1.This Act may be cited as the
Student Veteran Academic Counseling
Enhancement Act
or the Student Veteran ACE Act
.
2.Educational counseling
for veterans
(a)Chapter 36 of title
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
3698.
(a)(1)The Secretary shall make available
educational counseling under this section to covered students in accordance
with paragraph (4).
(2)An institution offering a program of
education may only be approved for purposes of this chapter if such institution
transmits to the Secretary information necessary for the Secretary to provide
educational counseling under this section, including information relating to
matriculation requirements, degree information, and enrollment requirements and
deadlines.
(3)In carrying out paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall—
(A)assign one educational counselor per
each 100 covered students in a geographical area as determined by the
Secretary; and
(B)provide covered students who are
located in remote areas that are not within a geographical area determined
under subparagraph (A) with adequate opportunities to receive counseling under
this section.
(4)(A)A covered student who is a veteran shall
automatically receive educational counseling under this section unless the
student declines to receive such counseling pursuant to subparagraph
(C).
(B)A covered student who is not a
veteran may elect to receive educational counseling under this section.
(C)The Secretary shall ensure that a
covered student may decline or elect to receive educational counseling under
this section pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B), as the case may be, through a
streamlined process on the Internet Web site of the Department.
(b)In providing
educational counseling under this section to covered students enrolled in an
institution, an educational counselor shall—
(1)answer inquiries by such students regarding
educational assistance provided by the Department;
(2)coordinate with
the institution to resolve inquiries described by paragraph (1), including
inquiries regarding the payment of such assistance;
(3)assist such
students with applications for such assistance;
(4)act as a liaison
between the Department and the institution;
(5)provide academic
counseling and transition assistance, including—
(A)discussing course
work, academic goals, degree progress, workload, and other relevant topics;
and
(B)providing guidance on—
(i)selecting
courses;
(ii)seeking—
(I)additional
financial resources;
(II)student support
services;
(III)tutoring;
and
(IV)job placement
counseling; and
(iii)understanding
benefits provided by the Department and the requirements for receiving
educational assistance provided by the Department; and
(6)carry out relevant
outreach activities.
(c)(1)An educational counselor may be
located—
(A)on the campus or facility of an
institution that elects to allow such counselor to be located at the
institution; or
(B)at
a facility of the Department, including a Vet Center established under section
1712A of this title or a mobile Vet Center.
(2)The Secretary shall ensure that an
educational counselor is able to provide counseling to covered students through
the use of interactive technology, including video conferencing using common
Internet applications.
(d)In hiring educational counselors under this
section, the Secretary shall apply the principles of preference for the hiring
of veterans established in subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5.
(e)Periodic
counseling sessions(1)Except as provided by paragraph (3), each
covered student assigned an educational counselor under this section shall
attend at least one counseling session per quarter, semester, or term, as the
case may be, with such counselor.
(2)Except as provided by paragraph (3), an
educational counselor shall notify the Secretary and the relevant institution
of any covered student who does not attend a counseling session under paragraph
(1).
(3)(A)The Secretary may waive
the periodic counseling sessions under paragraph (1) for a covered student if
the Secretary determines that such sessions would place an undue hardship on
the student.
(B)Paragraph (1) and (2) shall not apply
to a covered student who declines to receive educational counseling under this
section pursuant to subsection (a)(4)(A).
(f)The Secretary shall
submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of
Representatives an annual report on the educational counseling provided under
this section, including the following information listed by each
institution:
(1)The number of
covered students who received such counseling during the year covered by the
report.
(2)The number of
covered students who declined such counseling under subsection (a)(4) during
such year.
(3)The number of
covered students issued a waiver under subsection (e)(3) during such
year.
(4)For each quarter, semester, or term of the
institution covered by the report, the number of failing grades earned by
covered students receiving such counseling.
(5)The graduation rate of covered students who
received such counseling as compared to the overall graduation rate of students
during such year.
(g)In
this section:
(1)The term covered student means
an individual pursuing an approved program of education using educational
assistance under chapter 30, 32, 33, or 35 of this title or chapter 1606 or
1607 of title 10.
(2)The term educational counselor
means an employee of the Department who provides educational counseling under
this section.
(3)The term institution means an
institution that offers an approved program of education.
(4)The term approved program of
education means a program of education that may be pursued using
educational assistance under chapter 30, 32, 33, or 35 of this title or chapter
1606 or 1607 of title
10.
.
(b)The table of
sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after the item
relating to section 3697A the following new item:
3698. Educational
counseling.
.
(c)The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the
date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may—
(1)use a current program of the Department of
Veterans Affairs as of the date of the enactment of this Act, including the
VetSuccess on Campus program, to carry out section 3698 of title 38, United
States Code, as added by subsection (a), if the Secretary determines such
program meets the requirements of such section; or
(2)expand such a
current program to carry out such section 3698.
(e)Cooperation and
consultationThe Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consult and
cooperate with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Education, and any
other appropriate head of a Federal department or agency in carrying out the
amendments made by this Act.
3.Training and
counseling so veterans and members of the Armed Forces can make informed
decisions about education
(a)Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is further
amended by adding after section 3698, as added by section 2(a), the following
new section:
3699.Required
one-on-one educational counseling
(a)Provision of
counseling required(1)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
provide individualized, one-on-one educational counseling to an individual
considering pursuing a program of education with assistance furnished under
this chapter or any of chapters 30 through 35 of this title unless the
individual declines to receive such counseling. The Secretary shall ensure that
an individual may decline to receive such counseling through a streamlined
process on the Internet Web site of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2)The Secretary of Defense shall provide
individualized, one-on-one educational counseling to an individual considering
pursuing a program of education with assistance furnished under chapter 106A or
1606 of title 10 unless the individual declines to receive such counseling. The
Secretary shall ensure that an individual may decline to receive such
counseling through a streamlined process on the Internet Web site of the
Department of Defense.
