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mallory ragonA MoreInformedMilitaryNew requirements with military tuition assistanceprograms aim at transparencyBy Mallory Ragon, Staff WriterThe programs. The department published the proposedDepartment of Defense has issued new requirementsfor schools participating in military tuition assistancerule in the Federal Register in late August, and it was designed to fulfillthe objectives of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13607. Theorder directed government agencies – including the departments of Defense,Veterans Affairs and Education – to strengthen the rules for the use of federalfunds. The proposed rule was designed to accomplish this by establishingprinciples of excellence for educational institutions that receive federalfunding through military educational benefits programs.Military service members have access to educational programs whilethey are serving on active duty (or as a member of the selected reserve).These programs can include high school education completion; literacyimprovement; career and technical education; credit for military training;and postsecondary education that leads to industry-recognized credentials,undergraduate degrees or graduate degrees.The proposed rule is an amendment to a policy regarding voluntary educationprograms published in December 2012, which established eligibility criteriafor schools to receive tuition assistance from military programs. Thisinstruction also created a memorandum of understanding (MOU) betweenthe Department of Defense and institutions of higher learning. A signedMOU is required for any school wanting to participate in tuition assistanceprograms (in the form of military tuition assistance, VA funds, militaryspouse programs or Title IV funding) with members of the military.Executive Order 13607 called for more definitive rules regarding thestipulations of the required criteria outlined in December and to strengthenthe requirements in the memorandum of understanding. To that end, theDepartment of Defense has specified that institutions of higher learningprovide meaningful information about the cost of educational programs; donot engage in unfair, deceptive and abusive recruitment practices; and provideacademic support services to military students and their families.The intention is to encourage transparency with schools. They will berequired to share specific information about the full cost of the programsavailable, information about access to funding benefits and an educationplan for completing the program. Carolyn Baker of the Office of the UnderSecretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy said thedepartment’s hope is for students to be more informed about their educationwhile in the military and to have ready access to additional information theypreviously didn’t have or didn’t know to ask for. Additionally, the departmentis continuing to implement rules to ensure military students are not targetedby unfair recruitment practices. The executive order specifically stipulatesthat institutions of higher learning may not recruit on military bases unlessthey are present as part of an organized education fair.The executive order also includes instructions for the creation of a newcomplaint system. Currently, each branch of the military service has its ownprocess for receiving and resolving complaints. Because they are separatedby branch, there is no capacity for communication between services, trackingof complaints across branches or consolidation of issues. The new systemNOVEMBER 2013 | 68