was $1,564 per month for full-time study; 
Participants (FY2011): 185,220; 
Obligations (FY2011): $1,386 million. 

Program: Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) 10 U.S.C. §§ 
16131-16137; 
Description: Provides a monthly benefit payment for reservists, 
including the National Guard, who agree to serve for 6 years. In 
fiscal year 2013, the benefit was $356 per month for full-time study; 
Participants (FY2011): 65,216; 
Obligations (FY2011): $201 million. 

Program: Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program 
(DEA) 38 U.S.C. §§ 3500-3566; 
Description: Provides education and training opportunities to eligible 
dependents of certain veterans who became disabled or died during 
active duty service. In fiscal year 2013, beneficiaries could receive 
up to $987 per month based on their enrollment status; 
Participants (FY2011): 90,657; 
Obligations (FY2011): $463 million. 

Program: Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) 10 U.S.C. §§ 
16161-16166; 
Description: Provides benefits to Reservists with at least 90 days 
consecutive active-duty service after September 10, 2001. In fiscal 
2013, the benefit is $1,251 per month for full-time study, with at 
least 2 years of consecutive active-duty service; 
Participants (FY2011): 27,302; 
Obligations (FY2011): $95 million. 

Program: Total; 
Participants (FY2011): 923,724[A]; 
Obligations (FY2011): $9,801 million. 

Source: GAO analysis of VA's congressional budget submission fiscal 
year 2013, Annual Benefits Report Fiscal Year 2011, and other program 
documents. 

Notes: VA provides additional benefits to veterans with service-
connected disabilities. The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment 
(VR&E) Program provides services to veterans with service-connected 
disabilities that can include education benefits and counseling. 38 
U.S.C. §§ 3100-3121. FY = fiscal year. 

[A] Participants would be counted twice in this total if they received 
benefits under more than one program. 

[End of table] 

Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill became effective August 1, 2009, the 
number of veterans receiving VA education benefits has increased by 
almost two-thirds (see figure 1). Participation in VA education 
benefit programs is expected to increase as the number of post-9/11 
veterans grows to over 5 million by 2020.[Footnote 5] 

Figure 1: Beneficiaries of Selected VA Education Benefit Programs, 
Fiscal Years 2007-2013: 

[Refer to PDF for image: stacked vertical bar graph] 

Fiscal year: 2007; 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 522,776; 100%. 

Fiscal year: 2008; 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 540,879 100%. 

Fiscal year: 2009; 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 529,646 94%; 
Post-9/11 GI Bill: 34,393; 100%. 

Fiscal year: 2010; 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 434,443; 54%;
Post-9/11 GI Bill: 36,5640; 48%. 

Fiscal year: 2011; 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 368,395; 40%;
Post-9/11 GI Bill: 555,329; 60%. 

Fiscal year: 2012 (estimated); 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 344,671; 37%;
Post-9/11 GI Bill: 594,490; 63%. 

Fiscal year: 2013 (estimated); 
Other VA education programs (MGIB-AD/SR, REAP, DEA): 321,229; 35%;
Post-9/11 GI Bill: 606,318; 65%. 

Source: GAO analysis of VA's Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Benefits Report 
and fiscal year 2012 2013 Congressional Budget Submission. 

[End of figure] 

Administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill: 

The Post-9/11 GI Bill provided a new way for VA to deliver education 
benefits. Whereas VA's other education benefit programs provide a 
single, standard monthly payment directly to students enrolled in 
school, the Post-9/11 GI Bill requires VA to send multiple payments to 
both students and schools. Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, VA sends 
payments to students for a monthly housing allowance and book stipend, 
[Footnote 6] and pays schools directly for tuition and fees.[Footnote 
7] 

Veterans attending participating private schools or public schools as 
out-of-state students may receive additional benefits to cover costs 
that exceed their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit through VA's Yellow Ribbon 
GI Education Enhancement (Yellow Ribbon) Program.[Footnote 8] Through 
this program, schools enter into voluntary agreements with VA to pay a 
portion of the tuition and fees that exceed an individual's Post-9/11 
GI Bill benefit and VA matches the schools' contribution. 

To receive education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, students 
submit applications to VA, schools certify enrollments, and VA 
processes claims and payments (see figure 2). 

Figure 2: VA's Processing of Post-9/11 GI Bill Program Claims and 
Payments: 

[Refer to PDF for image: process illustration] 

Veteran: Student selects benefit program and submits application to VA. 

VA determines student eligibility and provides student with a 
Certificate of Eligibility, which provides benefit level. 

Student enrolls and provides school the Certificate of Eligibility. 

School certifies student’s enrollment status and sends VA a 
Certificate of Enrollment. 

VA processes or amends claim and makes benefit payments. 

Benefits paid to students: 
* Monthly housing allowance; 
* Books and supplies stipend; 
* Rural Relocation Payment. 

Benefits paid to schools: 
* Tuition and fees; 
* Yellow Ribbon payment. 

Source: GAO analysis of VA documents. 

Notes: Because veterans themselves are liable for any overpayment, VA 
regulations anticipate that schools will transmit overpayments to 
student veterans. 38 C.F.R. § 21.9695 (2012). However, there are some 
circumstances in which VA requires schools to return funds directly to 
VA, for example, if a school receives funds for a student not enrolled 
at the school. VA requires each school to designate a certifying 
official from one of its offices, such as the financial aid office, to 
administer the Post-9/11 GI Bill program. 38 C.F.R. § 21.4266(a)(2) 
(2012). Among other things, these officials may work with other campus 
officials to assist students in making decisions to finance their 
education. 

[End of figure] 

Although veterans only have to submit one application to VA, unless 
they change schools or programs, the school certifying official has to 
submit information to VA each semester or term to verify the veteran's 
enrollment.[Footnote 9] 

Veterans' Eligibility for Other Sources of Student Aid: 

Student veterans may also be eligible for state and institutional aid 
(scholarships from state governments or schools, for example) as well 
as grants and loans administered by Education, which can help cover 
the costs of postsecondary education (see appendix II for additional 
information on the financial aid programs administered by Education). 
[Footnote 10] Education does not count VA education benefits against 
the student when it calculates eligibility for the federal student aid 
it administers.[Footnote 11] Therefore, the benefits a veteran 
receives from the Post-9/11 GI Bill or other VA programs do not affect 
the amount of federal student aid available from Education, and vice 
versa. Student veterans must submit a separate application to apply 
for federal student aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid 
(FAFSA), just as other students do.[Footnote 12] 

Recent Executive Order: 

To ensure that veteran and other military educational benefits 
programs are providing service members, veterans, spouses, and other 
family members with the information, support, and protections they 
deserve, the President signed Executive Order 13607 in April 2012 
"Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions 
Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members." 
[Footnote 13] The executive order directs VA, the Department of 
Defense (DOD), and Education, among other things, to develop these 
principles to ensure that institutions provide meaningful information 
to students, including information on student outcomes.[Footnote 14] 
The order also directs VA, Education, and DOD to develop a 
comprehensive strategy for developing comparable student outcome 
measures, including measures applicable to student veterans. 

VA's Problems Administering the Post-9/11 GI Bill Add to Student 
Veterans' Challenges: 

Student veterans face multiple challenges pursuing their education, 
but veterans and school officials told us that problems with VA's 
administration of its education benefit programs create financial 
challenges that negatively impact veterans' academic success. Some of 
the challenges veterans face transitioning to college are common among 
nontraditional students who are older and may have families, while 
others are specific to veterans, such as adjusting to civilian life or 
managing service-related disabilities (see figure 3). VA's delays in 
processing benefit payments and the lack of timely benefit information 
it provides can exacerbate or create new financial challenges for 
student veterans. 

Figure 3: Notable Challenges Veterans Face Pursuing Their Education: 

[Refer to PDF for image: illustration] 

General challenges: 

Obstacles for nontraditional students: 
* Balancing school with family and work obligations; 
* Navigating college bureaucracy (transferring credits, applying for 
aid, etc.). 

Adjusting to civilian and academic life: 
* Difficulty relating to students with different life experiences; 
* Feelings of isolation; 
* Reluctance to seek support from the school or other organizations. 

Service-related disabilities: 
* Managing physical limitations that make it difficult to get to class 
or sit for long periods; 
* Difficulty concentrating or managing stress due to post-traumatic 
stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

VA benefit challenges: 

Delayed benefit payments: 
* Managing living expenses (e.g. rent, school books) when benefits are 
delayed; 
* Budgeting for breaks or variations in housing payments. 

Lack of benefit information: 
* Missing information on benefit policies and processing times; 
* Long wait times for the VA call center. 

Source: GAO analysis. 

[End of figure] 

Veterans Often Cope with a Range of Challenges While Pursuing 
Postsecondary Education: 

[Side bar] 

Examples of Comments from Participants in GAO Focus Groups: 

“[Veterans] have to worry about their current obligations...[Veterans 
who have families] have work, and you have family life, and then you 
try to push school in instead of having prescribed times where you 
dedicate to it.” – Student veteran. 

“[The schools] are more for traditional students. So, you have a lot 
of professors that treat you as if you are the 18 year old kid that 
just got out of high school… The school is...you know, they’re not set 
up for us.” – Student veteran. 

[End of side bar] 

Student veterans face a range of challenges in pursuing postsecondary 
education, including some that are common to other nontraditional 
students. Like many other nontraditional students who have not gone 
straight from high school to college, veterans are usually responsible 
for managing their own finances and may be financially supporting 
spouses or children, as well as managing other family 
responsibilities. Veterans in some of the focus groups we spoke with 
were also employed while pursuing their education. For example, one 
veteran told us that she is supporting a daughter by balancing a full-
time job and a VA work-study position, and that her grades have 
suffered as a result of these competing demands. Another veteran 
mentioned the difficulty of finding part-time or full-time jobs that 
are flexible enough to accommodate his class schedule. These 
characteristics that student veterans have in common with other 
nontraditional students, in particular supporting children and working 
full-time, can put college students at greater risk of not completing 
their academic programs, according to research by Education.[Footnote 
15] Student veterans returning to the academic environment after time 
away can also face challenges navigating the academic bureaucracy, 
whether in attempting to receive transfer credit for previous college 
courses or military training, or in determining what other sources of 
financial aid may be available to them.[Footnote 16] Student veterans 
in two focus groups told us they were not aware that they were 
eligible to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or 
that they may qualify for federal grants or loans through Education 
(see appendix II for a list of aid programs administered by Education). 

[Side bar] 

Example of Comments from Participants in GAO Focus Groups: 

“[The hard part about transitioning] goes back to just not being 
around the guys that you’ve been with...I want to talk to somebody who 
understands what I’ve been through.” – Student veteran. 

[End of side bar] 

Student veterans can also face difficulty managing the cultural 
transition from the military to an academic environment, which can 
leave veterans isolated from the rest of the college community. 
Student veterans in most of our focus groups talked about these 
feelings of isolation, with one veteran saying he found it difficult 
to be around people who did not understand his life experiences. They 
also said veterans can feel uncomfortable or stigmatized when students 
or professors express negative views about the military or ask about 
combat experiences that they might not want to discuss. While some 
school officials said that the maturity and focus they see from 
student veterans helps those students succeed and become leaders on 
campus, they noted that these characteristics also make some veterans 
feel out of place on campus. Student veterans in some of our focus 
groups said they had difficulty relating to younger students, feeling 
like their classmates lacked focus and did not show appropriate 
respect to others. 

[Side bar] 

Example of Comments from Participants in GAO Focus Groups: 

“If you are having problems physically,that means it may take you 
more semesters to accomplish what a healthy person can do quicker.”
– Student veteran. 

