Torrence Joseph from the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, State Approving Agency shares his view into 2024. Joseph highlights how SAAs and institutions can work together across the country to help student veterans and their families realize their educational goals.

Institutions are constantly working to ease the transition from service to school. Joseph advises, "There is no 'one-size fits all' solution to ease the transitions. Veterans are not a monolith and have many different experiences." While it may take time, bandwidth, and resources Joseph hopes "schools can get out and talk to their veterans." From there, veteran centers, peer groups, and campus staff can be more informed on what the general trends and needs are for their military-affiliated population, which might vary greatly from campus to campus.

Communication gaps between institutions and SAAs are a common concern and pain point. Joseph confides that, "Many states have developed or are developing state associations that bring together the certifying officials and state approving agencies. In Louisiana, our association is the Louisiana Association of Veterans Education and Certifying Officials (LAVECO). These associations allow for certifying officials to share information and discuss issues to bring to the state approving agencies. Information and updates are delivered to the group instead of individually." School certifying officials and other staff should check with their SAA to see how to get involved and receive updates about state level meetings.

As many already know, the re-approval process for GI Bill® approved programs has changed.

These changes were implemented for a number of reasons says Joseph, "The school reviews used to consist of catalog updates. Some schools closed during academic terms, other schools lost accreditation or state board licenses, and a few schools were involved in high dollar fraud cases."

This has resulted in changes to the re-approval process shares Joseph, "SAAs are now conducting re-approvals instead of catalog updates. This means more items are now required for re-approval, including the Department of Education Program Participation Agreement, an updated accreditation letter, shopping sheets/college financing plans, state licenses, and updated versions of required VA forms."

It is becoming more and more evident that service transcripts need to be evaluated more efficiently, Joseph says, "The VA mandates that prior credit is evaluated. However, there was an educational gap in evaluating military service, schools, and experiences. Higher ed professionals should put in place a method to require and review Joint Service Transcripts or Community College of the Air Force transcripts from service members, just as transcripts are required from any other institution of learning."

When it comes to evaluating service transcripts, Joseph recommends taking a look at the ACE Military Guide for guidance, "The military has its own language (other than the Air Force) on the Joint Service Transcript. The ACE Military Guide has provided a wonderful bridge in explaining the experience and learning of service members for personnel evaluating prior credit. The Military Guide provides credit recommendations for schools to consider. For schools who may not understand how to apply military experience, this is a great place to start."

We all know there can be headaches when institutions and SAAs work together and run into pressing issues. As an SAA, service member, and student veteran, Joseph understands that the headaches can pile up and be frustrating but hopes that the processes can continue to improve if both sides work together. Joseph says, "Each state has its own higher education authority. These boards may have varying rules for operation. Some states are required to have documents that other states may not require. Schools that operate in multiple states have to navigate these rules. For SAAs, navigating these rules along with VA requirements may lead to confusion among the SAAs and schools. Ultimately, the VA is now requiring an extensive list of approval requirements that all states are having to abide by. However, the VA is also allowing just enough leeway for each state to remain independent in how schools are operating."

Article Topics

Military Friendly Institutions Policy News Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Women Veterans

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