CECU Statement on Passage of the Veterans Healthy Care and Benefits Improvement Act; Establishing Universal Treatment of Colleges

​Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) applauds the passage of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Healthy Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, legislation which will help to safeguard our Veterans and their access to a quality education. This law has the potential to serve as the foundation for a common set of rules and standards to ensure that all students are treated equitably across all sectors of higher education, regardless of the education they choose.

In a statement, Jason Altmire, President and CEO of CECU, hailed passage of the legislation: “Veterans and other students of career colleges have in the past been subjected to more burdensome legislative and regulatory restrictions than their peers simply because they chose a different vocational path. Our sector has long advocated for public policy that enacts fair and equal treatment of students across the entire higher education system. This bill does just that. Its passage demonstrates the overwhelming, bipartisan support for Veterans and for equal treatment of all institutions of higher education. We are happy for the precedent this legislation sets in including all higher education institutions under the same scope of the law.”
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CECU’s Senior Vice President of Government, Military & Veterans Relations Steve Gonzalez, a US Marine Corps Veteran adds, “One in four GI Bill beneficiaries choose to attend a career college and we take this task seriously because we honor and value their public service. The passage of this bill ensures that our Veterans will continue to have a breadth of opportunities to choose from, providing them the best possible bridge from military service to the professional career of their choice. We are proud to serve our nation’s Veterans at our colleges across the country and we will continue to do so by providing them the skills they need to be competitive and secure quality employment in today’s workforce.”