II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 498 

To reauthorize and improve a grant program to assist institutions of higher 

education in establishing, maintaining, improving, and operating Student 

Veteran Centers. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2023 

Ms. ROSEN (for herself and Mr. RUBIO) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and improve a grant program to assist institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining, 

improving, and operating Student Veteran Centers. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Education 

5 Empowerment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) More than 1,000,000 veterans attend insti9 tutions of higher education each year. 


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1 (2) Veterans face unique challenges in 

2 transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom 

3 and eventually to the workforce, including: age dif4 ferences, family obligations, significant time away 

5 from academic life, and service-related disabilities. 

6 (3) The National Education Association found 

7 that student veterans can feel lonely and vulnerable 

8 on campus and that ‘‘connecting student veterans 

9 can effectively ease this isolation’’ by bringing to10 gether new student veterans with those who have al11 ready successfully navigated the first few semesters 

12 of college. 

13 (4) According to Mission United—a United 

14 Way program that helps veterans re-acclimate to ci15 vilian life—it is often ‘‘essential’’ for student vet16 erans to be mentored by ‘‘another veteran who un17 derstands their mindset and experience’’. 

18 (5) Student Veteran Centers are recognized as 

19 an institutional best practice by Student Veterans of 

20 America. 

21 (6) The American Council on Education, which 

22 represents more than 1,700 institutions of higher 

23 education across the United States, has called hav24 ing a dedicated space for veterans on campus ‘‘a 

25 promising way for colleges and universities to better 


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1 serve veterans on campus’’ and a ‘‘critical’’ compo2 nent of many colleges’ efforts to serve their student 

3 veterans. 

4 (7) The Department of Education included as 

5 one of its 8 Keys to Veterans’ Success that colleges 

6 and universities should ‘‘coordinate and centralize 

7 campus efforts for all veterans, together with the 

8 creation of a designated space for them’’. 

9 (8) Budget constraints often make it difficult or 

10 impossible for institutions of higher education to 

11 dedicate space to veteran offices, lounges, or student 

12 centers. 

13 (9) The 110th Congress authorized the funding 

14 of Student Veteran Centers through the Centers of 

15 Excellence for Veteran Student Success under part 

16 T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

17 (20 U.S.C. 1161t). Congress also chose to appro18 priate funding for this program in subsequent years, 

19 most recently for fiscal year 2023 under the Consoli20 dated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117– 

21 328). 

22 (10) According to the Department of Edu23 cation, federally funded Student Veteran Centers 

24 and staff have generated improved recruitment, re25 tention, and graduation rates, have helped student 


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1 veterans feel better connected across campus, and 

2 have directly contributed to the successful academic 

3 outcomes of student veterans. 

4 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND 

5 IMPROVE STUDENT VETERAN CENTERS. 

6 Part T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 

7 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘PART T—GRANTS FOR STUDENT VETERAN 

9 CENTERS 

10 ‘‘SEC. 873. GRANTS FOR STUDENT VETERAN CENTERS. 

11 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Subject to the avail12 ability of appropriations under subsection (h), the Sec13 retary shall award grants to institutions of higher edu14 cation or consortia of institutions of higher education to 

15 assist in the establishment, maintenance, improvement, 

16 and operation of Student Veteran Centers. 

17 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

18 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—An institution or consor19 tium seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall sub20 mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 

21 such manner, and containing such information as 

22 the Secretary may require. 

23 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—The Secretary may award a 

24 grant under subsection (a) to an institution or a 


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1 consortium if the institution or consortium meets 

2 each of the following criteria: 

3 ‘‘(A) The institution or consortium enrolls 

4 in undergraduate or graduate courses— 

5 ‘‘(i) a significant number of student 

6 veterans, members of the Armed Forces 

7 serving on active duty, or members of a re8 serve component of the Armed Forces; or 

9 ‘‘(ii) a significant percentage of stu10 dent veterans, members of the Armed 

11 Forces serving on active duty, or members 

12 of a reserve component of the Armed 

13 Forces, 

14 as measured by comparing, for the most recent aca15 demic year for which data are available, the number 

16 or percentage of student veterans, members of the 

17 Armed Forces serving on active duty, and members 

18 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who are 

19 enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses at the 

20 institution or consortium, with the average number 

21 or percentage of student veterans, members of the 

22 Armed Forces serving on active duty, and members 

23 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who 

24 were enrolled in undergraduate or graduate courses 


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1 at comparable institutions or consortia of institu2 tions. 

