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Virginia Capitol C onnections, Spring 2016 11
Veterans Education
in Virginia
Educationand trainingplays avital role in
preparing veterans to succeed after they leave
the military, and Virginia’s post-secondary
educational institutions have answered the
call to help. The numbers tell the story: as
of March 2016, there were 1,063 institutions
approved to provide education and training
to Virginia veterans under the GI Bill. These
range from licensure, apprenticeship, and
on-the-job training programs to four-year undergraduate programs and
beyond. Virginia’s 62,991 GI Bill students brought in $884 million
in tuition and fees last year, significantly contributing to the Virginia
economy and its well-educated and well-trained workforce.
Promotes and safeguards
veteran education
Ensuring that Virginia veterans and eligible family members have
access to a wide variety of qualified education and training programs
is the job of the Virginia State Approving Agency (SAA) for Veterans
Education and Training, part of the Virginia Department of Veterans
Services (DVS). Only Virginia SAA-approved institutions may collect
GI Bill tuition and fees. Operating under a contract with the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA), the Virginia SAA manages a
comprehensive review and approval process to ensure that only those
education and training institutions that meet strict federal and state
criteria may offer GI Bill-approved programs. The Virginia SAA also
engages in outreach to encourage wider use of the GI Bill, by veterans,
schools, and employers.
The History of the GI Bill
& Evolution of State Approving Agencies
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s
Readjustment Act into law on June 22, 1944. This law, better known
as the GI Bill, providedWorldWar II veterans with a range of benefits
from medical care to education. The GI Bill has been heralded as
one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the
federal government due to its economic, social, and political impact.
By the time the original GI Bill ended on July 25, 1956, 7.8 million of
16 million World War II Veterans had participated in an education or
training program.
The GI Bill has had many incarnations throughout the years.
In 1984, former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny”
Montgomery revamped the GI Bill, which has been known as the
“Montgomery GI Bill” ever since. In 2008, thanks to Virginia’s own
Senator JimWebb, the GI Bill was updated once again. The new law,
referred to as the Post 9/11 GI Bill, provides enhanced educational
benefits that cover more educational expenses than its predecessor.
A unique collaboration between the VA and the states began on
January 1, 1947. To ensure that our nation’s veterans had access to
high-quality education, each state was required by Congress to create
or designate a state agency (known as a State Approving Agency)
to determine which education and training programs met federal
standards for GI Bill use. For many years, the Virginia SAA was part
of the Virginia Department of Education, before becoming part of the
Virginia DVS in 2004 to better align its role with other state veterans
services and programs.
Conclusion
The Virginia SAA plays a critical role in ensuring our veterans
have access to the education benefits they have earned through service
and sacrifice. To learn more about theVirginia SAA and other veterans
programs, visit the Virginia Department of Veterans Services’ website
at www.dvs.virginia.gov.
Martina Murray is Assistant Director, State Approving Agency,
Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
Quality Education and Training
for Virginia’s Veterans
By Martina Murray
In Service
to Our
Country
Virginia Officials and
their Military Service
This informative directory recognizes and celebrates
the sacrifices and struggles of veterans serving as
state officials in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Included are branches of service, dates of active
duty and membership in veterans organizations, in
addition to political affiliation and contact information.
In Service to Our Country is an informative reminder
of the exemplary military service by these officials to
help keep our country free!
Direct questions or comments to:
David Bailey
• 804.643.5554
Coming in 2016
Citizens were not, however, as confident in public safety agencies’
abilities to respond to acts of terrorism in the commonwealth. Three-
quarters of respondents (76 percent) indicated they were concerned
with terrorist attacks occurring inVirginia, with 73 percent concerned
about public safety agencies being unable to protect residents from
such attacks.
“The most recent terrorist attacks in Paris and California have
kept the thoughts of attacks in the commonwealth at the forefront of
most Virginians’ minds. Recent poll responses highlight the need for
conversations,” McDougle said.
The 2016 Commonwealth Poll: Public Safety obtained telephone
interviews with a representative sample of 931 adults living in
Virginia. The interviews were administered from January 4 to 12,
2016. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted
data is ±3.7 percentage points.
Robyn McDougle, PhD is Director, Commonwealth Education Policy
Institute, Adviser for Training and Research, Associate Professor of
Criminal Justice L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public
Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University.
Public Safety Poll from page 9
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