Chairman Carper Highlights New Tool that Helps Veterans and Servicemembers in Pursuit of Higher Education

WASHINGTON- Today, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, highlighted a new tool released by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that provides veterans and servicemembers with more data to help make informed decisions about higher education. The tool, the GI Bill Comparison Tool, is a collaborative effort between the VA and the Education Department (ED). It brings together information from over 17 different online sources and three federal agencies to provide veterans, service members and eligible dependents key insights into college affordability and value so they can choose the best education program to meet their needs.

“Today’s launch of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) GI Bill Comparison Tool is an important step toward ensuring our veterans and service members have the information they need to make smart decisions on where to get an education,” said Chairman Carper. “The tool will provide veterans and service members with information such as post-graduation debt and dropout rates to help them determine the school that best meets their needs. While I commend the VA and Education Department for their collaboration on this program, it is critical that the agencies continue to work together to develop a systematic way to keep the underlying databases that support this tool up to date and accurate. I hope this is the first of many initiatives that help our veterans and service members pursue higher education, and other educational opportunities, that provide the skills and training they need to lead successful lives when they return home.”

The GI Bill Comparison Tool is one piece of a series of resources that the VA will introduce in response to President Obama’s Executive Order 13607, which directs agencies to implement and promote “Principles of Excellence” for education institutions that interact with Veterans, Service members and their families. Additionally, the Executive Order requires that the VA ensures beneficiaries have the information they need to make informed choices about VA education benefits and approved programs.