3 ‘‘(B) The institution or consortium pre4 sents a sustainability plan to demonstrate that 

5 the Student Veteran Center will be maintained 

6 and will continue to operate after the grant pe7 riod has ended. 

8 ‘‘(3) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding 

9 grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall pro10 vide the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) Priority consideration to institutions 

12 or consortia that meet one or more of the fol13 lowing criteria: 

14 ‘‘(i) The institution or consortium is 

15 located in a region or community that has 

16 a significant population of veterans. 

17 ‘‘(ii) The institution or consortium 

18 considers the need to serve student vet19 erans at a wide range of institutions of 

20 higher education, including the need to 

21 provide equitable distribution of grants to 

22 institutions of various sizes, geographic lo23 cations, and institutions in urban and 

24 rural areas. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) The institution or consortium 

2 carries out programs or activities that as3 sist veterans in the local community, and 

4 the spouses or partners and children of 

5 student veterans. 

6 ‘‘(iv) The institution or consortium 

7 partners in its veteran-specific program8 ming with nonprofit veteran service organi9 zations, local workforce development orga10 nizations, or other institutions of higher 

11 education. 

12 ‘‘(v) The institution or consortium 

13 commits to hiring a staff at the Student 

14 Veteran Center that includes veterans (in15 cluding student veteran volunteers and stu16 dent veterans participating in a Federal 

17 work-study program under part C of title 

18 IV, a work-study program administered by 

19 the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, or a 

20 State work-study program). 

21 ‘‘(vi) The institution or consortium 

22 commits to providing an orientation for 

23 student veterans that— 


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1 ‘‘(I) is separate from the new 

2 student orientation provided by the in3 stitution or consortium; and 

4 ‘‘(II) provides student veterans 

5 with information on the benefits and 

6 resources available to such students at 

7 or through the institution or consor8 tium. 

9 ‘‘(vii) The institution or consortium 

10 commits to using a portion of the grant re11 ceived under this section to develop or 

12 maintain a student veteran retention pro13 gram carried out by the Student Veteran 

14 Center. 

15 ‘‘(viii) The institution or consortium 

16 commits to providing mental health coun17 seling to its student veterans (and the 

18 spouses or partners and children of such 

19 students). 

20 ‘‘(B) Equitable distribution of such grants 

21 to institutions or consortia of various sizes, geo22 graphic locations, and in urban and rural areas. 

23 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An institution or consor25 tium that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) 


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1 shall use such grant to establish, maintain, improve, 

2 or operate a Student Veteran Center. 

3 ‘‘(2) OTHER ALLOWABLE USES.—An institution 

4 or consortium receiving a grant under subsection (a) 

5 may use a portion of such grant to carry out sup6 portive instruction services for student veterans, in7 cluding— 

8 ‘‘(A) assistance with special admissions 

9 and transfer of credit from previous postsec10 ondary education or experience; and 

11 ‘‘(B) any other support services the insti12 tution or consortium determines to be necessary 

13 to ensure the success of student veterans in 

14 achieving education and career goals. 

15 ‘‘(d) AMOUNTS AWARDED.— 

16 ‘‘(1) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 

17 subsection (a) shall be for a 4-year period. 

