Two Years After Harkin Report Revealed Questionable Business Practices in For-Profit College Industry

Top Eight For-Profit Colleges Received $2.9 Billion in Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Funds Between 2009 and 2014 and Nearly 25 Percent of all Post-9/11 GI Bill Funds Last School Year; Seven of Top Eight For-Profit Colleges Receiving Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Benefits Are Under State or Federal Investigation

WASHINGTON, D.C.?Two years after a landmark investigation into the for-profit college industry revealed a host of serious problems, including poor student outcomes and high debt burdens, a new report by the majority staff of Chairman Tom Harkin's (D-IA) Senate HELP Committee shows that for-profit colleges are collecting billions of taxpayer dollars from veterans using their Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits. Although overall student enrollment has decreased at each of the eight top for-profit Post-9/11 G.I. Bill beneficiaries, their enrollment of veterans has dramatically increased?anywhere from 61 to 657 percent?during the same period.

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which went into effect in 2009, provides veterans with up to $19,200 a year in education benefits for four years. The HELP Committee's new report raises concerns, given that the previous Committee investigation revealed that many for-profit schools utilize aggressive and often questionable marketing and recruiting tactics, provide programs of questionable value, and often cost far more than comparable programs offered at public schools.  These findings have provided the underpinnings of a nationwide series of investigations and lawsuits by dozens of state Attorneys General and federal enforcement agencies.

"More and more veterans are enrolling in high cost for-profit programs of questionable quality, while the share of veterans enrolling in community colleges and state universities is shrinking," Harkin said. "While the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill was designed to expand educational opportunities for our veterans and servicemembers, I am concerned that it is primarily expanding the coffers of the big corporations running these schools. It is evident that more needs to be done to ensure that veterans and servicemembers, who have sacrificed so much for our nation, are receiving a quality education?and that taxpayer dollars aren't wasted on shoddy programs.

"This report, including the findings that $186 million of veteran benefits were squandered and thousands of veterans will be impacted by the failure of Corinthian Colleges, must be a wake-up call for anybody concerned about our nation's veterans," Harkin added. "Eight institutions, nearly all of which are under investigation by federal and state law enforcement for questionable business practices, received almost a quarter of all Post-9/11 G.I. Bill dollars last year. It is clear that all stakeholders, and especially Congress, must take action to better protect our nation's military families."

"On too many basic measures of value, for-profit colleges fail to meet minimum standards.  The recent collapse of Corinthian Colleges should serve as a warning to students to think twice before enrolling in these schools and to taxpayers who are subsidizing these schools often up to 90% of their total revenue," said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), author of the Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act, which would include Post-9/11 GI Bill funding in the current federal 90/10 rule. "By leaving open a loophole that allows Post-9/11 GI bill funding to go unaccounted for, we are incentivizing for-profit education companies to aggressively market to and enroll veterans.  The results laid out in Chairman Harkin's report show that unfortunately these predatory tactics are working.  We need to close this loophole."

"Today's report should be a wake-up call to the federal government. It's a serious problem that Post-9/11 G.I. Bill dollars are often inflating these companies' revenues instead of actually providing a meaningful education to the men and women who earned those benefits. The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill should benefit our veterans and their families?not companies like Corinthian that's gotten $186 million in G.I. Bill funds but is now undergoing bankruptcy proceedings," said Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the HELP Committee. "The bottom line is that the federal government can't sit back and let some for-profit colleges get away with deceptive practices that rob our veterans of their education and military benefits in order to pad profits. We need to act now."

The investigation released today shows that taxpayers are paying twice as much for a veteran to attend a for-profit college as a public college.  For-profit colleges received $1.7 billion in Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits in the 2012-2013 school year, nearly as much as the total cost of the program just four years earlier. Eight of the top ten recipients of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill federal funds are large, publicly-traded companies that operate for-profit colleges. Those companies have received $2.9 billion in taxpayer dollars to enroll veterans in these schools over the past 4 years, including 23 percent?or $975 million?of all Post-9/11-G.I. Bill benefits in 2012-13.

Additional findings from the report include :

Veteran enrollment at for-profit colleges is skyrocketing relative to enrollment at public colleges, with for-profit colleges collecting billions in Post-9/11 G.I. Bill funds:

• The percentage of veterans attending a public college declined from 62 percent in 2009 to just 50 percent in 2013.  During the same period, the percentage of veterans enrolling in for-profit colleges increased from 23 to 31 percent of total enrollees.

Taxpayers continue to fill the coffers of for-profit colleges: today's report revealed that many of these companies rely on a loophole and use these benefits to meet a requirement that they not receive more than 90 percent of revenues from the federal college aid programs. Programs at for-profit colleges are also often far more expensive than comparable programs at public schools:

• Taxpayers are paying twice as much on average to send a veteran to a for-profit college for a year compared to the cost at a public college or university ($7,972 versus $3,914).

• Some large companies that operate for-profit colleges appear increasingly dependent on continued receipt of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill funds to comply with the federal "90/10" requirement, designed to ensure the companies and the schools are not overly dependent on federal education resources. A loophole in federal law allows for-profit colleges to consider funds from the Post 9/11-G.I. Bill and the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) on the "10 percent" side, as non-federal funds. However, at least four of the companies receive an estimated 43 to 63 percent of their "10 percent" revenues from Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits.

• Amongst the top recipients of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits is Corinthian Colleges, Inc.  Corinthian received $186 million in Post-9/11 G.I. Bill funds from 2009 to 2013, yet recently announced it was in such severe financial distress that it would close or sell all campuses.  In all, seven of the eight companies are currently under investigation by state attorneys general or federal agencies for deceptive and misleading recruiting or other possible violations of federal law.

Further, students at these for-profit colleges, as shown in Harkin's 2012 report, withdraw from school at a high rate, frequently take on significant debt, and are often left with meager job prospects that leave them unable to repay their loans:

• The federal government does not currently track how veterans are performing at different colleges.  However, overall student outcomes provided by the companies to the HELP Committee for students enrolling between 2008 and 2009 demonstrate reason for concern.  Up to 66 percent of students who enrolled in the for-profit colleges currently receiving the most Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits withdrew in that school year without a degree or diploma.

• Between 39 and 57 percent of the programs offered by four of the companies receiving the most Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits would fail to meet the proposed gainful employment rule thresholds, suggesting that the students who attend these institutions do not earn enough to pay back the debt they take on.

Harkin's HELP Committee led a two year investigation into the for-profit college industry, culminating with the release of For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success, an extensive final report. The investigation found that for-profit colleges were the largest recipients of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits and that many in the for-profit sector targeted veterans and servicemembers with manipulative and misleading marketing campaigns, offered educational programs that were far more expensive than comparable public programs, and failed to provide enrollees with necessary support services.

The final report similarly underscored the questionable value of many for-profit programs, revealing that the majority of associate's and bachelor's degree students at for-profit colleges left school with debt but no diploma, while those that did graduate were often unable to find employment that allowed them to pay back their often-sizeable student loan debt. The report showed that students at for-profit colleges accounted for nearly half of all federal student loan defaults.

The full report can be seen here. The appendices to the report can be seen here and here.

Three awarded additional Army Achievement Medal for perfect performance

CAMP ATTERBURY, IND (07/18/2014)(readMedia)-- After five continuous days of testing, eight Illinois National Guard Soldiers earned the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, July 17. Three of the Soldiers performed each of the 39 tasks to standard on the first attempt and was awarded an Army Achievement Medal.

"It really brings out the best of us as infantrymen," said Spc. Michael Schaefer of Mundelein, Illinois, an infantryman with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment in Aurora, Illinois. "It is a lot of helping each other out and getting each other squared away for each day's tasks. Everyone has really worked together to try and get each other as far as they can."

Seventy-seven Infantrymen from the Illinois National Guard put forth their greatest effort to wear the prestigious badge. The Soldiers hailed from the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment; and 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, all units within the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The EIB test measured Soldiers' physical fitness and ability to perform to standards of excellence in a broad spectrum of critical infantry skills. The Army Physical Fitness Test and land navigation was held the first day, followed by lanes the next three days.

During EIB lanes, Soldiers were tested on the M9 Pistol, M4 Carbine Rifle, M240B Machine Gun, M249 Machine Gun, MK19 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, M136 (AT4) Rocket Launcher, .50-Caliber M2 Machine Gun, and M320 Grenade Launcher.

"There is a lot of memorization and getting the sequences right and doing the steps in the right order that takes a lot of mental ability along with physical," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Wells of Glen Carbon, Illinois, a platoon sergeant with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Litchfield, Illinois. "Staying focused and on task was the key to success."

In addition to skills testing on multiple weapons, Soldiers were evaluated on a range of tasks such as move under direct fire, identify and react to possible improvised explosive device, provide tactical combat casualty care, employ an M18A1 Claymore Mine and hand grenade, perform voice communications and use visual signaling techniques.

"These are tasks these guys do in their job all the time, so they should have good fundamental knowledge and then we work on refining it to standard," said Sgt. 1st Class Aric Schwab of Plainfield, Illinois, a EIB grader with Company D, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Woodstock, Illinois. "The task is on them. They just have to perform the task to time and standard and we are here to give them feedback on how they performed."

After performing the skills testing, Soldiers ended with a 12-mile foot march in less than three hours to secure their goal of wearing an EIB.

"It's such a coveted thing for an infantryman to get," said Schaefer. "There is such a huge history and it's by no means easy to achieve. You really have to be focused and determined and that's what boils down to an infantryman; working hard everyday and staying focused, working together to achieve a common goal. The EIB is what an 11 Bravo is."

This is the first time in many years Illinois National Guard Soldiers had the opportunity to earn an EIB. Infantrymen from both Active Duty and National Guard units participated in this year's 205th Infantry Brigade, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Regional EIB competition.

"The goal is to continue sending Illinois Soldiers to EIB next year," said Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Beck of Eagle, Wisconsin, the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team sergeant major. "It was a great opportunity for our Soldiers to experience camaraderie with Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division who is partnered with the 33rd IBCT for the Total Force Partnership."

No matter if the Soldier received a badge or not, there were valuable skills gained.

"When they come here and go through the training, they know about everything they need to know to take back and teach their unit," said Schwab. "They don't have to come back with their badge to be a better Soldier. They are better off either way."

Infantrymen who earned the EIB and Army Achievement Medal include :

• Staff Sgt. Anthony Henner of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a sniper section leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Chicago

• Spc. Michael Schaefer of Mundelein, Illinois, an infantryman with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment in Aurora, Illinois

• Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Wells of Glen Carbon, Illinois, a platoon sergeant with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Litchfield, Illinois

Infantrymen who earned the EIB include :

• 1st Lt. Michael Kuvales of Palos Hills, Illinois with Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment in Dixon, Illinois

• 1st Lt. Lavern Meissner of Niles, Illinois, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Chicago

• Spc. Anthony Miller of Springfield, Illinois, with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Litchfield, Illinois

• Sgt. Uriah Porter of Du Quoin, Illinois, with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in West Frankfort, Illinois

• Pfc. Steven Smith of Washington, Illinois, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Bartonville, Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, IL (07/16/2014)(readMedia)-- SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - This week's National Guard Bureau qualification scorecard found the Illinois Army National Guard moved to first place among the states and territories for duty military occupational specialty qualified (DMOSQ) Soldiers. Of the available 8,983 Soldiers assigned, 8,713 are military occupational specialty (MOS) qualified, which is a success rate of 97.5 percent.

A Soldier is DMOSQ when he or she graduates from a school required to qualify for the job specialty.

"The importance of this is about being a ready and relevant force," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mark Hebenstreit of Springfield, Illinois, human resources specialist for the personnel branch. "Units need to be able to perform missions, not only for deployments, but federal and state missions. It is important to have trained and competent Soldiers in the units to perform homeland security and combat missions."

The training branch (G3) and the personnel branch (G1) are responsible for identifying Soldiers who need to qualify in their occupational specialty and processing school applications in a timely manner.

"There is a 30-day window when we are allowed to obtain seats from other states," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Melton of Springfield, Illinois, training technician in the Individual Training Branch (G3/7). "We have to stay on top of the packets and process applications."

Melton called multiple states to use allocated school seats. Other states gave unused seats to Illinois, allowing Illinois to send more Soldiers to school.

"This is a team effort between the G3, G1 and the major subordinate command's," said Master Sgt. Christopher Anderson of Dixon, Illinois, the quota source manager for the G3. "It's challenging to get to number one in the state; it is a committed effort in proper manning."

While Illinois is currently number one, the numbers can fluctuate easily, as Soldiers move units and change jobs.

"We try to get the Solders trained as soon as possible," said Melton.

To be effective it is important the Soldiers know their jobs and are DMOSQ.

"We must be committed to ensuring our Soldiers are highly trained," said Lt. Col. Stanely Manes of Springfield, Illinois, chief training division.

Congressman: 'Our commitment to America's veterans needs to match the commitment they've made to us'

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today joined a bipartisan group in introducing comprehensive legislation designed to address the escalating rate of suicide among America's veterans?the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act.

"The suicide rate among America's veterans represents a national crisis," Braley said. "This legislation won't solve the problem overnight?but it will get more resources where they're desperately needed. Our commitment to America's veterans needs to match the commitment they've made to us, especially when it comes to this issue."

The bill is named after Clay Hunt, a decorated Marine combat veteran, who took his own life in 2011 after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The act contains a host of provisions which include sections that would:

• Require an independent third party to annually evaluate the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs mental health care and suicide prevention programs.

·         Require that a board of review, when looking at an appeal of a veteran who was discharged, must consider in their final decision if a veteran had Post Traumatic Stress or a Traumatic Brain Injury related to combat or military sexual trauma with evidence provided by the VA or civilian providers.

·         Require the VA to publish an interactive website designed to serve as a centralized source of information regarding all mental health services.

·         Require the VA and the National Guard to enter into partnerships in order to improve mental health treatment for servicemembers.

·         Require a review of staffing requirements for states with respect to Directors of Psychological Health.

·         Create a VA pilot program to assist veterans who are reintegrating back into the community, to assist with the difficult and unique challenges they face.

In April, Braley hosted a series of roundtables around the state listening to experts and veterans service organizations to discuss the high level of post-traumatic stress and high suicide rates that have been reported for servicemembers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Braley has championed the Veterans Access to Care Act, legislation that seeks to expand veterans' access to quality healthcare by helping the Veterans Administration and state veterans' homes recruit more highly-qualified doctors, nurses, and mental health providers to provide services to America's veterans.

A link to Braley's legislation can be found online HERE.