II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 604 

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

education in establishing, maintaining, improving, and operating Veteran 

Student Centers. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2015 

Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. NELSON) 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 Veteran Student 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 attended in9 stitutions of higher education in 2014. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 604 IS

1 (2) Veterans face unique challenges in 

2 transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom 

3 and eventually to the workforce, often including: age 

4 differences, family obligations, significant time away 

5 from academic life, and service-related disabilities. 

6 (3) The National Endowment for the Human7 ities’ Warrior-Scholar Project found that ‘‘veterans 

8 transitioning to college likely have not used academic 

9 skills since high school and have difficulty adjusting 

10 to a fundamentally different social and cultural envi11 ronment, [leading] to veterans dropping out of col12 lege before earning their degree’’. 

13 (4) The National Education Association found 

14 that veteran students can feel lonely and vulnerable 

15 on campus and that ‘‘connecting student veterans 

16 can effectively ease this isolation’’ by bringing to17 gether new veteran students with those who have al18 ready successfully navigated the first few semesters 

19 of college. 

20 (5) The unemployment rate for post-9/11 vet21 erans far outpaces both the overall non-veteran un22 employment rate and the unemployment rate for 

23 non-veterans entering the workforce for the first 

24 time. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 604 IS

1 (6) According to Mission United—a United 

2 Way program that helps veterans re-acclimate to ci3 vilian life—it is often ‘‘essential’’ for veteran stu4 dents to be mentored by ‘‘another veteran who un5 derstands their mindset and experience’’. 

6 (7) Veteran Student Centers are recognized as 

7 an institutional best practice by Student Veterans of 

8 America. 

9 (8) The American Council on Education, which 

10 represents more than 1,700 institutions of higher 

11 education across the country, has called having a 

12 dedicated space for veterans on campus ‘‘a prom13 ising way for colleges and universities to better serve 

14 veterans on campus’’ and a ‘‘critical’’ component of 

15 many colleges’ efforts to serve their veteran stu16 dents. 

17 (9) The Department of Education included as 

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

19 and universities should ‘‘coordinate and centralize 

20 campus efforts for all veterans, together with the 

21 creation of a designated space for them’’. 

22 (10) Budget constraints often make it difficult 

23 or impossible for institutions of higher education to 

24 dedicate space to veteran offices, lounges, or student 

25 centers. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 604 IS

1 (11) The 110th Congress authorized the fund2 ing of Veteran Student Centers through the Centers 

3 of Excellence for Veteran Student Success under 

4 part T of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 

5 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t). Congress also chose to ap6 propriate funding for this program for fiscal year 

7 2015 under the Consolidated and Further Con8 tinuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public Law 113– 

9 235). 

10 (12) According to the Department of Edu11 cation, federally funded Veteran Student Centers 

12 and staff have generated improved recruitment, re13 tention, and graduation rates, have helped veteran 

14 students feel better connected across campus, and 

15 have directly contributed to student veterans’ suc16 cessful academic outcomes. 

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

18 IMPROVE VETERAN STUDENT CENTERS. 

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

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

21 ‘‘PART T—GRANTS FOR VETERAN STUDENT 

22 CENTERS 

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

24 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Subject to the avail25 ability of appropriations under subsection (i), the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:19 Mar 06, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S604.IS S604

asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 604 IS

1 retary shall award grants to institutions of higher edu2 cation or consortia of institutions of higher education to 

3 assist in the establishment, maintenance, improvement, 

4 and operation of Veteran Student Centers. The Secretary 

5 shall award not more than 30 grants under this sub6 section. 

7 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

8 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—An institution or consor9 tium seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall sub10 mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 

11 such manner, and containing such information as 

12 the Secretary may require. 

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

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

15 consortium if the institution or consortium meets 

16 each of the following criteria: 

17 ‘‘(A) The institution or consortium enrolls 

18 in undergraduate or graduate courses— 

19 ‘‘(i) a significant number of veteran 

20 students, members of the Armed Forces 

21 serving on active duty, and members of a 

22 reserve component of the Armed Forces; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) a significant percentage of vet24 eran students, as measured by comparing 

25 the overall enrollment of the institution or 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 604 IS

1 consortium to the number, for the most re2 cent academic year for which data are 

3 available, of veteran students, members of 

4 the Armed Forces serving on active duty, 

5 and members of a reserve component of 

6 the Armed Forces who are enrolled in un7 dergraduate or graduate courses at the in8 stitution or consortium. 

9 ‘‘(B) The institution or consortium pre10 sents a sustainability plan to demonstrate that 

11 its Veteran Student Center will be maintained 

12 and will continue to operate after the grant pe13 riod of the grant received under subsection (a) 

14 has ended. 

15 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL CRITERIA.—In awarding 

16 grants under subsection (a), the Secretary— 

17 ‘‘(A) shall consider institutions or con18 sortia representing a broad spectrum of sectors 

19 and sizes, including institutions or consortia 

20 from urban, suburban, and rural regions of the 

21 United States; and 

22 ‘‘(B) may provide consideration to institu23 tions or consortia that meet 1 or more of the 

24 following criteria: 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 604 IS

1 ‘‘(i) The institution or consortium is 

2 located in a region or community that has 

3 a significant population of veterans. 

4 ‘‘(ii) The institution or consortium 

5 carries out programs or activities that as6 sist veterans in the local community and 

7 the spouses of veteran students. 

8 ‘‘(iii) The institution or consortium 

9 partners in its veteran-specific program10 ming with nonprofit veteran service organi11 zations, local workforce development orga12 nizations, or institutions of higher edu13 cation. 