[End of side bar] 

In addition to balancing work and family responsibilities and 
transition issues, many student veterans are also dealing with the 
effects of combat-related physical and psychological injuries, which 
can make it difficult for them to participate in some classroom 
settings without additional effort or special accommodations. We have 
previously found that veterans with disabilities are an emerging 
population in higher education, in part due to the enactment of the 
Post-9/11 GI Bill.[Footnote 17] These students may require academic 
accommodations to account for their disabilities. For example, a 
student veteran who is deaf or hard of hearing may have a note taker 
assigned to provide lecture notes, or a student who has reduced 
ability to concentrate may require a distraction-free room to complete 
a test.[Footnote 18] Some school officials and student veterans in 
some of our focus groups described how physical disabilities, post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) 
added challenges to student veterans' academic pursuits. Other student 
veterans we spoke with had not been diagnosed with a particular 
disability but mentioned various symptoms that are commonly associated 
with PTSD or TBI.[Footnote 19] For example, one student, while he did 
not acknowledge a specific disability, mentioned having a greatly 
reduced ability to concentrate when taking timed tests in class. 
Officials from two different schools described students who suffered 
from PTSD as having a sense of unease in large classrooms or open 
spaces, which limited their ability or interest in participating in 
both academic and non-academic activities. It can also be difficult 
for veterans with disabilities to balance their class schedules with 
numerous medical appointments for service-related injuries. For 
example, a veteran in one of our focus groups reported that he decided 
to stop attending PTSD counseling sessions because they conflicted 
with his class schedule. To mitigate the effects of these various 
physical and psychological challenges, two student veterans told us 
that they chose to take classes online rather than in a traditional 
classroom setting.[Footnote 20] For example, one student veteran with 
a mobility disability told us that online classes allow him to avoid 
the difficulties of commuting to a classroom building. 

Delayed Benefits and a Lack of Timely Information from VA Create 
Financial Challenges: 

Delayed benefit payments and varying monthly payments add to student 
veterans' challenges: 

Student veterans in most focus groups and most school officials told 
us that VA's delayed processing of education benefit payments can 
create or exacerbate financial challenges for student veterans as they 
begin their postsecondary education. In fiscal year 2012, it took an 
average of 31 days for VA to process new applications for the Post-
9/11 GI Bill, 8 days longer than VA's performance target, and 17 days 
to process claims for benefit payments, 5 days longer than VA's 
performance target.[Footnote 21] Processing times during the fall of 
2012 were at times even longer, with average processing times reaching 
up to 45 days for new applications and 22 days for benefit payments. 
Student veterans in some of our focus groups reported having their 
benefits delayed for two months or longer. Student veterans provided 
several examples of challenges that they experience as a result of 
these delays, including threats of eviction or having utilities turned 
off, and student veterans in most of our focus groups reported taking 
on large amounts of personal debt, such as incurring credit card debt 
or bank loans to make up the shortfall. A veteran in one focus group 
told us that he and his family brought another student veteran into 
their home when they found out he was living in his car because his 
benefits were delayed and he did not have money to cover his housing 
expenses. These financial concerns create an additional challenge for 
students that can make it difficult for them to concentrate on their 
school work. Some student veterans and school officials told us that 
the delays are a particular pressure point during the first semester 
of enrollment. Student veterans in some focus groups said these 
payment delays caused them or other student veterans to reconsider 
their decision to pursue higher education and to contemplate dropping 
out of school, and officials at several schools said that payment 
delays have caused some veterans to drop out of their institutions. 

Student veterans can also face challenges budgeting for their housing 
expenses during school breaks due to recent statutory changes that 
eliminated benefit payments during breaks in the academic calendar, 
known as "interval payments" or "break pay." Until passage of the Post-
9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010, 
[Footnote 22] VA had been authorized, under certain conditions, to pay 
eligible student veterans housing allowances under the Post-9/11 GI 
Bill during periods between school terms.[Footnote 23] The 2010 act 
eliminated these payments for any breaks longer than seven days. 
[Footnote 24] As a result, housing allowance payments are now prorated 
in any months during which there are school breaks, such as December 
and January and during spring break at many schools. This change 
ensures that veterans preserve their 36 months of benefits for when 
they are actually taking classes, but it creates significant 
challenges for students who lack other means of paying their monthly 
living expenses. The resulting variability of housing allowance 
payments combined with delayed payments increase the complexity faced 
by student veterans in budgeting for household needs or determining 
needs for additional funding, such as seeking employment or applying 
for federal student aid from Education. Veterans in some of our focus 
groups said it is difficult for them to find outside employment for 
just a month or less, or to increase hours at existing part-time jobs 
to make up for the loss of benefits during school breaks. 

Although schools we visited generally allow veterans to stay enrolled 
in classes despite VA's processing delays, [Footnote 25] the delays 
can also limit student veterans' ability to access alternative federal 
sources of student aid to cover their housing expenses while they 
await their benefits from VA.[Footnote 26] Student veterans in some of 
our focus groups said that their schools do not disburse to veterans 
any other sources of aid they may have been awarded, including federal 
grants and loans provided by Education,[Footnote 27] until payments 
are received from VA to cover the veterans' charges for tuition and 
fees.[Footnote 28] As we have previously reported, the effective 
integration of related federal activities is necessary to achieve 
cross-cutting goals. [Footnote 29] Although VA and Education both 
provide funding to help veterans afford higher education, VA's payment 
delays hinder schools' abilities to timely provide other needed 
federal financial assistance to student veterans. These barriers to 
the timely distribution of other federal grants and loans can 
therefore impede the effective operation of other federal student aid 
programs and stewardship of federal resources. Students' inability to 
access other forms of aid to cover their living expenses reduces their 
financial options and can lead to increased reliance on personal loans 
or credit card debt. An official from a higher education association 
representing schools said they knew of some schools that will 
occasionally pay students other aid they have been awarded in advance 
of VA payments if the school knows that the money will be coming from 
VA for tuition and fees. The official said schools' ability to provide 
students earlier access to other sources of financial aid may be 
limited in part because the schools don't have enough information from 
VA about how much money to expect. 

We have previously issued recommendations to VA to address 
longstanding concerns with Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit processing 
delays, and VA has taken some steps in response (see appendix III for 
the status of our recent recommendations to VA regarding its education 
benefit programs). In 2011, we examined the cause of these delays and 
determined that VA faced many challenges in processing the volume of 
claims it received, including the absence of an adequate information 
system to process claims. [Footnote 30] VA has been developing a new 
system to address payment delays by automating key functions of the 
claims process, and implementing the program in multiple phases. 
However, the full implementation of this system, the Long Term 
Solution (LTS), has faced repeated delays. VA officials told us that 
recent statutory changes to the program required VA to modify the 
system and extend its deployment schedule. For instance, VA had to 
modify its system to reflect statutory changes to the way tuition and 
fees are calculated.[Footnote 31] Because of these and other delays, 
VA officials said they were not able to fully deploy the most recent 
wave of LTS, which introduced automated processing of some claims, 
until September 24, 2012. VA officials told us that this delay, in 
conjunction with increasing claims volume, contributed to longer 
average processing times for original claims (which establish a 
veteran's eligibility) and supplemental claims (which initiate benefit 
payments). 

VA officials said the recent deployment of the LTS is already helping 
address the backlog of unprocessed claims. Although all original 
claims are still processed by hand, VA officials said that LTS now 
automatically processes more than 45 percent of supplemental claims. 
According to VA officials, the average processing times for 
supplemental claims dropped to 6 days in April 2013 due primarily to 
the automation provided by LTS. Officials also said that the 
automation of supplemental claims allowed the agency to shift human 
resources to processing original claims, which decreased original 
claims processing times to 19 days in April 2013. VA has traditionally 
struggled with the volume of claims during peak fall processing 
months, so this coming fall (2013) will show the extent to which 
automation has increased capacity since it will be the first time 
claims processing will be automated for the full fall semester. 

A Lack of Information from VA About Benefit Policies and Process May 
Further Impede Student Veterans' Educational Success: 

VA offers little information about its benefit processing times and 
housing allowance policies, and leaves student veterans unprepared to 
deal with the financial consequence of payment delays and prorated 
housing allowance payments during school breaks. While delayed and 
varying payments present financial challenges for student veterans and 
their households, a lack of advance notice about benefit policies and 
process limits student veterans' ability to prepare for these 
challenges and evaluate and make informed financial decisions. Student 
veterans in some of our focus groups said they did not have advance 
warning about these delays in any correspondence from VA or their 
schools. VA officials confirmed that they do not provide any advance 
information to students about how long to expect for claims to be 
processed. VA officials said that information about payment amounts 
and timeframes varies depending on when and where a student decides to 
enroll and the department does not provide estimates when it initially 
processes eligibility certification paperwork. The lack of estimated 
benefit payment timelines, however, has negative consequences on 
student veterans' ability to budget for their housing expenses. VA 
does provide some information on its break pay policy in the 
certification and award letters that VA sends to student veterans, 
[Footnote 32] as well as some information on the GI Bill website, 
[Footnote 33] but students in one of our focus groups told us they 
were surprised the first time they received a smaller housing 
allowance payment. They did not know why the payment was smaller until 
they either called the VA call center or found out about the break pay 
policy from classmates or school officials. Some students, because of 
the delays in receiving their initial housing allowance checks and 
book stipends, told us they did not know what their regular benefit 
amount should be because they were getting a different amount every 
month. 

Student veterans also faced multiple challenges when they attempted to 
contact VA with questions about their benefits or payment status. 
Student veterans we spoke with reported waiting an hour or more to 
speak with a representative whenever they called VA's toll-free call 
center (1-888-GIBILL-1). When we attempted to call the toll-free 
number between October and December 2012, 19 of 51 calls could not be 
processed due to high call volume, 27 were given an estimated wait 
time of 33 to 50 minutes, and the remaining 5 calls reached a message 
saying that they were connected, but may wait 20 minutes or more to 
speak to an operator. VA officials pointed to an increase in education 
benefit claims as one driver of greater call volume: call volume 
increased 142 percent from October 2011 to October 2012 at the same 
time as the number of claims submitted by veterans and schools 
increased. VA data on its education call center show that, for fiscal 
year 2012, 38 percent of 6.1 million incoming calls to the system were 
blocked (meaning that the system did not have the capacity to process 
them) (see figure 4). Among the calls that entered the system, 22 
percent were abandoned, meaning that the caller hung up before 
reaching a representative. 

Figure 4: GI Bill Call Center Volume (October 2011-December 2012): 

[Refer to PDF for image: stacked line graph] 

2011: 

Date: October; 
Answered: 208,367; 
Abandoned: 145,192; 
Blocked: 84,111. 

Date: November; 
Answered: 210,891; 
Abandoned: 122,311; 
Blocked: 150,933. 

Date: December; 
Answered: 211,295; 
Abandoned: 82,992; 
Blocked: 106,363. 

2012: 

Date: January; 
Answered: 238,567; 
Abandoned: 74,088; 
Blocked: 265,391. 

Date: February; 
Answered: 283,658; 
Abandoned: 72,130; 
Blocked: 254,377. 

Date: March; 
Answered: 296,397; 
Abandoned: 37,290; 
Blocked: 20,150. 

Date: April; 
Answered: 249,432; 
Abandoned: 32,979; 
Blocked: 15,070. 

Date: May; 
Answered: 260,496; 
Abandoned: 43,557; 
Blocked: 52,355. 

Date: June; 
Answered: 205,389; 
Abandoned: 36,848; 
Blocked: 291,140. 

Date: July; 
Answered: 235,987; 
Abandoned: 51,688; 
Blocked: 338,122. 

