Title: Safeguarding Student Veterans Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Safeguarding Student Veterans Act
This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to share information about certain educational institutions with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and it requires the VA to undertake a risk analysis for such institutions.
Specifically, the bill requires ED to provide notice to the VA when it places an institution on heightened cash monitoring status due to a determination that the institution does not meet specific standards for the administration of a program of student financial aid.
Further, the bill requires the VA to conduct an analysis of the risk posed by such an institution to students who use educational assistance provided by the VA. The VA must then notify any individual pursuing a course or program of education at the institution and also publish such notice on online.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4012 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4012

 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and title 38, United States 
     Code, to conduct risk analyses regarding certain educational 
   institutions receiving payments under the Department of Education 
   heightened cash monitoring payment method, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2019

Mr. Cummings (for himself and Mr. Yoho) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and title 38, United States 
     Code, to conduct risk analyses regarding certain educational 
   institutions receiving payments under the Department of Education 
   heightened cash monitoring payment method, 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 ``Safeguarding Student Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HEIGHTENED CASH MONITORING STATUS.

    Section 487(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1094(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(8) In a case in which, pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), the 
        Secretary makes payments to an eligible institution using the 
        heightened cash monitoring payment method due to the 
        determination that the institution fails to meet reasonable 
        standards of financial responsibility or appropriate 
        institutional capability for the administration of a program of 
        student financial aid under this title, not later than 5 days 
        after such determination with respect to the institution and on 
        an ongoing basis thereafter, the Secretary of Education shall 
        provide to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs--
                    ``(A) notice of such determination; and
                    ``(B) any information submitted to the Secretary of 
                Education by the eligible institution for purposes of 
                such payment method.''.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS RISK ANALYSIS AND NOTICE TO 
              STUDENTS REGARDING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CASH PAYMENT 
              MONITORING OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 3699B. Risk analysis and notice to students regarding Department 
              of Education cash payment monitoring of educational 
              institutions
    ``(a) Risk Analysis.--(1) In the case of any covered educational 
institution, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct an 
analysis of the risk posed by the school to students using entitlement 
to educational assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary. 
Such risk analysis shall include the following risk factors:
            ``(A) Rapid increases in veteran enrollment.
            ``(B) Increases in the amount of benefits per capita.
            ``(C) Volume of student complaints.
            ``(D) Rates of Federal student loan defaults of veterans.
            ``(E) Veteran completion rates.
            ``(F) Deficiencies identified by accreditors and other 
        State agencies.
            ``(G) Deficiencies in Department of Veterans Affairs 
        program administration compliance.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall complete such risk analysis by not later 
than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives the notice 
referred to in paragraph (3)(A).
    ``(3) In this subsection, a covered educational institution is an 
educational institution--
            ``(A) for which the Secretary receives notice from the 
        Secretary of Education under section 487(c)(8) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(c)(8)) that an 
        educational institution is receiving payments under the 
        heightened cash monitoring payment method due to the 
        determination that the institution fails to meet reasonable 
        standards of financial responsibility or appropriate 
        institutional capability for the administration of a program of 
        student financial aid; and
            ``(B) where 20 or more individuals are pursuing a course or 
        program of education using educational assistance under chapter 
        30, 32, 33, or 35 of this title, or chapter 1606 or 1607 of 
        title 10.
    ``(b) Notice.--Not later than 15 days after completing a risk 
analysis under subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall--
            ``(1) provide notice of such determination to any 
        individual who is pursuing a course or program of education at 
        such educational institution using the individual's entitlement 
        to educational assistance under chapter 30, 32, 33, or 35 of 
        this title, or chapter 1606 or 1607 of title 10; and
            ``(2) publish such notice on an appropriate website of the 
        Department, including as part of the GI Bill Comparison tool, 
        or any successor.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``3699B. Risk analysis and notice to students regarding Department of 
                            Education cash payment monitoring of 
                            educational institutions.''.
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