(b)Time and manner
of counseling(1)Counseling provided
under subsection (a) to an individual described in such subsection considering
a program of education shall be provided at or before the individual enrolls in
such program as follows:
(A)To such individuals who have received
fewer than 1/3 of the credits necessary to complete the
program of education, a complete version of such counseling.
(B)To such individuals who have received
1/3 or more of the credits necessary to complete the
program of education, a condensed version of such counseling as the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs or the Secretary of Defense, as the case may be, considers
appropriate.
(2)To the extent practicable, counseling
provided under subsection (a) to an individual described in paragraph (1)(A) of
this subsection shall be provided in person.
(3)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and
the Secretary of Defense shall each establish, by regulation, procedures by
which individuals may receive counseling provided under subsection (a) when
receipt of such counseling in person is not practicable.
(c)A
complete version of counseling provided under subsection (b)(1) for an
individual shall include the following:
(1)An overview of
educational assistance available to the individual under this chapter and
chapters 30 through 35 of this title or under chapters 106A and 1606 of title
10, as the case may be.
(2)Development of a
personalized academic and career plan.
(3)An overview of the
information disclosed and made readily available under section 3672(f)(1) of
this title relevant to the academic and career plan developed under paragraph
(2).
(4)A discussion of
how enrollment in the program of education at the educational institution will
affect the individual's academic and career plan and the financial implications
for such individual of such enrollment.
(5)An introduction to
the College Navigator Internet Web site of the Department of Education.
(d)Counseling provided under subsection (a) may only be
provided by properly trained counselors, as determined by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense.
(e)Use of
information disclosed by educational institutionsIn providing
educational assistance under this section, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
and the Secretary of Defense shall, to the degree practicable, use the
information disclosed and made readily available under section 3672(f)(1) of
this title.
(f)Links to College
Navigator Internet Web Site of Department of EducationThe
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall provide links
on the Internet Web sites of the Department of Veterans Affairs of the
Department of Defense, respectively, to the College Navigator Internet Web site
of the Department of Education in such a manner as the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs and the Secretary of Defense consider appropriate to inform veterans
and members of the Armed Forces of the availability of and the benefits of
using the College Navigator Internet Web
site.
.
(b)The table of sections for chapter 36 of such title, as
amended by section 2(b), is amended by adding at the end the following new
item:
3699. Required one-on-one
educational
counseling.
.
(c)
(1)Heading of
section 3697A of title 38Section 3697A of such title is amended,
in the heading, by adding by
election
at the end.
(2)The table of sections for chapter 36 of such title is
amended by amending the item relating to section 3697A to read as
follows:
3697A. Educational and
vocational counseling by
election.
.
(d)Section 3697B of such title, as added by paragraph (1),
shall take effect on August 1, 2013, and shall apply with respect to
individuals considering pursuing programs of education as described in
subsection (a) of such section after such date.
4.Repeal of
limitation on payments for contract educational and vocational counseling
provided by Secretary of Veterans AffairsSection 3697 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended—
(1)by striking subsection (b);
(2)in subsection (a),
by striking (a) Subject to subsection (b) of this section,
educational
and inserting Educational
; and
(3)by striking
section 3697A
and inserting sections 3697A, 3698, or
3699
.
5.Veterans' education
consumer complaint tracking system
(a)Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is further
amended by inserting after section 3693 the following new section:
3693A.Complaint
tracking system
(a)Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a system to
collect, process, and track complaints submitted to the Secretary by
individuals who are enrolled in programs of education at educational
institutions to report instances of fraud, waste, and abuse by such
institutions with respect to the benefits and services provided by such
institutions to such individuals.
(b)This system established under subsection
(a) shall meet the following requirements:
(1)The system shall
create an individual case number for each complaint processed and tracked in
the system.
(2)The system shall
allow for the reporting of complaints, disaggregated by educational
institution.
(3)The system shall
allow for the reporting of complaints, disaggregated by topic or subject
matter.
(4)The system shall
allow for the submittal of complaints by—
(A)Internet Web site;
and
(B)telephone via a
toll-free number that is available every day at all hours.
(5)The system shall
allow for the sharing of complaints with the following:
(A)The educational
institutions that are the subjects of the complaints.
(B)The Secretary of
Education.
(C)The Secretary of
Defense.
(D)State approving
agencies.
(E)Nationally or
regionally recognized accrediting agencies and associations.
(F)Such other Federal
agencies as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers appropriate.
(c)The
Secretary shall conduct such outreach as may be necessary to inform individuals
described in subsection (a) of the system and process established under such
subsection.
(d)Consideration by
State approving agenciesWhenever a State approving agency
considers whether to approve a course of education of an educational
institution under this chapter, the State approving agency shall review and
take into consideration the complaints processed and tracked by the system
established under subsection (a) regarding the educational institution.
(e)(1)Whenever a complaint is
shared under subsection (b)(5), the complaint shall be anonymized, unless the
complainant gives permission to the Secretary to share the complainant's
identity.
(2)The Secretary may not share a
complaint under subsection (b)(5) with an educational institution if the
complainant requests that such complaint not be shared with an educational
institution.
.
(b)The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 36 of
such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 3693 the
following new item:
3693A. Complaint tracking
system.
.