Date: August; 
Answered: 295,223; 
Abandoned: 64,855; 
Blocked: 354,366. 

Date: September; 
Answered: 269,386; 
Abandoned: 79,968; 
Blocked: 409,139. 

Date: October; 
Answered: 270,781; 
Abandoned: 77,897; 
Blocked: 709,125. 

Date: November; 
Answered: 216,556; 
Abandoned: 36,786; 
Blocked: 279,445 

Date: December; 
Answered: 201,536; 
Abandoned: 28,527; 
Blocked: 176,338. 

Source: GAO analysis of VA data. 

[End of figure] 

We have previously issued recommendations to VA to address problems 
with call center operations, and VA has taken some steps in response. 
In our 2011 report, we assessed call center performance and noted 
concerns including long wait times and questions about the accuracy 
and consistency of information call center agents provided to students 
and schools.[Footnote 34] To address these concerns, we recommended 
that VA establish performance measures for the VA call center. VA 
officials said they have since developed draft performance measures 
for their call center and are in the process of finalizing them. In 
addition, VA officials said they have implemented several new 
initiatives to improve call center operations. For example, callers 
now have the option of having a call center operator call them back 
once they are available rather than waiting on hold. Additionally, 
callers can be routed to an automated system to get the amount of 
their most recent benefit check. 

Despite VA's recent effort to improve call center operations, the call 
center still has difficulty handling the large volume of calls it 
receives from student veterans. As illustrated in figure 4, the recent 
high rates of blocked calls are likely due to the large increase in 
call volume from June 2012 through October 2012, the same time VA was 
processing fall semester benefits. The high call volume may be a 
symptom of the lack of benefit information available to veterans. 
Since VA does not provide information in advance to student veterans 
about payment delays or amounts, veterans must contact the call center 
to get answers to their basic questions. In our focus groups, student 
veterans said they attempted to contact VA's call center for 
information on the status of their benefits processing and to ask 
about missing or late benefit payments. Since veterans may not know 
how long it typically takes VA to process benefits, they may be more 
likely to contact the call center at the beginning of the academic 
term to inquire about their benefits. In commenting on a draft of this 
report, VA reported improvements in call center performance, with 
average caller wait times falling to less than 2 minutes in April 
2013. However, it remains to be seen whether these improvements can be 
maintained when call volumes increase during the peak fall benefit 
processing period. 

VA Provides Limited Support to Veterans on Campus and Schools are 
Generally Building Services for Veterans Without Guidance from VA: 

VA has begun some efforts to improve support services for student 
veterans, though these are currently limited to a small number of 
campuses. Begun in 2008, VetSuccess on Campus is a pilot program that 
places VA counselors on a school campus to provide opportunities for 
direct interaction with student veterans and school staff. The VA 
counselors work in tandem with the school's existing resources for 
veterans to provide counseling to student veterans and connect them to 
existing support services from VA, the school, and community 
organizations.[Footnote 35] Two of the schools that we visited have 
VetSuccess counselors on campus, and school officials at those schools 
noted that the presence of VetSuccess counselors provided an 
opportunity for the universities to increase their outreach efforts to 
student veterans on campus. Currently, VA has established VetSuccess 
counselors at 32 institutions, and the agency plans to dedicate an 
additional 129 full-time equivalent counselors to VetSuccess on Campus 
to expand to more schools in fiscal years 2013 and 2014.[Footnote 36] 
A Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment official said that VA would 
like to eventually serve all schools with 500 or more student veterans 
enrolled. Despite this expansion, VetSuccess counselors will still 
only be available at a small fraction of the over 5,800 institutions 
that enroll student veterans. 

In addition to VetSuccess on Campus, VA has made some other services 
available to student veterans. VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and 
Employment program offers educational-vocational counseling to 
veterans who are eligible for VA education benefits.[Footnote 37] This 
counseling includes psychological testing and a discussion of 
employment and education goals. Additionally, student veterans are 
eligible to apply for financial assistance to pay for academic 
tutoring,[Footnote 38] and student veterans may work at their schools 
in VA work study jobs while receiving GI Bill benefits, as long as the 
students are working in direct support of the school's veteran 
services.[Footnote 39] 

Many of the schools we visited are also taking steps to improve the 
support services they provide to student veterans; though these 
efforts varied in size and scope. According to school officials, and 
as illustrated in figure 5, most of the schools we visited have 
created a range of veteran-specific services including providing 
additional dedicated staff positions or even full offices that provide 
counseling, academic advising, or other assistance to student 
veterans.[Footnote 40] Additionally, officials from several schools we 
visited said they support student veteran organizations on campus, 
offer a dedicated lounge space or networking opportunities for student 
veterans to offer peer-to-peer support, hold events on campus to raise 
the visibility of student veterans, or help student veterans 
assimilate into the larger university community through new student 
orientation for student veterans. Officials at schools that have 
experience providing veteran support said that it is important to 
customize services to meet veterans' needs because veterans may face 
challenges accessing general campus support services, such as spending 
limited time on campus. Feelings of isolation and cultural differences 
can also make veterans reluctant to seek out available support 
services. Many officials at the schools we visited told us that 
student veterans are used to self-reliance, and may not seek out or 
accept assistance from general campus resources for their needs, 
whether academic, health-related, or financial. Veterans in some of 
our focus groups said they prefer to seek out other student veterans 
as a source of strength and support. To address these concerns, school 
officials we met with told us they needed to tailor some support 
services, such as engaging student veteran groups in promoting 
services or creating some peer-to-peer support mechanisms, to make 
them more appealing to veterans. These customized support services 
might entail newly-created services or resources, such as veteran-
specific academic or psychological counseling, or they may tailor 
their outreach to student veterans to show how veterans can benefit 
from existing campus services. Schools that did not offer a service 
specific to veterans often told us that they have general services, 
such as academic or career counseling, that are available to all 
students, including veterans. 

Figure 5: Examples of Support Services Selected Schools Are Providing 
Specifically for Veterans: 

[Refer to PDF for image: illustrated table] 

Office exclusively dedicated to serving military service members 
and/or veterans: 9 of 11. 

Student veterans orientation program: 7 of 11. 

Veteran specific courses (e.g., civilian life skills): 6 of 11. 

Academic counseling: 9 of 11. 

Career counseling: 8 of 11. 

Faculty training in military/veteran sensitivity: 9 of 11. 

On-campus counselors trained to meet veterans’ mental health needs 
(e.g., PTSD, TBI): 5 of 11. 

Referrals to off-campus counseling to meet veterans’ mental health 
needs (e.g., PTSD, TBI): 7 of 11. 

Student veterans organization: 7 of 11. 

Student veteran lounge or gathering place: 5 of 11. 

Special on-campus social or cultural events for veterans: 8 of 11. 

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by 11 selected schools. 

[End of figure] 

Schools are generally building their own on-campus support services 
and resources for veterans without any guidance or assistance from VA. 
VA's strategic plan recognizes that leveraging these types of 
partnerships to reach veterans is critical in order for the agency to 
achieve its programmatic goals and fulfill its mission to serve 
veterans. VA partially depends upon individual schools to provide 
veterans with the support services they need to pursue and achieve 
their educational goals; however, VA has not sought opportunities to 
provide schools with information that could help schools improve on-
campus services for student veterans. As we have previously reported, 
schools are concerned about the challenges of supporting emerging 
student populations, such as veterans with disabilities.[Footnote 41] 
In these cases, the federal government can play an important role in 
disseminating information about best practices that have wide 
applicability across schools. VA officials said they have generally 
relied on higher education associations such as the American Council 
on Education to fill this knowledge gap by providing schools with 
information and resources for building student support services. 
[Footnote 42] However, these organizations may not reach schools 
outside their traditional membership base.[Footnote 43] Another 
potential resource for schools is a new VA proposal, still being 
developed, that VA officials said would provide grants to selected 
large schools, or those with large student veteran enrollments, to 
demonstrate and share results of their student veteran support 
services. VA officials said this proposal, which grew out of a White 
House task force, is still working its way through the agency's 
approval process, and the scope and timeframe for this effort have not 
yet been approved and finalized. If it is implemented, this initiative 
could provide additional information on veteran support services, but 
by focusing solely on schools with large veteran populations, it may 
not address the needs of smaller institutions and those with smaller 
student veteran enrollments, which collectively serve many student 
veterans.[Footnote 44] Smaller schools may not have the resources like 
larger schools to create dedicated staff positions or offices, and 
therefore may require different approaches to strategically respond to 
the increasing number of student veterans on campus and effectively 
meet veterans' needs. However, these institutions could still benefit 
from additional guidance and best practices for leveraging community 
partnerships and connecting veterans with existing resources. Because 
student veterans could benefit from a range of resources and services 
including those offered by their schools, by VA, and by other 
organizations, many schools would be well-served by hearing about 
various promising practices employed by different types of schools. 
Without this type of knowledge sharing, VA is forgoing an opportunity 
to leverage the resources of individual schools to better meet the 
needs of the student veteran population. 

Veterans' Academic Success is Unclear, and VA Lacks a Plan For Using 
New Data Collection Efforts to Improve Its Education Programs: 

Little is Known about Veterans' Postsecondary Outcomes: 

Although VA has been providing education benefits since 1944, there is 
not currently a robust source of national data on student veterans' 
postsecondary outcomes. Existing studies from VA and Education on 
student veteran outcomes are generally limited to prior generations of 
veterans and do not capture the increase in beneficiaries under the 
Post-9/11 GI Bill.[Footnote 45] In addition, it is challenging to 
evaluate postsecondary outcomes for any type of student since there is 
no single measure that fully captures educational achievement or 
success. Researchers have traditionally used measures such as 
graduation rates and employment outcomes to assess educational 
outcomes. However, the traditional graduation rate used by Education 
focuses only on first-time, full-time students and therefore excludes 
veterans that may have taken college courses prior to or while they 
were in the military.[Footnote 46] Other measures of student outcomes 
used by schools and researchers, such as completion rates, are 
applicable to all types of students and can shed some light on student 
veteran outcomes; however, available information is incomplete. 
[Footnote 47] 

VA's existing study of student veterans suggests that degree 
completion rates may vary among VA's various educational benefit 
programs, but although this study will be expanded to include the Post-
9/11 GI Bill, data is not yet available on VA's largest benefit 
program. VA has contracted with the National Student Clearinghouse, a 
nonprofit central repository for student enrollment and degree data, 
to conduct annual studies since 2010 comparing degree completion rates 
for veterans receiving VA education benefits with other students. 
[Footnote 48] The most recent 2011 report indicates, that for the 
sample of veterans identified in the National Student Clearinghouse 
database, Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty beneficiaries have lower 
completion rates than comparable students, while Montgomery GI Bill-
Selected Reserve beneficiaries have higher completion rates.[Footnote 
49] These differences in completion rates among VA's education benefit 
programs may be attributable to the fact that each program targets 
different types of veterans. For instance, completion rates for the 
Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve program may be different than the 
Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty program due to demographic differences 
between service members on active duty or in the reserves. The 
existence of these variations makes it difficult to estimate probable 
completion rates for beneficiaries of other programs like the Post-
9/11 GI Bill that were not captured in the study. In addition, VA 
officials said they have not published these studies because they are 
concerned that the results from this sample of veterans are not 
generalizable to the entire veterans' population. This is because some 
schools do not voluntarily submit student data to the National Student 
Clearinghouse database. Although the institutions that participate in 
the National Student Clearinghouse represent over 90 percent of the 
national enrollment, many for-profit schools do not participate. 

The most recent data from Education indicate that more than a third of 
veterans who initially enrolled in the 2003-2004 academic year had 
completed a degree within 6 years, but this survey included a 
relatively small number of veterans and pre-dates the passage of the 
Post-9/11 GI Bill. Although it was not designed to specifically track 
student veterans, the survey--Education's Beginning Postsecondary 
Students Longitudinal Study--included some veterans in the sample of 
first-time students it tracked from academic year 2003-2004 through 
2009.[Footnote 50] In addition to the estimated 41 percent (the 95 
percent confidence interval is from 26-55 percent) of the student 
veteran population who attained a degree or certificate, an estimated 
20 percent (confidence interval is from 10-30 percent) were still 
enrolled 6 years after they started postsecondary education, while the 
remaining 40 percent (confidence interval is from 28-51 percent) had 
left school without attaining a degree.[Footnote 51] When compared to 
similar nonveteran students, veterans were statistically less likely 
to have left school without a degree, although the percentage of 
veterans that attained a degree or were still enrolled in school was 
not significantly different from nonveterans.[Footnote 52] Education 
also includes student veterans in other surveys it conducts, such as 
the annual Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System surveys, but 
these studies do not collect separate student veteran outcome data. 
[Footnote 53] 

VA Is Coordinating with Other Federal Agencies to Develop Student 
Outcome Measures and Implementing Multiple Efforts to Collect New Data 
on Student Veterans: 

VA has initiated several recent efforts to collect new outcome 
information on student veterans, which will eventually shed light on 
the extent to which veterans are achieving successful postsecondary 
outcomes. A key part of these efforts is VA's ongoing coordination 
with Education and DOD to develop outcome measures for service members 
and veterans, including those participating in the Post-9/11 GI Bill. 
This coordination was initiated as a result of the April 2012 
Executive Order mentioned earlier, "Establishing Principles of 
Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, 
Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members." The Executive Order 
required VA, Education, and DOD to develop common student outcome 
measures that would permit comparisons across various service member, 
veteran, and other federal education programs, as well as allow 
comparisons across individual institutions and types of institution. 
Officials from VA and Education said they have convened a working 
group to develop these common measures and expect to release their 
proposal this summer. 

VA is using multiple approaches to collect student outcome data over 
both the short-and long-term. Since there is no single best way to 
measure student outcomes, VA's multifaceted approach should provide 
the agency with a more complete picture of the student veteran 
population. For example, VA recently started an initiative to begin 
documenting the number of beneficiaries who complete an academic 
program. Beginning in 2011, VA officials said they requested that 
schools begin voluntarily reporting back to VA whenever a current 
beneficiary completes a degree or certificate program.[Footnote 54] VA 
officials said they will use these data to track completions for 
cohorts of veterans based on when they left the military. [Footnote 
55] They expect initial data to be available by 2015, after veterans 
that started using their benefits in academic year 2011-2012 have 
begun exhausting their 36 months of benefits.[Footnote 56] Although 
this new voluntary reporting mechanism will not capture all student 
veterans, including those who complete degrees after exhausting their 
benefits, the initiative will provide VA with real-time data on degree 
completions for veterans that are currently receiving education 
benefits.[Footnote 57] 

VA is also developing a long-term study that will track student 
veteran outcomes over the next 20 years. Although VA has already begun 
one component of the study--tracking beneficiaries receiving 
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment services--officials expect 
the survey of Post-9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries to start in 2013. 
[Footnote 58] The Post-9/11 GI Bill study will follow three cohorts of 
veterans who started receiving benefits in fiscal years 2010, 2012, 
and 2014 and survey them annually about their educational progress, 
employment status, and use of other federal benefit programs. The 
survey will also ask respondents to assess the effect that their Post-
9/11 GI Bill benefits had on their ability to gain employment. VA 
officials said these studies will allow them to examine a broad range 
of outcome measures such as graduation rates, income growth, and home 
ownership. Since the first cohort of veterans began receiving benefits 
in 2010, it will be a year until initial outcome data is available on 
survey participants. Beneficiaries have 36 months of benefits if they 
are eligible for the full benefit (equivalent to four academic years), 
so VA officials said initial data will not be available on their 
educational outcomes until 2014. VA plans to use the first few years 
of the study to develop a solid base of demographic data that they can 
build on with outcome data over the 20-year study period. Although VA 
officials cautioned that the study findings may not be generalizable 
beyond the three cohorts of beneficiaries surveyed, this study could 
allow VA to analyze the long-term impact of education benefits on 
veterans' economic well-being. 

VA Does Not Have a Plan for Using New Student Veteran Outcomes Data to 
Improve Its Education Programs: 

VA has not developed a plan for using emerging data on student veteran 
outcomes to improve its education benefit programs. VA's new efforts 
to collect additional data on student veteran outcomes present an 
opportunity for VA to better understand the extent to which it is 
meeting its broad goals for the education programs: producing a better-
educated and more productive workforce.[Footnote 59] VA officials said 
the new data they are collecting on student veteran outcomes could 
eventually help veterans make informed educational decisions; however, 
VA officials said they have not yet determined exactly how they will 
use the new data they are collecting or decided if they will publicly 
release the data in a format that is useful for student veterans or 
policy makers. VA is already making a significant investment of time 
and resources to collect these new data on student veterans, with the 
longitudinal study scheduled to last for 20 years at an initial cost 
of $1.7 million over the first 3 years for the Post-9/11 GI Bill 
component of the study. However, without plans on how to use the new 
data, VA will forgo an opportunity to ensure it is collecting the most 
appropriate data, improve management of education benefit programs, 
help veterans make informed academic choices, and facilitate student 
veterans' academic success.[Footnote 60] Used effectively, these data 
could also provide VA with a tool for assessing the impact of its 
education benefit programs and the extent to which these programs help 
VA achieve its mission of caring for veterans as they transition to 
civilian life, pursue their academic goals, and join a well-educated 
and competitive workforce. 

VA's current strategic planning and performance measures focus on 
benefit processing and other administrative processes, such as claims 
processing time and accuracy, but not on student veteran outcomes. VA 
officials said they focus on process measures because their primary 
role is to provide veterans with education benefits, not to be 
responsible for veterans' individual academic performance and goals, 
which may not include degree attainment. In 2012, VA began to move 
beyond a focus on process measures by administering a satisfaction 
survey on education benefits to veterans.[Footnote 61] Nonetheless, 
without a plan for using emerging outcome data, VA has limited ability 
to assess outcomes achieved by student veterans, determine the extent 
to which the federal investment has helped student veterans achieve 
academic success, and target management attention and resources to 
mitigate challenges student veterans face in achieving their 
educational goals. 

To facilitate the use of outcome information, the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) has provided guidance to help agencies implement 
performance management systems that articulate clear statements of 
what the agency wants to achieve to advance its mission and address 
relevant national problems, needs, challenges, and opportunities. 
[Footnote 62] The importance of developing and monitoring programmatic 
outcomes has also been acknowledged in government-wide legislation. 
For example, the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 introduced planning 
and reporting requirements that seek to shift the focus of federal 
management and decision making from a focus with the number of program 
tasks or activities completed or services provided to a more direct 
consideration of the results of programs.[Footnote 63] The act was an 
effort to improve federal program effectiveness, accountability, and 
service delivery. In addition, managing outcomes is essential to the 
proper stewardship of federal funds. As we have previously reported, 
it is critical for federal agencies to demonstrate the impact of their 
work and ensure the efficient use of their resources.[Footnote 64] 

In contrast to VA's process-oriented performance measures, Education 
uses several student outcome-based performance measures to help 
strategically manage its federal student aid and other postsecondary 
education programs. Education's strategic plan for 2011-2014 sets 
national student outcome goals for increasing postsecondary 
attainment, such as increasing the number and percentage of students 
who complete a bachelor's degree within 6 years and the number and 
percentage of students who complete an associate's degree or 
certificate within 3 years. According to Education officials, knowing 
the extent to which students are achieving stated outcome goals helps 
the department manage its programs at the macro level and provides a 
high level view of how its various programs are performing in 
combination with each other. For example, information on student 
outcomes helps Education broadly assess its full array of programs. 

Conclusions: 

Student veterans continue to face long delays and other administrative 
challenges almost 4 years into the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI 
Bill. These veterans have honorably served their country, and they 
should be able to expect that the federal government will efficiently 
provide them with the benefits they earned. However, payment delays 
have created an undue financial challenge for student veterans and 
hindered their ability to pursue their academic goals. VA has recently 
reported reductions in processing delays, but it is important to 
monitor VA's efforts to ensure such progress is sustained. 

The negative consequences of VA's payment delays are compounded by the 
lack of benefit information available to student veterans about 
payment timelines and policies. If veterans must continue to navigate 
their transition into higher education without sufficient information 
about VA benefits or other available federal financial aid, they may 
not be able to effectively budget for payment delays and variations in 
their housing allowance during school breaks. VA's payment delays also 
limit the financial options available to student veterans by making it 
difficult for some veterans to access other federal sources of 
financial aid in a timely manner. Without timely access to other 
federal sources of grants and loans, veterans may continue to take on 
unnecessary credit card and personal loan debt to cover their living 
expenses while they await their benefit payments from VA. Such 
financial stress may make it more difficult for student veterans to 
achieve their educational goals. 

Although VA has placed counselors on some campuses and is developing 
plans to support veteran services at a few, mostly large institutions, 
the vast majority of schools that enroll veterans do not receive 
guidance or assistance from VA about developing support services. Some 
of these schools are beginning to build their own on-campus support 
services for veterans, but schools are concerned about the challenges 
of supporting this emerging student population. Some higher education 
associations are already developing guidance to help schools build 
support services for veterans, but these efforts could benefit from 
VA's direct lines of communication to every school that enrolls 
veterans. If VA continues to provide only limited support for schools 
that are attempting to build or enhance their own support 
infrastructure, it will forgo an opportunity to leverage the resources 
of individual schools to better meet the needs of the student veteran 
population. 

It is critical for VA to not only collect outcome data but also plan 
how it will use such data to improve management of its education 
benefit programs. Without a plan for effectively using new outcome 
data, it will be difficult for VA to identify challenges that impact 
student veterans' academic pursuits, ensure schools' accountability, 
help veterans make informed decisions about their academic programs 
and institutions, and inform policy makers about the value veterans 
are receiving for the government's substantial investment. 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 

To improve VA's administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other 
education benefit programs and help veterans achieve their education 
goals, we recommend that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs take the 
following actions: 

* Develop materials or processes to inform student veterans about 
education benefits before they enroll in school, including expected 
payment timelines, housing allowance policies, and other financial 
resources such as the availability of grants and loans provided by 
Education. For example, VA could provide veterans with current 
information on expected processing times when they submit their 
original applications for VA education benefits, and more clearly 
highlight in online and printed resources VA's housing allowance 
policies and the availability of federal grants and loans to help 
veterans financially prepare for school breaks. 

* Work with postsecondary schools to identify the types of information 
that would help facilitate more timely access to other sources of 
federal financial aid during the VA benefit processing period. 

* Leverage the experience and best practices of those schools and 
organizations that are currently providing support services to student 
veterans, for example, by hosting an online forum or raising awareness 
of existing resources from higher education associations and veteran 
service organizations. 

* Develop a plan for using new sources of data on student veteran 
outcomes as they become available to improve program management and 
help student veterans achieve their academic goals. 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: 

We provided a draft of this report to the Departments of Veterans 
Affairs and Education for review and comment. VA generally agreed with 
our conclusions, concurred with our recommendations, and stated that 
it has taken action or developed plans to address certain issues we 
identified in the report. VA's comments also included targeted dates 
for when it expects to complete the specified actions to address each 
of our recommendations, ranging from as early as May 31, 2013 to no 
later than September 30, 2013. In concurring with our recommendation 
to work with schools to facilitate earlier access to other sources of 
federal financial aid, VA noted that it has taken actions to better 
inform veterans about college costs and available financial aid 
options. Although these efforts will likely help students make better 
informed decisions, VA should still take steps to work with schools to 
identify the types of information that would help schools facilitate 
more timely access of other federal grants and loans to veterans while 
they are awaiting their benefits from VA. In regards to our findings, 
VA expressed concerns with a statement in our report about the 
information it provides to veterans about benefit policies and 
processes. We have revised this sentence to clarify that we are 
referring specifically to information on benefit processing times and 
housing allowance policies during school breaks. In response to our 
findings about benefit payment delays and long education call center 
wait times during the fall 2012 enrollment period, VA acknowledged 
these issues but stated that our report should have more fully 
highlighted its recent progress in each of these areas. We included 
the information about fall 2012 benefit payment delays and call center 
wait times in our report because one of our research objectives was to 
examine the challenges students face pursing their education, and 
payment delays and call center wait times were a major challenge 
student veterans cited during the focus groups we conducted from July 
2012 to January 2013. VA's comments also included new information on 
claims processing timeliness and education call center wait times from 
April 2013 (updating the February 2013 data we had previously included 
in the report) as well as new information about its programs and 
initiatives. We have incorporated the updated information on claims 
processing timeliness and call center wait times into our report, and 
encourage VA to build on its current initiatives to improve its 
program management and address the key challenges veterans face 
pursuing higher education. 

VA's comments have been reprinted in appendix IV. 

Education did not provide any comments on our report. 

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional 
committees; the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; the Secretary of 
Education; and other interested parties. In addition, the report is 
available at no charge on the GAO website at [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov]. 

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please 
contact me at (617) 788-0534 or emreyarrasm@gao.gov. Contact points 
for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be 
found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made key 
contributions to this report are listed in appendix V. 

Signed by: 

Melissa Emrey-Arras: 
Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security: 

[End of section] 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

The objectives of our report were to examine: (1) What challenges, if 
any, do veterans face in pursuing higher education; (2) How does VA 
support student veterans on campus? and (3) To what extent are 
veterans achieving successful academic outcomes and how does VA use 
data on student outcomes to improve its education benefit programs? 
While our scope included all of VA's active education benefit 
programs, we focused on the Post-9/11 GI Bill program because it is 
the largest of these programs. We limited our scope to institutions of 
higher learning, defined as institutions offering postsecondary 
academic instruction leading to an associate's or higher degree. We 
did not include other types of training programs approved under the 
Post-9/11 GI Bill, such as on-the-job training and flight training. 

Student Veteran Challenges and Services: 

For our first two objectives, we selected 11 institutions at which 
students were receiving VA education benefits for interviews with 
school officials and focus groups with student veterans. We selected 
this non-generalizable sample of schools to capture diverse 
perspectives on the various challenges student veterans may face by 
including a mix of program lengths and sectors (public, private not-
for-profit, and private for-profit), traditional classroom-based and 
online schools; institutions with student veteran populations ranging 
from less than 200 to nearly 40,000; schools with and without VA 
counselors on campus; and schools in different parts of the county. We 
also included some schools that were recommended by higher education 
associations and veteran service organizations because they provide 
strong veteran support services (see table 2 for the list of 
institutions included in the study). 

Table 2: Institutions Included in Study for Interviews with Officials 
and Student Focus Groups: 

School Name: American Military University; 
Location: Charles Town, WV[A]; 
Institutional Sector: private, for-profit; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: George Mason University; 
Location: Fairfax, VA; 
Institutional Sector: public; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: George Washington University; 
Location: Washington, DC; 
Institutional Sector: private, not-for-profit; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: Northern Virginia Community College; 
Location: Annandale, VA; 
Institutional Sector: public; 
Program Length: 2-year. 

School Name: Our Lady of the Lake University; 
Location: San Antonio, TX; 
Institutional Sector: private, not-for-profit; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: Palo Alto College; 
Location: San Antonio, TX; 
Institutional Sector: public; 
Program Length: 2-year. 

School Name: Saint Leo University; 
Location: Saint Leo, FL[B]; 
Institutional Sector: private, not-for-profit; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: Southwest Florida College; 
Location: Fort Myers, FL; 
Institutional Sector: private, for-profit; 
Program Length: Primarily 2-year. 

School Name: University of Phoenix; 
Location: Phoenix, AZ[C]; 
Institutional Sector: private, for-profit; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: University of South Florida; 
Location: Tampa, FL; 
Institutional Sector: public; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

School Name: The University of Texas at San Antonio; 
Location: San Antonio, TX; 
Institutional Sector: public; 
Program Length: 4-year. 

Source: GAO analysis of institutional data. 

[A] Although headquartered in West Virginia, American Military 
University offers its courses exclusively online. 

[B] Saint Leo University is headquartered in Florida, but also 
operates education centers at several military installations in 
various states. 

[C] We interviewed school officials from the University of Phoenix 
headquarters in Phoenix, but veterans attend classes in multiple 
physical locations, or online. 

[End of table] 

We conducted eleven focus group sessions with a total of 64 student 
veterans at the schools in our sample to learn about the various 
challenges veterans face pursuing their education. These sessions 
involved structured small-group discussions with between 3 and 10 
participants. We worked with officials at each of the institutions to 
recruit a diverse group of student veterans for the focus groups. We 
asked these school officials to send an email to all of the student 
veterans on campus inviting them to participate. We allowed each 
student veteran who showed up for the focus groups to participate. The 
participants were all receiving benefits through various VA education 
benefit programs, including the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, 
and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programs. We conducted 
each focus group in person, except those with students from American 
Military University and University of Phoenix, which we conducted 
online using video conferencing. 

Focus groups are not designed to provide generalizable or 
statistically reliable results; they are instead intended to generate 
in-depth information about the reasons for the focus group 
participants' attitudes on specific topics and to offer insight into 
their concerns. 

Each focus group covered several major topics, including challenges 
experienced by student veterans, services provided by schools or VA to 
address those challenges, and suggestions for how services could be 
improved. We followed a protocol for each discussion to ensure 
consistent coverage of key topics among all 11 focus groups. We pilot 
tested the protocol to ensure it covered relevant topics and asked 
clear questions. A GAO moderator led each discussion to keep 
participants focused on the specified issues within discussion time 
frames. With participants' consent, we recorded each discussion and 
documented the perspectives raised by student veterans in each focus 
group.[Footnote 65] We summarized the information collected and 
identified common themes. Because our questions were open-ended and 
designed to allow participants to discuss any challenges they may have 
experienced, we cannot determine whether the absence of a particular 
concern or challenge by a group of student veterans is an indication 
that they did not experience the concern or that they did not raise it 
when asked broadly about the topic. We use the following terms to 
characterize how frequently an idea was raised by participants in our 
11 focus groups. 

* All represents all 11 groups; 

* Most represents 6 to 10 groups; 

* Some represents 3 to 5 groups; 

* One or two represents that number of groups. 

To inform our early work and to supplement the testimonial evidence 
from our interviews and site visits, we reviewed relevant literature 
to determine what student veteran challenges have been explored by 
researchers and practitioners in recent years. We identified 52 peer-
reviewed articles published since 2002 and reviewed them to identify 
challenges addressed, in four categories: nontraditional student 
challenges, health and disability challenges, social and cultural 
challenges, and administrative challenges. 

We reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations as well as various 
policies, procedures, and other program documents related to VA's 
administration of its education benefit programs. We reviewed VA's 
performance metrics for claims processing and for VA's education call 
center. We assessed the reliability of this data by reviewing 
information about the data and the systems that produced them and by 
interviewing knowledgeable agency officials. We determined the data 
were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report. We also 
interviewed key officials from VA as well as officials from relevant 
higher education associations including the American Council on 
Education and the American Association of Community Colleges, 
postsecondary institutions including University of Maryland-University 
College and Purdue University, and veteran service organizations 
including Student Veterans of America and Iraq and Afghanistan 
Veterans of America. We contacted associations of higher education and 
veteran service organizations known for their involvement with student 
veteran issues. 

Student Veteran Outcomes: 

To address our third objective, we reviewed existing data collected by 
VA, Education, and other federal sources. These included VA's 
contracted study with the nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse, 
Education's Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, and 
the Current Population Survey sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census 
Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We interviewed 
officials from VA and Education about the potential uses and 
limitations of using these surveys for analyzing student veterans' 
outcomes. We assessed the reliability of this data by reviewing 
existing information about the data and the studies that produced them 
and interviewing knowledgeable agency officials. We determined that 
the data were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report. 

We reviewed documents from VA about their plans for collecting 
additional data on student veterans. These included methodological 
documents and information collection proposals submitted to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB). We also interviewed officials from VA 
and Education about their data collection and their efforts to 
implement relevant sections of Executive Order 13607, "Establishing 
Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service 
Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members." We also 
interviewed officials from each of the 11 schools in our sample about 
their efforts to collect outcome data on student veterans. 

In addition, we analyzed VA's strategic plan, performance and 
accountability report, and budgetary documents to identify relevant 
performance measures for the education benefit programs. We reviewed 
existing guidance on federal performance measures, including the 
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), GPRA 
Modernization Act of 2010, OMB Circular No. A-11, and prior GAO 
reports. We also interviewed officials from VA and Education about the 
selection of performance measures for their education benefit programs 
and related program management efforts. 

We conducted this performance audit from April 2012 to May 2013 in 
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 
that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

[End of section] 

Appendix II: Title IV Programs Administered By Education: 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Pell Grants; 
Program Details: Grant amounts are based on the student's enrollment 
status and the difference between the expected family contribution and 
cost of attendance, up to the maximum Pell Grant allowed under the 
Higher Education Act; 
Annual Amounts: For the 2013-2014 school years, undergraduates can 
receive from $555 to $5,550. 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Federal Supplemental Educational 
Opportunity Grants; 
Program Details: Schools administer grants to undergraduate students 
with exceptional financial need, with a priority given to students who 
receive Pell Grants. Schools are generally required to provide at 
least 25 percent of the grant funds; 
Annual Amounts: Undergraduates can receive up to $4,000 per year (up 
to $4,400 for students participating in an approved study-abroad 
program). The minimum award amount is $100. 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Federal Work-Study; 
Program Details: Schools administer federal funds and make part-time 
employment available to undergraduate, graduate and professional 
students with federally defined financial need. Participating schools 
or nonprofit employers generally contribute at least 25 percent of the 
student's earnings (50 percent in the case of for-profit employers); 
Annual Amounts: No specific limits. Net earnings may not exceed the 
student's financial need. 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Federal Perkins Loans; 
Program Details: Loans are made to undergraduate, graduate and 
professional students with priority given to those with exceptional 
financial need. Schools administer funds for the low-interest (5 
percent) loans, comprised of federal capital contributions and school 
matching funds (at least one-third of federal contributions); 
Repayment is made to the school; 
Annual Amounts: Undergraduates can borrow up to $5,500 annually, up to 
a total of $11,000 for undergraduates who have not completed two 
academic years and $27,500 for undergraduates who have completed two 
academic years; Graduate or professional students can borrow up to 
$8,000 annually, up to a total of $60,000, including loans borrowed as 
an undergraduate. 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Federal Direct Stafford Loans; 
Program Details: Loans are made to undergraduates[A] on the basis of 
financial need. The federal government pays the interest on loans 
while the student is in school at least half-time,b and during 
subsequent periods if needed; 
Annual Amounts: Eligible students can borrow between $3,500--the 
maximum available in their first year--and $5,500 annually, up to a 
total of $23,000. 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford 
Loans; 
Program Details: Loans are made to undergraduate, graduate and 
professional students not qualified for Federal Direct Stafford Loans, 
but students are responsible for interest throughout the life of the 
loan. There is a 6-month grace period when students are not required 
to begin repaying the principal on their loans once they are no longer 
in school at least half-time. Annual and aggregate borrowing limits 
are reduced for each student by the amount of any Federal Direct 
Stafford Loans they may have; 
Annual Amounts: Undergraduate students and graduate or professional 
students can borrow between $5,500 and $20,500 annually, depending on 
their year of schooling and dependent status (including any Federal 
Direct Stafford Loans received for the same period); Aggregate limits 
are $31,000 for undergraduate dependent students, $57,500 for 
undergraduate independent students, and $138,500 for graduate or 
professional school students; Students completing coursework in 
certain health professions can borrow an additional amount between 
$12,500 and $26,667 annually, up to an aggregate amount of $224,000.[C] 

Title IV Student Aid Program: Direct Federals (PLUS) Loans; 
Program Details: Loans are made to parents of dependent undergraduates 
and to graduate and professional students with repayment beginning 6-
months after students are no longer in school at least half-time. 
Borrowers are subject to a credit check for adverse credit history and 
may be denied a loan. Borrowers are responsible for paying all 
interest on the loan; 
Annual Amounts: There are no fixed annual or aggregate loan limits for 
PLUS loans. Parents, graduate students, and professional students can 
borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any financial aid the 
student receives. 

