Veteran Excellence Through Education Act of 2015

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants with minority serving institutions for the purpose of establishing verified delivery systems to address social and academic problems facing veterans enrolled at such institutions, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veteran Excellence Through Education Act of 2015 2. Department of Veterans Affairs grants to minority serving institutions to address social and academic problems facing veterans (a) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may make grants to minority serving institutions for the purpose of establishing verified delivery systems to address social and academic problems facing veterans enrolled at such institutions. (b) Use of funds The recipient of a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out any of the following activities for veterans enrolled at the institution receiving the grant: (1) Providing education services, including post-secondary education, courses in English as a second language, general education development preparation, financial literacy workshops and courses, generational diversity awareness programs, and health and wellness programs. (2) Activities designed to increase access to workforce services, including on-job training, internships, skills training, job placement, and personal development. (3) Other types of support services, including health and nutrition services, housing assistance, transportation, and child care. (4) Establishing a center for veteran student success on the campus of the institution to provide a single point of contact to coordinate comprehensive support services for veterans who are enrolled in a program of education offered by the institution. (5) Establishing a veteran support team, including representatives from the offices of the institution responsible for admissions, registration, financial aid, veterans benefits, academic advising, student health, personal or mental health counseling, career advising, and disabilities services, and any other office of the institution that provides support to veteran students on campus. (6) Providing a coordinator whose primary responsibility is to coordinate the activities carried out under the grant. (7) Monitoring the rates of enrollment, persistence, and completion of veterans who are enrolled in a program of education offered by the institution. (8) Developing a plan to sustain a center described in paragraph (4) after the institution no longer receives funds under this section. (9) Providing outreach to veterans to encourage them to enroll in a program of education offered by the institution. (10) Providing supportive instructional services for veterans enrolled in a program of education offered by the institution, including— (A) personal, academic, and career counseling; (B) tutoring and academic skill-building assistance; and (C) assistance with special admissions and transferring credits from previously attended institutions of higher learning or other relevant credits. (11) Providing assistance to veterans admitted for enrollment in a program of education offered by the institution in obtaining student financial aid. (12) Providing housing support for veterans enrolled in a program of education offered by the institution who live in institutional facilities or who commute. (13) Academic programs, orientation programs, and other activities designed to ease the transition to campus life for such veterans. (14) Support for veteran student organizations and veteran student support groups at the institution. (15) Coordination of academic advising and admissions counseling with military installations and national guard units located in the same geographic area as the institution. (16) Other support services the institution determines necessary to ensure the success of veterans enrolled in a program of education offered by the institution in achieving educational and career goals. (c) Eligibility To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a minority serving institution shall submit to the Secretary an application containing a program plan containing a strategy for meeting the needs of veterans enrolled in the institution. Such a plan shall include— (1) an identification of the population to be served; (2) an identification of the education and employment needs of the population to be served and the manner in which the activities proposed to be provided using grant funds are designed to strengthen the ability of such individuals to achieve their higher education goals; (3) a description of the activities proposed to be provided using grant funds and the manner in which such activities would be integrated with other appropriate activities carried out by or at the institution; and (4) a description, developed in consultation with the Secretary, of the performance measures proposed to be used to assess the performance of the institution in carrying out activities using grant funds. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) The term minority serving institution (2) The term historically Black college part B institution 20 U.S.C. 1061(2) (3) The term Hispanic-serving institution 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5) (4) The term Tribal College or University 20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3) (5) The term Predominantly Black Institution 20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6) (e) Termination The Secretary may only make a grant under this section during fiscal years 2016 through 2021.

Summary: Veteran Excellence Through Education Act of 2015 Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants, during FY2016-FY2021, to minority-serving institutions to establish verified delivery systems that address the social and academic problems facing enrolled veterans. Includes among authorized grant activities: (1) educational services, including courses in English as a second language, financial literacy workshops and courses, and health and wellness programs; (2) increased access to workforce services; (3) support services such as housing, transportation, and child care; and (4) establishing a veteran support team. Requires an institution, in order to receive such a grant, to submit to the Secretary a program plan and strategy to meet the needs of enrolled veterans.