18 ‘‘(2) TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANT AND SCHED19 ULE.—Each grant awarded under subsection (a) 

20 may not exceed a total of $500,000. The Secretary 

21 shall disburse to an institution or consortium the 

22 amount awarded under the grant in such amounts 

23 and at such times during the grant period as the 

24 Secretary determines appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—From the amounts appropriated to 

2 carry out this section, and not later than 3 years after 

3 the date on which the first grant is awarded under sub4 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re5 port on the grant program established under subsection 

6 (a), including— 

7 ‘‘(1) the number of grants awarded; 

8 ‘‘(2) the institutions of higher education and 

9 consortia that have received grants; 

10 ‘‘(3) with respect to each such institution of 

11 higher education and consortium— 

12 ‘‘(A) the amounts awarded; 

13 ‘‘(B) how such institution or consortium 

14 used such amounts; 

15 ‘‘(C) a description of the demographics of 

16 student veterans (and spouses or partners and 

17 children of such students) to whom services 

18 were offered as a result of the award, including 

19 students who are women and belong to minority 

20 groups; 

21 ‘‘(D) the number of student veterans (and 

22 spouses or partners and children of such stu23 dents) to whom services were offered as a result 

24 of the award, and a description of the services 

25 that were offered and provided; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) data enumerating whether the use of 

2 the amounts awarded helped student veterans 

3 at the institution or consortium toward comple4 tion of a degree, certificate, or credential; 

5 ‘‘(4) best practices for student veteran success, 

6 identified by reviewing data provided by institutions 

7 and consortia that received a grant under this sec8 tion; and 

9 ‘‘(5) a determination by the Secretary with re10 spect to whether the grant program under this sec11 tion should be extended or expanded. 

12 ‘‘(f) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEST PRACTICES

13 WEBSITE.—Subject to the availability of appropriations 

14 under subsection (h) and not later than 3 years after the 

15 date on which the first grant is awarded under subsection 

16 (a), the Secretary shall develop and implement a website 

17 for Student Veteran Centers at institutions of higher edu18 cation, which details best practices for serving student vet19 erans at institutions of higher education. 

20 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

22 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

23 meaning given the term in section 101. 

24 ‘‘(2) STUDENT VETERAN CENTER.—The term 

25 ‘Student Veteran Center’ means a dedicated space 


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1 on a campus of an institution of higher education 

2 that provides students who are veterans, members of 

3 the Armed Forces serving on active duty, or mem4 bers of a reserve component of the Armed Forces 

5 with the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) A lounge or meeting space for such 

7 student veterans (and the spouses or partners 

8 and children of such students), and veterans in 

9 the community. 

10 ‘‘(B) A centralized office for student vet11 eran services that— 

12 ‘‘(i) is a single point of contact to co13 ordinate comprehensive support services 

14 for student veterans; 

15 ‘‘(ii) is staffed by trained employees 

16 and volunteers, which includes veterans 

17 and at least one full-time employee or vol18 unteer who is trained as a veterans’ bene19 fits counselor; 

20 ‘‘(iii) provides student veterans with 

21 assistance relating to— 

22 ‘‘(I) transitioning from the mili23 tary to student life; 

24 ‘‘(II) transitioning from the mili25 tary to the civilian workforce; 


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1 ‘‘(III) networking with other stu2 dent veterans and veterans in the 

3 community; 

4 ‘‘(IV) understanding and obtain5 ing benefits provided by the institu6 tion of higher education, Federal Gov7 ernment, and State for which such 

8 students may be eligible; 

9 ‘‘(V) understanding how to suc10 ceed in the institution of higher edu11 cation, including by understanding 

12 academic policies, the course selection 

13 process, and institutional policies and 

14 practices related to the transfer of 

15 academic credits; and 

16 ‘‘(VI) understanding disability-re17 lated rights and protections under the 

18 Americans with Disabilities Act of 

19 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and 

20 section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 

21 of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794); and 

22 ‘‘(iv) provides comprehensive academic 

23 and tutoring services for student veterans, 

24 including peer-to-peer tutoring and aca25 demic mentorship. 


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1 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 

3 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024 and 

4 each of the 7 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

Æ 


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