Source: GAO analysis of applicable federal laws, regulations, and 
Education guidance. 

[A] The Budget Control Act of 2011 terminated loans to graduate and 
professional school students under this program. Pub. L. No. 112-25, § 
502, 125 Stat. 240, 266. 

[B] The Budget Control Act of 2011 severely restricted authority 
previously used to permit loans under the program not to accrue 
interest during the 6-month grace period when students are not 
required to begin repaying the principle on their loans once they are 
no longer in school at least half-time. § 503, 125 Stat. 267-68. 

[C] This aggregate is reached through additional loans in the amount 
of up to $80,000. 42 U.S.C. § 292b(a). 

[End of table] 

[End of section] 

Appendix III: Status of Prior GAO Recommendations on VA's Education 
Benefit Programs: 

Veterans' Education Benefits: Enhanced Guidance and Collaboration 
Could Improve Administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Program. GAO-11-
356R, Washington, D.C. May 5, 2011: 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 
To improve VA's administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill program and 
address ongoing challenges, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should: 

* Take steps to provide for schools to receive more critical program 
information such as a student's eligibility for benefits or how 
payments have been calculated, for example, to enable certifying 
officials, financial aid officials, and business office administrators 
to effectively administer the program and deliver benefits; 
Status: Closed - Implemented; 
VA distributed an official handbook for school certifying officials 
that provides guidance on standard benefit program reporting processes. 

* Collaborate with the Department of Education and the higher 
education community, leveraging their experiences in administering 
aid. These collaborations should include assessing the applicability 
and viability of adopting processes and actions taken by the 
Department of Education, where practical, such as returning 
overpayments of program funds or reconciling benefit payments; 
Status: Closed - Implemented; 
VA met with Education officials to discuss the processes used by each 
agency to deliver and recoup funds issued for educational assistance. 
VA determined that statutory and technical differences prevent VA from 
adopting any of Education's processes. 

GAO, VA Education Benefits: Actions Taken, but Outreach and Oversight 
Could Be Improved, GAO-11-256, (Washington, D.C.: Feb 28, 2011): 

Recommendations for Executive Action: To improve VA's outreach and 
support for eligible service members and veterans, communication with 
school officials, and oversight of its education benefit programs, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs should: 

* Increase efforts to make school certifying officials aware of 
available training opportunities, including VA's online training 
module, and consider providing information for school certifying 
officials on working with servicemembers and veterans with 
disabilities; 
Status: Closed - Implemented; 
VA has updated its website to provide additional resources for school 
officials, including information on training and conferences. 

* Provide more timely, accessible, and comprehensive education program 
policy information. This could include developing and maintaining an 
online policy manual for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and providing e-mail 
updates to school certifying officials nationwide; 
Status: Closed - Implemented; 
VA distributed an official handbook for school certifying officials 
that provides guidance on standard benefit program reporting processes. 

* Establish performance measures for the quality of information 
provided by VA's toll-free hotline and for the timeliness and quality 
of its Right Now Web service; 
Status: Open; 
VA is in the process of finalizing performance standards for its call 
center and web service. 

* Develop outcome-oriented performance measures for outreach to 
service members and veterans who are seeking VA education benefits. 
This could include measures of VA's success in reaching out to target 
populations, including service members and veterans with disabilities, 
and in addressing areas where more information about education 
benefits may be needed; 
Status: Open; 
VA is deploying an early communication tool to inform service members 
about their eligibility for education benefits and will develop 
performance measures to determine its effectiveness. 

* Undertake a systematic review of VA's and State Approving Agencies' 
(SAA) oversight of schools, focusing on opportunities to improve 
resource allocation, adopt risk-based approaches, consider cost-
effective ways to oversee foreign schools, and evaluate the results of 
its oversight activities on a routine basis; 
Status: Closed - Implemented; 
VA submitted recommended legislative changes to the SAAs' activities 
that Congress enacted as part of Public Law 111-377. These changes, 
allow VA to rely on accreditations already in place by the Department 
of Education, freeing up SAA staff to assist VA staff with outreach, 
training, and oversight of schools. 

Source: GAO. 

Note: The status of GAO recommendations are classified as: 

Open: Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not 
been taken or are being planned, or actions that partially satisfy the 
intent of the recommendation have been taken. 

Closed-implemented: Actions that satisfy the intent of the 
recommendation have been taken. 

[End of table] 

[End of section] 

Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs: 

Department of Veterans Affairs: 
Washington, DC 20420: 

May 9, 2013: 

Ms. Melissa Emrey-Arras: 
Director: 
Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
441 G Street, NW: 
Washington, DC 20548: 

Dear Ms. Emrey-Arras: 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reviewed the Government 
Accountability Office's (GAO) draft report, "VA Education Benefits: VA 
Needs to Improve Program Management and Provide More Timely 
Information to Students" (GA0-13-338) and generally agrees with GAO's 
conclusions and concurs with GAO's four recommendations to the 
Department. 

The enclosure specifically addresses GAO's recommendations and 
provides general comments and an action plan for each recommendation. 
VA appreciates the opportunity to comment on your draft report. 

Sincerely, 

Signed by: 

Jose D. Riojas: 
Interim Chief of Staff: 

Enclosure: 

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Comments to Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) Draft Report "VA Education Benefits: VA 
Needs to Improve Program Management and Provide More Timely 
Information to Students" (GA0-13-338): 

General Comments: 

The GAO draft report provides recommendations that coincide with the 
day-to-day operations of the Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA) 
Education Service and are already being carried out. For example, the 
report recommends VA work to identify information that would assist 
Veterans in obtaining financial aid from multiple sources and that VA 
assist schools in providing support services to Veterans by 
disseminating best practices. VA's current mission includes activities 
that meet these recommendations. 

Page 9 of the draft report mentions two instances where Veterans were 
not aware that they were eligible to fill out the Free Application for 
Federal Student Aid. VA recently added a statement to the certificates 
of eligibility informing students about other Federal funding that may 
be available. However, the school's financial aid offices are 
primarily responsible for providing information to students about 
opportunities for other educational funding. 

The report spends considerable time focusing on delayed payments to 
Veterans and difficulty reaching someone at the Education Call Center 
but little time acknowledging the progress VA has made in both of 
these areas. VA acknowledged its difficulty handling the overwhelming 
fall 2012 enrollment season prior to implementing automation in the 
Long-Term Solution. The average processing time for original and 
supplemental education claims is now 19 days and 6 days respectively, 
and the average wait time at the Education Call Center is less than 2 
minutes. VA is on track to meet the fiscal year 2013 goals for 
processing timeliness. 

The statement on page 15 of the report that "VA offers little 
information about its benefit policies and processes" is not accurate. 
VA's GI Bill Web site [hyperlink, http://www.gibill.va.gov] has 
comprehensive information and Frequently Asked Questions about all VA 
education benefit programs. 

Finally, the vast majority of the work being put forth in GAO's four 
recommendations in this report is already completed or significantly 
underway. 

GAO Recommendation: To improve VA's administration of the Post-9/11 GI 
Bill and other education benefit programs and help veterans achieve 
their education goals, we recommend that the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs take the following actions: 

Recommendation 1: Develop materials or processes to educate student 
veterans about education benefits before they enroll in school 
including expected payment timelines, housing allowance policies, and 
other financial resources such as the availability of grants and loans 
provided by Education. For example, VA could provide veterans with 
current information on expected processing times when they submit 
their original applications for VA education benefits, and more 
clearly highlight in online and printed resources VA's housing 
allowance policies and the availability of federal grants and loans to 
help veterans financially prepare for school breaks. 

VA Response: Concur. The Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA) 
Education Service, in conjunction with the VBA-Department of Defense 
Program Office, participated in redesigning the Transition Assistance 
Program (TAP) curriculum that is now mandatory for Servicemembers to 
attend. Servicemembers attend an in-person briefing that includes a 
full day spent with a trainer dedicated to education benefits and use 
of an interactive online tool to learn about their benefits. 

The GI Bill Web site already provides detailed information about 
housing allowances [hyperlink, 
http://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/benefits_resources/rates/CH33/Ch33rat
es080112.html#MHA], as well as provides Frequently Asked Questions via 
the prominent "Submit a Question" button on the main page of the Web 
site. Keyword searches, such as "housing," can be used to find 
information about how that particular payment is made. 

Since the enactment of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Education Service has 
participated in over 100 sessions to provide training and information 
and answer questions from participants. Education Service conducts 
quarterly interactive Webinar training sessions with school certifying 
officials, military spouses, and advocates. Education Service also 
participates in national events held for Congressional, military, 
Veteran, and higher education personnel, providing opportunities for 
personalized contact and ensuring Veterans' needs are met. 

Education Service has an ongoing partnership with the Department of 
Education and participate in Twitter Town Halls targeted at Veterans, 
Servicemembers, and dependents to discuss VA education benefits and 
the alternative financial support Federal student aid provides. 

In all of VBA's outreach efforts (VBA's Web site, social media, 
attendance at events, and in discussions with school officials, TAP 
briefer partners, and stakeholders), VBA emphasizes the need for 
students to apply for benefits as soon as possible. Education Service 
regularly asks school certifying officials to submit enrollment 
certifications before the start of the term to start the payment 
process. 

VA provides public facing information regarding the accuracy and 
timeliness of education claims processing on the ASPIRE dashboard at 
[hyperlink, http://www.vba.va.gov/reports/aspiremap.asp]. The 
dashboard provides education processing timeliness and accuracy 
information on a national level and by regional processing office. VBA 
will add a link to the ASPIRE dashboard on the GI Bill Web site so 
that individuals can easily find information on processing timeliness. 
Target Completion Date: May 31, 2013. 

Recommendation 2: Work with postsecondary schools to identify the 
types of information that would help facilitate more timely access to 
other sources of federal financial aid during the VA benefit 
processing period. 

