The American Legion Association of Veterans Education Certifying Officials 2014

1. The American LegionAssociation of Veterans Education Certifying Officials2014

2. ECONOMIC DIVISION • Education • Homeless Veterans • Employment • VA Home Loans • Veterans Preference • Small Business • Licensing and Certification

3. Objectives • Brief History of The American Legion • Expectation of the GI Bill • How The American Legion is making a difference in higher education

4. The American Legion History with Education and creators of the GI Bill • Department of Veterans Affairs, The GI BILL’s History • “Harry W. Colmery, a former national commander of the American Legion, is credited with drawing up the first draft of the GI Bill. It was introduced in the House on Jan. 10, 1944, and in the Senate the following day. Both chambers approved their own versions of the bill.” (http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/history_timeline/index.html)

5. American Legion Post on Campus Increase of student-veterans creating American Legion Post on College Campus • American Legion Post 397, Hodges University, Florida • North Dakota State University Post 400, North Dakota State University • University Veterans Legion Post 360, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

6. Continue • Lake Erie Community College • University of North Dakota, Post 401 • Colorado State University - Pueblo • University of Akron • Florida Institute of Technology

7. American Legion Federal Legislation Involvement • America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2014: Increase and create pipelines into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields • National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015 : Tuition Assistance, readiness, training, education, job performance through education.

8. Continued • Higher Education Reauthorization Act (HEA): data collection, reporting of data, prior learning assessments, Competency based education, etc. • H.R. 4248, Veterans Education Outcomes Act: Would require IHL to disseminate information with respect to the completion rates, employment rates, and retention rates of recipients of GI Bill funding

9. Continued • Higher Education Reauthorization Act (HEA): • H.R. 3136, Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2013: to establish a demonstration program for competency-based education

10. continued • Department of Veteran Affairs: • Issue: Currently veterans who submit for a reimbursement of approved licensing test exam fees are charged a month of entitlement regardless of the cost of the exam. Low cost exams are being charged one month entitlement similar to exams that may cost up to $1601.69 for the academic year 2013.  • Recommendation: Congress change the current law to reimburse VA approved exams at a pro-rated number of days of entitlement scaled to the cost of the exam.

11. The continued vigilance of The American Legion - the GI Bill’s creator and driving force – remains essential for ensuring that this 21st Century GI Bill is refined to the point where it deserves the title, “The Most Significant Legislation of the 21st Century.”

12. Questions?

13. THE AMERICAN LEGION Contact Information: Steve Gonzalez, Assistant Director: Email: sgonzalez@legion.org Office Number: 202-263-5761