VFW Applauds New GI Bill Comparison Tool

Feb 04, 2014

WASHINGTON — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is applauding today’s roll out of a new comparison tool to help student veterans compare GI Bill-eligible institutions from one online site. The comparison tool was the VFW’s second major education reform priority over the past two years to help provide better information to college-bound veterans.

“By offering student veterans better comparison information, we help them to choose the right schools and programs that match their goals,” said VFW National Commander William A. Thien. “In the past, veterans who wanted to use their GI Bill educational benefits would have to search through three different government agencies to find all of the information they can now find in a few simple clicks on the new Department of Veterans Affairs comparison tool.”

The new online comparison tool allows veterans to logon, enter a brief description of their military service, then choose among more than 6,000 GI Bill-eligible programs. The comparison tool then shows veterans what kind of reimbursement they can receive through the Post-9/11 GI Bill; how much they will receive in books and living stipends; how many GI Bill recipients currently attend the school; whether or not the school participates in VA’s Principles of Excellence or Yellow Ribbon Program; and how the school compares to similar institutions in graduation rates and financial assistance.

The new comparison tool is the second of two major consumer resources set into motion by a 2012 presidential executive order and codified through the Improving Transparency in Education for Veterans Act of 2012. Along with its partners from Student Veterans of America and the American Legion, the VFW worked closely with the White House and legislators to craft and implement both the executive order and the Transparency Act. Last week, the VFW applauded VA’s announcement of the first consumer resource, a secure, online complaint system to report fraud, waste and abuse.

Veterans looking to compare GI Bill-eligible schools can do so by clicking here.