VA Response: Concur. Executive Order 13607, Establishing Principles of 
Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Servicemembers, 
Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members (Principles of 
Excellence), directed VA and other entities to take additional steps 
to ensure that recipients of Federal funding have the information they 
need to make informed decisions concerning their benefits. In response 
to the Executive Order, VA worked with the State Approving Agencies 
and institutions to provide information on the Principles of 
Excellence, which includes information on the financial aid process. 

Approximately 6,212 schools have agreed to comply with the Principles 
of Excellence. Upon agreeing to comply with the Principles of 
Excellence, schools are required to prepare a "shopping sheet" for 
Veterans, Servicemembers, and families who are eligible to receive 
Federal military and VA education benefits. The "shopping sheet" makes 
information about college costs and financial aid packages more 
transparent and comparable for students and parents. 

Additionally, VBA's "Choosing a School" Web page offers students 
assistance to make informed education choices. Students can use the 
interactive "College Navigator" [hyperlink, 
http://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/education_resources/college_navigator
.html] to search by institution type, location, program availability, 
certificate level, tuition cost, test score requirements, 
online/weekend availability, credit for life experience, and compare
the results. It also links to Federal student aid information, career 
information in the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook 
Handbook, and to the College Affordability and Transparency Center, 
where students can browse lists of schools by tuition cost and net 
price. 

Education Service will continue to promote compliance with the 
Principles of Excellence and information sharing on the quarterly 
school certifying official Webinars. The Webinars allow schools to ask 
questions, provide input, as well as share best practices for 
supporting Veteran students, including how to help Veterans get the 
information needed in a timely manner. Target Completion Date: 
September 30, 2013. 

Recommendation 3: Leverage the experience and best practices of those 
schools and organizations that are currently providing support 
services to student veterans, for example by hosting an online forum 
or raising awareness of existing resources from higher education 
associations and veteran service organizations. 

VA Response: Concur. Education Service already works directly with 
school partners to provide information about school programs and other 
resources. The quarterly school certifying official Webinar gives 
schools a chance to meet with VBA, review education programs, learn 
about current topics and events affecting students, and any changes to 
the GI Bill and processing procedures. There is also a "Question and 
Answer" portion and a "Best Practices Discussion" to enhance the flow 
of information between VA and our partners. 

Further, the "School Resources" button on the main page of the GI Bill 
Web site offers information, training curriculum, a VA Campus Toolkit 
to help schools provide a Veteran-friendly environment, and a Toolkit 
for Veteran Friendly Institutions. These are designed to help 
institutions of higher education build effective programs for Veteran 
students and share information designed to help institutions of higher 
education build effective programs and share information. Both 
toolkits are the result of collaboration with the Veterans Service 
Organizations, Student Veterans of America, and the American Council 
on Education. 

Education Service will continue to hold quarterly school certifying 
official Webinars to raise awareness of existing resources and discuss 
best practices. Webinars were recently held in January and April 2013. 
Target Completion Date: September 30, 2013. 

Recommendation 4: Develop a plan for using new sources of data on 
student veteran outcomes as they become available to improve program 
management and help student veterans achieve their academic goals. 

VA Response: Concur. VBA, as part of its day-to-day operations, is 
already developing outcome measures in coordination with other 
Government agencies to improve program management. Upon development of 
the outcome measures, VA will gather, measure, and analyze the data to 
help improve program management. However, VBA notes that VA's latitude 
under title 38 United States Code to directly impact student outcomes 
is limited as school approval is not dependent on student outcomes. 
Target Completion Date for Development of Outcome Measures: August 31, 
2013. 

[End of section] 

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: 

GAO Contact: 

Melissa Emrey-Arras, (617) 788-0534 or emreyarrasm@gao.gov: 

Staff Acknowledgments: 

In addition to the contact named above, individuals making key 
contributions to this report were Tranchau Nguyen, Assistant Director; 
Jacques Arsenault; William Colvin; and Mark Ward. In addition, key 
support was provided by James Bennett, Deborah Bland, Holly Dye, 
Brenda Farrell, Justin Fisher, Kirsten Lauber, David Lewis, Michelle 
A. Sager, Michael Silver, Michelle StPierre, Andrew Stavisky, and 
Craig Winslow. 

[End of section] 

Related GAO Products: 

Higher Education: Use of New Data Could Help Improve Oversight of 
Distance Education. [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-39]. Washington, D.C.: Nov. 17, 
2011. 

Managing for Results: GPRA Modernization Act Implementation Provides 
Important Opportunities to Address Government Challenges. [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-617T]. Washington, D.C.: May 10, 
2011. 

Veterans' Education Benefits: Enhanced Guidance and Collaboration 
Could Improve Administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Program. 
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-356R]. Washington, 
D.C.: May 5, 2011. 

VA Education Benefits: Actions Taken, but Outreach and Oversight Could 
Be Improved. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-256]. 
Washington, D.C.: Feb. 28, 2011. 

Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a Coordinated 
Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students. 
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-33]. Washington, D.C.: 
Oct. 28, 2009. 

Transfer Students: Postsecondary Institutions Could Promote More 
Consistent Consideration of Coursework by Not Basing Determinations on 
Accreditation.[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-22]. 
Washington, D.C.: Oct. 18, 2005. 

Managing for Results: Enhancing Agency Use of Performance Information 
for Management Decision Making. [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-927]. Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 
2005. 

Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government. [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1]. Washington, D.C.: 
Nov. 1, 1999. 

[End of section] 

Footnotes: 

[1] Pub. L. No. 110-252, tit. V, 122 Stat. 2323, 2357-86. 

[2] 38 U.S.C. §§ 3301-3334. 

[3] 38 U.S.C. §§ 3001-3036. 

[4] Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, Pub. L. No. 78-346, 58 
Stat. 284. 

[5] The Post-9/11 GI Bill also empowers the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to authorize the secretaries of the various military service 
departments to permit eligible service members to transfer their 
benefits to their spouses or children, and this authority has been 
provided to the service departments. 38 U.S.C. § 3319 and 38 C.F.R. § 
21.9570 (2012), respectively. Under similar authority, while the 
service departments have also been authorized to permit transfers 
under the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty, Montgomery GI Bill-Selected 
Reserve and the Reserve Educational Assistance Programs (38 U.S.C. § 
3020 and 38 C.F.R. § 21.7080 (2012)), only the Army has permitted such 
transfers and only under the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty Program. 

[6] The monthly housing allowance is based on the Department of 
Defense (DOD) Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and the amount depends 
on the zip code of the school the veteran is attending (students 
enrolled exclusively online can also receive a portion of the housing 
allowance). 38 U.S.C. § 3313(c)(1)(B)(i)-(iii). The amount for books 
and supplies is based on the number of credits a student takes, with a 
maximum of $1,000 a year. Veterans are also eligible for a one-time 
rural relocation payment of $500 if they reside in a rural county and 
must relocate at least 500 miles or travel by air to attend school. 38 
U.S.C. § 3313(c)(1)(B)(iv). 

[7] 38 U.S.C. § 3313(h). 

[8] 38 U.S.C. § 3317. The Yellow Ribbon Program is part of the Post-
9/11 GI Bill. In order to be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon program, 
individuals must be eligible for the maximum Post-9/11 GI Bill 
benefit. That is, after September 10, 2001, they generally must have 
36 months of active-duty service or 30 continuous days of active-duty 
service and be discharged from active duty for a service-connected 
disability. 38 U.S.C. §§ 3311(b)(1) and (2), and 3313(c)(1). 

[9] 38 C.F.R. § 21.4203(a)(5)(i) (2012). 

[10] Federal student aid is provided through programs authorized by 
Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. 20 U.S.C. §§ 1070-1099e. 

[11] 20 U.S.C. § 1087vv(a)(2), (b)(1)(C) and (c). The Post-9/11 
Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 changed how 
tuition and fees are calculated for the Post-9/11 GI Bill to account 
for certain scholarships and waivers. Pub. L. No. 11-377, § 102(a), 
124 Stat. 4106, 4108-09 (2011). Benefit payments are now based on the 
net cost for in-state tuition and fees after the application of any 
tuition waivers, scholarships, or other federal, state, institutional, 
or employer-based aid or assistance (excluding loans and title IV 
funds) that is provided directly to the institution and specifically 
designated for the sole purpose of defraying tuition and fees. 38 
U.S.C. § 3312(c). As a result, Title IV aid, such as Pell Grants, or 
general scholarships do not affect a student's eligibility for or 
amount of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. 

[12] 20 U.S.C. § 1090. 

[13] Exec. Order No. 13,604, 77 Fed. Reg. 25,861 (May 12, 2012). 

[14] These principles will be incorporated into new agreements with 
educational institutions participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program 
for veterans or the Tuition Assistance Program operated by DOD for 
active duty service members, to the extent practicable and permitted 
by law. Institutions participating in the Post-9/11 GI Bill program 
are strongly encouraged but not required to comply with the principles. 

[15] Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 
Nontraditional Students, NCES 2002-012, (Washington, D.C.: 2002). 

[16] As we have previously reported, students can face numerous 
challenges transferring credits from one institution to another. See 
GAO, Transfer Students: Postsecondary Institutions Could Promote More 
Consistent Consideration of Coursework by Not Basing Determinations on 
Accreditation, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-22] 
(Washington, D.C.: Oct. 18, 2005). 

[17] GAO, Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a 
Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in 
Supporting Students, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-33] (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 28, 
2009). 

[18] There are two principal federal laws that protect disabled 
students in postsecondary schools from discrimination. The first, 
section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, requires that no 
otherwise qualified individual with a disability be, solely by reason 
of a disability, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits 
of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity 
receiving federal financial assistance. 29 U.S.C. § 794(a). The 
second, the Americans with Disabilities Act, requires that no 
otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by 
reason of a disability, be excluded from participation in; denied the 
benefits of the services, program, or activities of; or subjected to 
discrimination by any public entity. 42 U.S.C. § 12132. Furthermore, 
the Americans with Disabilities Act also prohibits discrimination on 
the basis of disability on the part of public accommodations, which 
includes "undergraduate, or postgraduate private schools, or other 
places of education." 42 U.S.C. §§ 12181(7)(J) and 12182. The Higher 
Education Opportunity Act included a number of provisions to benefit 
student veterans with disabilities, canceling the liability of 
veterans, for example, for certain federal student loans should the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs determine the borrower to be 
unemployable due to a service-connected disability. Pub. L. No. 110-
315, § 464(b), 122 Stat. 3266-67 (codified at 20 U.S.C. § 
1087dd(c)(1)(F)(iv)). 

[19] PTSD symptoms can be debilitating and include insomnia; intense 
anxiety; and difficulty coping with work, social, and family 
relationships. Symptoms may appear within months of the traumatic 
event or be delayed for years. Left untreated, PTSD can lead to 
substance abuse, severe depression, and suicide. See GAO, VA Health 
Care: VA Should Expedite the Implementation of Recommendations Needed 
to Improve Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Services, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-287] (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 16, 
2005). 

[20] For additional information on online learning, see GAO, Higher 
Education: Use of New Data Could Help Improve Oversight of Distance 
Education, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-39] 
(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 17, 2011). 

[21] A student veteran may apply for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits (an 
original claim) either before or after enrolling in school. Once a 
student is enrolled, the school must also submit a supplemental claim 
for benefit payments to VA in order to for the school to receive 
payment for tuition and fees and the veteran to receive the monthly 
housing allowance. 

[22] Pub. L. No. 111-377, 124 Stat. 4106 (2011). 

[23] VA was authorized to pay allowances to student veterans during 
any breaks that did not exceed eight weeks and were shorter than both 
the terms preceding and following. 38 U.S.C. § 3680(a) (2006). 