14 ‘‘(iv) The institution or consortium 

15 commits to hiring a staff at the Veteran 

16 Student Center that includes veterans (in17 cluding veteran student volunteers and vet18 eran students participating in a Federal 

19 work-study program under part C of title 

20 IV, a work-study program administered by 

21 the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, or a 

22 State work-study program). 

23 ‘‘(v) The institution or consortium is 

24 willing to consider providing veteran stu25 dents with academic credit for comparable 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 604 IS

1 subject-area training received while serving 

2 in the Armed Forces and commits to dedi3 cating resources to helping its student vet4 erans navigate their way through the 

5 transfer credit process. 

6 ‘‘(vi) The institution or consortium 

7 commits to using a portion of the grant re8 ceived under this section to develop an 

9 early warning veteran student retention 

10 program carried out by the Veteran Stu11 dent Center. 

12 ‘‘(vii) The institution or consortium 

13 commits to providing mental health coun14 seling to its veteran students and their 

15 spouses. 

16 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An institution or consor18 tium that is awarded a grant under subsection (a) 

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

20 or operate a Veteran Student Center. 

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

22 or consortium receiving a grant under subsection (a) 

23 may use a portion of such funds to carry out sup24 portive instruction services for student veterans, in25 cluding— 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 604 IS

1 ‘‘(A) assistance with special admissions 

2 and transfer of credit from previous postsec3 ondary education or experience; and 

4 ‘‘(B) any other support services the insti5 tution or consortium determines to be necessary 

6 to ensure the success of veterans on campus in 

7 achieving education and career goals. 

8 ‘‘(d) AMOUNTS AWARDED.— 

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

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

11 ‘‘(2) TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANT AND SCHED12 ULE.—Each grant awarded under subsection (a) 

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

14 shall disburse to an institution or consortium the 

15 amounts awarded under the grant in such amounts 

16 and at such times during the grant period as the 

17 Secretary determines appropriate. 

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

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

20 the date on which the first grant is awarded under sub21 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re22 port on the grant program established under subsection 

23 (a), including— 

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


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 604 IS

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

2 consortia that have received grants; 

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

4 higher education and consortium— 

5 ‘‘(A) the amounts awarded; 

6 ‘‘(B) how such institution or consortium 

7 used such amounts; 

8 ‘‘(C) a description of the students to whom 

9 services were offered as a result of the award; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(D) data enumerating whether the use of 

12 the amounts awarded helped veteran students 

13 at the institution or consortium toward comple14 tion of a degree, certificate, or credential; 

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

16 identified by reviewing data provided by institutions 

17 and consortia that received a grant under this sec18 tion; and 

19 ‘‘(5) a determination by the Secretary with re20 spect to whether the grant program under this sec21 tion should be extended or expanded. 

22 ‘‘(f) TERMINATION.—The authority of the Secretary 

23 to carry out the grant program established under sub24 section (a) shall terminate on the date that is 4 years after 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 604 IS

1 the date on which the first grant is awarded under sub2 section (a). 

3 ‘‘(g) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEST PRACTICES

4 WEBSITE.—Subject to the availability of appropriations 

5 under subsection (i) and not later than 3 years after the 

6 date on which the first grant is awarded under subsection 

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

8 for veteran student services at institutions of higher edu9 cation, which details best practices for serving veteran stu10 dents at institutions of higher education. 

11 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

13 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in section 101. 

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

16 ‘Veteran Student Center’ means a dedicated space 

17 on a campus of an institution of higher education 

18 that provides students who are veterans or members 

19 of the Armed Forces with the following: 

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

21 veteran students, their spouses or partners, and 

22 veterans in the community. 

23 ‘‘(B) A centralized office for veteran serv24 ices that— 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 604 IS

1 ‘‘(i) is a single point of contact to co2 ordinate comprehensive support services 

3 for veteran students; 

4 ‘‘(ii) is staffed by trained employees 

5 and volunteers, which includes veterans 

6 and at least 1 full-time employee or volun7 teer who is trained as a veterans’ benefits 

8 counselor; 

9 ‘‘(iii) provides veteran students with 

10 assistance relating to— 

11 ‘‘(I) transitioning from the mili12 tary to student life; 

13 ‘‘(II) transitioning from the mili14 tary to the civilian workforce; 

15 ‘‘(III) networking with other vet16 eran students and veterans in the 

17 community; 

18 ‘‘(IV) understanding and obtain19 ing benefits provided by the institu20 tion of higher education, Federal Gov21 ernment, and State for which such 

22 students may be eligible; 

23 ‘‘(V) understanding how to suc24 ceed in the institution of higher edu25 cation, including by understanding 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 604 IS

1 academic policies, the course selection 

2 process, and institutional policies and 

3 practices related to the transfer of 

4 academic credits; and 

5 ‘‘(VI) understanding their dis6 ability-related rights and protections 

7 under the Americans with Disabilities 

8 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) 

9 and section 504 of the Rehabilitation 

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

11 ‘‘(iv) provides comprehensive academic 

12 and tutoring services for veteran students, 

13 including peer-to-peer tutoring and aca14 demic mentorship. 

15 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 

17 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016 and 

18 each of the 3 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

19 SEC. 4. CONTINUATION OF AWARDS. 

20 An institution of higher education that received a 

21 grant under section 873 of the Higher Education Act of 

22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161t) before the date of enactment of 

23 this Act, as such section 873 (20 U.S.C. 1161t) was in 

24 effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 604 IS

1 shall continue to receive funds in accordance with the 

2 terms and conditions of such grant. 

Æ 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS