Veteran's Post: New education tool for vets

Whether you’re a veteran or a family member using GI Bill benefits or the Department of Defense Military Tuition Assistance Program, if things go wrong, it’s hard to know where to turn. The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new complaint system online, in partnership with the departments of defense, education and justice, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — big guns all of them.

This reporting system will help in three ways: Veterans can report negative experiences with a school; the government can identify unfair or misleading practices; quality academic support will be available.

The range of complaint topics is broad and includes problems with credit transfers, changes in degree requirements and unfair recruiting practices, all covered by the Principles of Excellence that schools must follow if they receive government money for veterans programs.

The reporting program can be reached on the GI Bill and DoD websites. Once a complaint is received, the agencies will contact the school and work at a resolution. Go to www.benefits.va.gov/gibill and click on GI Bill Feedback System. For DoD, go to www.militaryonesource.mil and put “school complaints” in the search box to reach the Postsecondary Education Complaint System.

At the same time, the VA has opened up the GI Bill Comparison Tool. This is quite a site, even though it’s in Beta testing (still being tried out). In one place you can explore your career, compare schools, choose a school, apply for benefits and more. Just by answering a few questions, you can get an estimate of your benefits and information about the school’s value (how much you’ll earn in your career).

For the comparison tool, go online to www.benefits.va.gov/gibill and click on GI Bill Comparison Tool. If you don’t know exactly the direction you want to take, start with the CareerScope assessment tool.

Freddy Groves regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Send email to [email protected]. © 2014 King Features Synd. Inc.