Rep. Barry Moore introduces bill streamlining G.I. benefits for student veterans

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Barry Moore (AL-02), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is introducing the Quality Education for Veterans Act of 2022 to provide oversight to schools using the GI bill to help reduce fraud while helping streamline the process for the schools.

“Members of our military and their families have sacrificed so much in the service to our country and defending our freedom, and as a grateful nation, we have the responsibility to ensure that their educational needs are taken care of,” said Rep. Barry Moore. “Although the Veterans Affairs administration of G.I. bill benefits has improved over the last decade, challenges still exist in providing veterans what they have earned in a timely and accurate manner. I am proud to introduce this important legislation to protect taxpayers and obstruct bad actors to ensure veterans have a smooth transition through higher education.”

"We thank Congressman Moore and his staff for the steadfast support of student veterans,” said William Hubbard, Vice President for Veterans & Military Policy, Veterans Education Success. “As they transition from military service, veterans should be able to count on spending their hard-earned benefits at reputable schools with good outcomes. Crucially, this legislation will also help to protect taxpayers from the future abuse of valuable GI Bill dollars."

Background:

There have been several incidences of formally approved G.I. schools being charged and found guilty of fraud, including a case where a school defrauded the government for over $72 million. After strategizing with VAOIG to help prevent fraud, Moore worked with the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to design this bill to make it easier to catch violations and sets up a process that keeps bad actors out in the first place. This bill streamlines the application process for schools, reducing large amounts of paperwork and manhours spent sorting through applications. Additionally, this streamlined process will also make it easier for the DOJ and SAA’s to catch bad actors, helping to eliminate fraud and saving taxpayer dollars.

Read the full letter of support from the Veterans Education Success here.

Moore will formally file the bill Tuesday, March 15, 2022.