Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act of 2021
Bill: S.1607 | Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian (D-HI)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Student Veterans Transparency and Protection Act of 2021
This bill addresses the maintenance of the GI Bill Comparison Tool and administration of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance.
The VA must maintain the tool and ensure its historical data remains easily and prominently accessible on the VA's benefits website for at least seven years from the initial publication.
The VA must retain, maintain, and publish feedback from students and state approving agencies regarding the quality of instruction, recruiting practices, and post-graduation employment placement of approved institutions of higher learning for the duration that the institution is approved for VA benefit purposes.
The bill provides institutions of higher learning with up to 30 days to review and respond to any feedback and address issues before the feedback is published.
The bill requires that the GI Bill Comparison Tool include updated information, including descriptions of each federal student aid program and the amount of educational assistance an individual may be eligible to receive under the program.
The VA must train personnel that provide education benefits counseling, vocational or transition assistance, or similar functions to properly use the comparison tool and provide appropriate education counseling services.
The VA must restore entitlement to educational assistance in situations where there is a civil enforcement action or VA action against an educational institution, and an individual was unable to complete the course or program of education due to such action. Individuals may be charged against their entitlement at their request.

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve how the 
  Department of Veterans Affairs discloses to individuals entitled to 
educational assistance from the Department risks associated with using 
 such assistance at particular educational institutions and to restore 
entitlement of students to such assistance who are pursuing programs of 
 education at educational institutions that are subject to Federal or 
        State civil enforcement action, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Student Veterans Transparency and 
Protection Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF EDUCATIONAL 
              INSTITUTIONS FOR PURPOSES OF VETERANS EDUCATIONAL 
              ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Requirement Relating to G.I. Bill Comparison Tool.--
            (1) Requirement to maintain tool.--The Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs shall maintain the G.I. Bill Comparison Tool 
        that was established pursuant to Executive Order 13607 (77 Fed. 
        Reg. 25861; relating to establishing principles of excellence 
        for educational institutions serving service members, veterans, 
        spouses, and other family members) and in effect on the day 
        before the date of the enactment of this Act, or successor 
        tool, to provide relevant and timely information about programs 
        of education approved under chapter 36 of title 38, United 
        States Code, and the educational institutions that offer such 
        programs.
            (2) Data retention.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
        historical data that is reported via the tool maintained under 
        paragraph (1) remains easily and prominently accessible on the 
        benefits.va.gov website, or successor website, for a period of 
        not less than seven years from the date of initial publication.
    (b) Providing Timely and Relevant Education Information to 
Veterans, Members of the Armed Forces, and Other Individuals.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
        in coordination with the Secretary of Education, shall make 
        such changes to the tool maintained under subsection (a) as the 
        Secretary determines appropriate to ensure that such tool is an 
        effective and efficient method for providing information 
        pursuant to section 3698(b)(5) of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) Modification of scope of comprehensive policy on 
        providing education information.--Section 3698 of title 38, 
        United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``veterans and 
                members of the Armed Forces'' and inserting 
                ``individuals entitled to educational assistance under 
                laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
                Affairs''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)(5)--
                            (i) by striking ``veterans and members of 
                        the Armed Forces'' and inserting ``individuals 
                        described in subsection (a)''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``the veteran or member'' 
                        and inserting ``the individual''.
            (3) G.I. bill comparison tool required disclosures.--
        Paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of such section is amended--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(B) for each individual described in subsection (a) 
        seeking information provided under subsection (b)(5)--
                    ``(i) the name of each Federal student aid program, 
                and a description of each such program, from which the 
                individual may receive educational assistance; and
                    ``(ii) for each program named and described 
                pursuant to clause (i), the amount of educational 
                assistance that the individual may be eligible to 
                receive under the program; and''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by inserting ``and a 
                        definition of each type of institution'' before 
                        the semicolon;
                            (ii) by striking clause (v) and inserting 
                        the following:
                    ``(v) the average total cost, the average tuition, 
                the average cost of room and board, the average cost 
                and the average fees to earn a certificate, and 
                associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, a postdoctoral 
                degree, and any other degree or credential the 
                institution awards;'';
                            (iii) in clause (xii), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
                        and
                            (iv) by adding at the end the following new 
                        clauses:
                    ``(xiii) program, degree, and certificate 
                completion rates, disaggregated by individuals who are 
                veterans, individuals who are members of the Armed 
                Forces, and individuals who are neither veterans nor 
                members of the Armed Forces;
                    ``(xiv) transfer-out rates, disaggregated by 
                individuals who are veterans, individuals who are 
                members of the Armed Forces, and individuals who are 
                neither veterans nor members of the Armed Forces;
                    ``(xv) credentials available and the average time 
                for completion of each credential;
                    ``(xvi) employment rate and median income of 
                graduates of the institution in general, disaggregated 
                by--
                            ``(I) specific credential;
                            ``(II) individuals who are veterans;
                            ``(III) individuals who are members of the 
                        Armed Forces; and
                            ``(IV) individuals who are neither veterans 
                        nor members of the Armed Forces;
                    ``(xvii) percentage of individuals who received 
                educational assistance under this title to pursue a 
                program of education at the institution who did not 
                earn a credential within six years of commencing such 
                program of education;
                    ``(xviii) the median amount of debt incurred from a 
                Federal student loan made, insured, or guaranteed under 
                title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1070 et seq.) by an individual who pursued a program of 
                education at the institution with educational 
                assistance under this title, disaggregated by--
                            ``(I) individuals who received a credential 
                        and individuals who did not; and
                            ``(II) individuals who are veterans, 
                        individuals who are members of the Armed 
                        Forces, and individuals who are neither 
                        veterans nor members of the Armed Forces;
                    ``(xix) whether the institution participates in 
                Federal student aid programs, and if so, which 
                programs;
                    ``(xx) the average number of individuals enrolled 
                in the institution per year, disaggregated by--
                            ``(I) individuals who are veterans;
                            ``(II) individuals who are members of the 
                        Armed Forces; and
                            ``(III) individuals who are neither 
                        veterans nor members of the Armed Forces; and
                    ``(xxi) a list of each civil settlement or finding 
                resulting from a Federal or State action in a court of 
                competent jurisdiction against the institution for 
                violation of a provision of Federal or State law that 
                materially affects the education provided at the 
                institution or is the result of illicit activity, 
                including deceptive marketing or misinformation 
                provided to prospective students or current 
                enrollees.''.
