A Descriptive Study of Veteran Enrollment Certification Processes at "Veteran Friendly" Schools

Abstract

As military deployments decrease and the number of veterans coming back to the United States to return to civilian life grows, the U.S. government is increasing educational benefits for eligible service members so that these new veterans can afford to go to college. There has been a significant enrollment growth of veterans over the last several years but, the Department of Veterans Affairs has done little by way of standardizing the servicing of veterans’ educational benefits that are to be completed by the attending college. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify how institutions of higher education differ in policies and practices surrounding the servicing of student veteran benefit programs via the veteran certification process. Four major themes relating to the veteran enrollment certification process emerged from the data: (a) the role of the school certifying official; (b) institutional policies; (c) institutional support when veteran benefits are delayed, and (d) quality assurance. These four themes are linked and presented in an integrated way to address the three research questions. How diverse are institutional policies regarding veterans’ certifications? What mechanisms do institutions employ to improve students’ financial experiences in order to combat delayed processing by the VA payment system? How do institutions measure the accuracy of their veteran certification process? This study identified a lack of consistency regarding the veteran enrollment certification policies and practices at even the top rated schools identified as “best for veterans.” This study adds to the body of knowledge and potentially contributes to a future blueprint for the successful education of veterans who are college students.