[24] § 206, 124 Stat. 4126 (codified at 38 U.S.C. § 3680(a)). This 
change originated out of concern that veterans using part of their 
entitlement during periods when they "were not actively pursuing an 
education" could result in failure to complete their educational 
objectives within the 36 months of benefits to which they are 
entitled. It was also expected to reduce program expenditures. S. Rep. 
No. 111-346, at 23-24 and 27-28 (2010). 

[25] Some school officials told us that their schools allow veterans 
to remain enrolled in class even if tuition and fee payments from VA 
are still being processed past the university deadline. Two school 
officials said the schools understand that VA is still working through 
processing issues, and they assume that if a student has a certificate 
of eligibility VA will eventually process the student's tuition and 
fees payment. 

[26] We previously found that veterans generally received similar 
amounts of grants and loans from Education as nonveterans. See GAO, 
Higher Education: Veteran Students Received Similar Amounts of Title 
IV Aid As Nonveterans but More Total Aid with GI Benefits, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-741] (Washington, D.C.: June 20, 
2008). 

[27] Students may apply for federal student aid funds in greater 
amounts than the tuition and fees charged by their school. Additional 
costs factored into "cost of attendance" can include average payments 
for books and supplies, room and board, dependent care, or costs 
related to disabilities. Because the cost of attendance is higher than 
tuition and fees, many students will apply for aid beyond the costs 
directly payable to the school, which results in a refund of remaining 
funds to students after tuition has been paid. 

[28] Because VA benefits are excluded from the calculation for Title 
IV financial aid, it is possible that a student veteran could receive 
grants and loans covering the full cost of attendance in addition to 
their Post-9/11 GI Bill or other VA benefits. Officials from a higher 
education association representing schools said that, in such cases, 
it would be possible to have a credit balance even before VA benefits 
are disbursed. 

[29] GAO, Managing for Results: GPRA Modernization Act Implementation 
Provides Important Opportunities to Address Government Challenges, 
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-617T] (Washington D.C.: 
May 10, 2011). 

[30] See GAO, Veterans' Education Benefits: Enhanced Guidance and 
Collaboration Could Improve Administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill 
Program, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-356R] 
(Washington, D.C.: May 5, 2011). GAO recommended that VA should 
collaborate with Education to leverage their experience administering 
student aid and explore opportunities for streamlining VA's 
administrative practices. As a result of this recommendation, 
officials from VA and Education met on several occasions to discuss 
the processes used by each agency to deliver and recoup funds issued 
for educational assistance. VA determined that existing statutory and 
technical differences prevent VA from adopting certain Education 
processes that have been deemed effective in administering federal 
student assistance. See [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-356R]. 

[31] Before the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements 
Act of 2010, tuition and fees were assessed annually on a statewide 
basis not to exceed the maximum in-state tuition and fees for a public 
school. The act amended tuition and fees provisions to cover public 
schools, and capped payments for academic year 2011 at $17,500 a year 
for private and foreign schools. § 102(a), 124 Stat. 2011 (codified at 
38 U.S.C. § 3313(c)(1)(A)(ii)(II)(aa)). 

[32] The award letters that VA sends to student veterans mention that 
beneficiaries will receive prorated payments for months in which 
semesters begin or end, but the letters do not say that other breaks, 
such as spring break, may also trigger smaller payments, if those 
breaks are more than seven days long. 

[33] The GI Bill website [hyperlink, http://www.gibill.va.gov] 
includes a paragraph describing the end of break pay on its main page 
for the Post-9/11 GI Bill (as of April 8, 2013). However, there is no 
mention of break pay policy on the page describing the housing 
allowance policy, or on a link that directs veterans to "determine 
your [monthly housing allowance] for most circumstances" (as of April 
8, 2013). Additionally, the "search frequently asked questions" 
function on the website does not address break pay or varied monthly 
housing payments (as of February 25, 2013). 

[34] See [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-356R] and GAO, 
VA Education Benefits: Actions Taken, but Outreach and Oversight Could 
Be Improved, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-256] 
(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 28, 2011). 

[35] The VetSuccess on Campus program is operated through VA's 
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment division, but the counselors' 
services are generally available to all student veterans. 

[36] VetSuccess dedicates approximately one full-time counselor to 
each participating school, but some schools have multiple counselors, 
and some counselors work with multiple schools. 

[37] 38 U.S.C. § 3104(a)(1) and (2). 

[38] 38 U.S.C. §§ 3314 and 3492. 

[39] 38 U.S.C. §§ 3104(4) and 3485. 

[40] All schools are required to designate at least one person who is 
responsible for signing enrollment certifications and other documents 
relating to VA benefits. 38 C.F.R. § 21.4266(a)(2) (2012). 

[41] GAO, Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a 
Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in 
Supporting Students, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-33] (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 28, 
2009). 

[42] The American Council on Education is one example of a higher 
education association that has developed guidance for schools building 
veteran support services. Its Toolkit for Veteran Friendly 
Institutions highlights a variety of best practices and profiles 
student veterans programs from across the country. Also see American 
Council on Education, From Soldier to Student II: Assessing Campus 
Programs for Veterans and Service Members (Washington, D.C.: July 
2012). 

[43] Although the American Council on Education represents over 1,800 
institutions, there were more than 5,800 schools that enrolled Post-
9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries in 2011. 

[44] Almost 40 percent of beneficiaries of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 
fiscal year 2011 attended schools that enrolled fewer than 250 
veterans. These schools with small veteran populations accounted for 
91 percent of the schools that enrolled Post-9/11 GI Bill 
beneficiaries in fiscal year 2011. 

[45] The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports data on veterans' 
educational attainment and employment rates, but these data include 
all veterans rather than just those who enrolled in postsecondary 
education after they left the military. These data indicate that 74 
percent of veterans who served at any time since September 2001 have 
taken at least some college courses, compared to 57 percent of 
nonveterans age 25 years and older. These data also show that in 
February 2013 the monthly unemployment rate for veterans who have 
served at any time since September 2001 was 9.4 percent compared to 
7.9 percent for nonveterans 18 years and over. 

[46] Education's standard graduation rate measure is calculated using 
the number of students entering the institution as full-time, first-
time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students in a 
particular year (cohort), by race/ethnicity and gender; the number 
completing their program within 150 percent of normal time to 
completion; and the number that transfer to other institutions if 
transfer is part of the institution's mission. 

[47] Completion rates are defined in this report as the percentage of 
students who received a degree, diploma, or certificate within a 
certain time period. This can include students that are not first-
time, full-time students. 

[48] The National Student Clearinghouse, established by the higher 
education community in 1993, serves as a central repository and single 
point of contact for the collection and exchange of enrollment, 
degree, diploma, and certificate records on behalf of participating 
postsecondary and secondary institutions. VA's National Student 
Clearinghouse studies currently include data on participants in the 
Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty, Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve, 
and Reserve Educational Assistance Program. In January 2013, VA 
announced that it was working with the National Student Clearinghouse 
and Student Veterans of America, a coalition of student veterans 
groups, to begin researching completion rates for Post-9/11 GI Bill 
beneficiaries. 

[49] For the comparison groups, the National Student Clearinghouse 
used a random sample of students with age ranges that mirrored those 
of the beneficiaries in each of VA's education benefit programs. 

[50] The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study is 
conducted by Education and follows students who first begin their 
postsecondary education. These students are asked questions about 
their experiences during, and transitions through, postsecondary 
education and into the labor force. 

[51] Percentages do not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. All 
estimates from Education's Beginning Postsecondary Students 
Longitudinal Study are subject to sampling error. Because Education 
followed a probability procedure based on random selections, the 
sample is only one of a large number of samples that might have been 
drawn. Since each sample could have provided different estimates, 
confidence in the precision of any particular sample's results is 
expressed as a 95 percent confidence interval. This is the interval 
that would contain the actual population value for 95 percent of the 
samples that could have been drawn. The margin of error associated 
with the confidence intervals of the survey estimates is no more than 
plus or minus 15 percentage points at the 95 percent level of 
confidence. 

[52] We compared completion rates for self-reported veterans to the 
rates for nonveteran, independent students. Veterans are considered 
independent students for Title IV aid purposes. Independent students 
also include, for example, those who are married, supporting children, 
or at least 24 years of age. Among nonveterans, an estimated 33 
percent attained a degree or certificate, 15 percent were still 
enrolled 6 years after they started postsecondary education, and 53 
percent had left school without a degree. The difference between the 
percentage of veterans and nonveterans that left school without a 
degree is statistically significant at the .05 level of confidence. 

[53] The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System is the federal 
government's core postsecondary data collection program. Every 
college, university, and career and technical institution that 
participates in federal student financial aid programs is required to 
complete this group of annual surveys on a variety of topics including 
enrollments, graduation rates, staffing, finances, and financial aid. 
20 U.S.C. § 1094(a)(17). Education is also planning to incorporate 
additional information on veterans into these surveys starting in 
2014, but this will likely focus more on veterans' enrollment 
characteristics (e.g., number of undergraduates and graduate student 
veterans enrolled, number of undergraduates receiving Post-9/11 GI 
Bill benefits) and school policies and services (e.g., course credit 
for military training, existence of a student veteran organization) 
rather than outcomes. 

[54] VA officials said they lack statutory authority to require all 
school to report completion data to VA. 

[55] In addition to reporting completions to VA, some postsecondary 
institutions are also using other measures to track veteran outcomes 
for their own internal use. Four of the 11 schools in our study were 
already using alternative measures such as student veteran retention 
rates and grade point average to track student veterans' progress and 
outcomes. 

[56] Although it generally takes full-time students 4 years to 
complete a bachelor's degree (36 months of classes spread over four, 9-
month academic years), students can complete an associate degree in 2 
years or even a bachelor's degree in 3 years if they are continuously 
enrolled or have prior academic credits. However, veterans are 
eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for 15 years after they leave 
the military. 38 U.S.C. § 3321. 

[57] VA is also statutorily required to start reporting to congress 
annually on appropriate student outcome measures, such as the number 
of beneficiaries that complete a degree or certificate program. 
Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act 
of 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-154, § 402(a), 126 Stat. 1165, 1188-89 
(codified at 38 U.S.C. § 3325). 

[58] The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment component of the 
longitudinal study, which commenced in fiscal year 2010, was mandated 
by the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-
389, § 334, 122 Stat. 4145, 4172-73 (codified at 38 U.S.C. § 3122)), 
and the second annual report, which focused on initial participant 
characteristics and changes in participant status, was issued in July 
2012. The Post-9/11 GI Bill component of the study was not included in 
the mandate. As of January 2013, the proposal for the Post-9/11 GI 
Bill component of the study was still being reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget. 

[59] VA, Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Submission (Washington, D.C.: 2012). 

[60] We have previously reported that data on student outcomes can 
also shed light on the quality of education provided by institutions. 
See [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-143]. 

[61] The new "Voice of the Veterans" client satisfaction survey will 
capture information on veterans' satisfaction with VA's various 
benefit programs, including how well their benefits are helping 
support their educational needs. VA expects to receive about 3,000 
survey responses. VA officials said this survey will provide them with 
information on how well it is meeting veterans' needs. 

[62] OMB Circular No. A-11 (pp. 545 and 547). 

[63] Pub. L. No. 111-352, §§ 2-4 and 10, 124 Stat. 3866, 3866-73 and 
3880-81 (2011). The act amended the Government Performance and Results 
Act of 1993. Pub. L. No. 103-62, 107 Stat. 285. 

[64] GAO, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government 
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1] 
(Washington, D.C.: November 1, 1999). 

[65] Information that could identify any participant was left out of 
written documentation of each focus group to protect participants' 
privacy. 

[End of section] 

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