Reps. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) recently introduced the Military Learning for Credit Act, which would help veterans obtain college credit for prior military learning and training.
“American servicemembers receive the best training in the world,” Lamb said. “They deserve to get credit for that when they leave the military, continue their education, and start careers. Veterans are determined to continue serving here at home and, given a level playing field, they will compete with anyone.”
Every year, veterans receive approximately $10 billion in GI bill benefits to use at colleges or universities. Under current law, veterans who receive benefits through the Post 9/11 GI bill can use part of their benefits to cover costs associated with prior learning assessments. Other programs such as the Montgomery GI bill, however, do not include the cost of previous learning assessments.
The Military Learning for Credit Act would ensure that all veterans, regardless of the program through which they receive their benefits, could designate a portion of their benefits to cover these costs.
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning found that students who receive credits for prior learning are two and a half times more likely to graduate than students who do not. The bill may also decrease the amount of time it takes some student veterans to earn their degrees.
“As the proud Representative of more veterans than any Congressional district in New York State, I am committed to ensuring our heroes can succeed at home after they serve,” Stefanik said. “There are many crossovers between the training our troops receive in service and skills they need in higher education and their future careers, and veterans should not be subjected to time-consuming and costly coursework if it is duplicative to their training. This commonsense legislation simply eases the transition from military service to civilian life and gives our brave veterans a greater chance to succeed.”