            (4) Clarity of information provided.--Paragraph (2) of such 
        subsection is amended--
                    (A) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``To the extent''; 
                and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
    ``(B) The Secretary shall ensure that information provided under 
subsection (b)(5) is provided in a manner that is easy and accessible 
to individuals described in subsection (a), especially with respect to 
information described in paragraph (1)(C)(xxii).''.
    (c) Improvements for Student Feedback.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (b)(2) of such section is 
        amended--
                    (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 
                follows:
                    ``(A) providing institutions of higher learning up 
                to 30-days to review and respond to any feedback and 
                address issues regarding the feedback before the 
                feedback is published'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting a semicolon; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraphs:
                    ``(D) for each institution of higher learning that 
                is approved under this chapter, retains, maintains, and 
                publishes all of such feedback for the entire duration 
                that the institution of higher is approved under this 
                chapter; and
                    ``(E) is easily accessible to individuals described 
                in subsection (a) and to the general public.''.
            (2) Accessibility from g.i. bill comparison tool.--The 
        Secretary shall ensure that--
                    (A) the feedback tracked and published under 
                subsection (b)(2) of such section, as amended by 
                paragraph (1), is prominently displayed in the tool 
                maintained under subsection (a) of this section; and
                    (B) when such tool displays information for an 
                institution of higher learning, the applicable feedback 
                is also displayed for such institution of higher 
                learning.
    (d) Training for Provision of Education Counseling Services.--
            (1) In general.--Not less than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that 
        personnel employed or contracted by the Department of Veteran 
        Affairs to provide education benefits counseling, vocational or 
        transition assistance, or similar functions, including 
        employees or contractors of the Department who provide such 
        counseling or assistance as part of the Transition Assistance 
        Program, are trained on how--
                    (A) to use properly the tool maintained under 
                subsection (a); and
                    (B) to provide appropriate educational counseling 
                services to veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and 
                other individuals.
            (2) Transition assistance program defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``Transition Assistance Program'' means 
        the program of counseling, information, and services under 
        section 1142 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF ENTITLEMENT TO VETERANS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE 
              AND OTHER RELIEF FOR VETERANS AFFECTED BY CIVIL 
              ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS AGAINST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3699(b)(1) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``; or'' and inserting 
        a semicolon;
            (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``; and'' and 
        inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) a Federal or State civil enforcement action 
                against the education institution; or
                    ``(D) an action taken by the Secretary; and''.
    (b) Mechanism.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a 
simple mechanism that can be used by an individual described in 
subsection (b)(1) of section 3699 of such title by reason of 
subparagraph (C) or (D) of such subsection, as added by subsection 
(a)(3) of this section, to obtain relief under section 3699(a) of such 
title.
    (c) Partial Restoration of Entitlements.--Subsection (a) of such 
section is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
            (2) in the matter before subparagraph (A), as redesignated 
        by paragraph (1), by striking ``Any payment'' and inserting 
        ``(1) Subject to paragraph (2), any payment''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph (2):
    ``(2) A payment of educational assistance described in subsection 
(b) by reason of subparagraph (C) or (D) of paragraph (1) of such 
subsection may be charged against the entitlement to educational 
assistance of the individual concerned--
            ``(A) if the individual requests such charge; and
            ``(B) to such percentage of charge as the individual may 
        specify, except that such percentage may not be less than zero 
        or more than 100.''.
    (d) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section heading.--The heading for section 3699 of such 
        title is amended by striking ``or disapproval of educational 
        institution'' and inserting ``of, disapproval of, or civil 
        enforcement actions against educational institutions''.
            (2) Subsection heading.--The heading for subsection (a) of 
        such section is amended by striking ``or Disapproval'' and 
        inserting ``, Disapproval, Civil Enforcement Actions, and Other 
        Actions by Secretary of Veterans Affairs''.
            (3) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 36 of such title is amended by striking 
        the item relating to section 3699 and inserting the following 
        new item:

``3699. Effects of closure of, disapproval of, or civil enforcement 
                            actions against educational 
                            institutions.''.
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