Letter to Robert A. McDonald, Secretary, Department of Veteran Affairs - GI Bill Higher Education Institutions

Letter

Dear Secretary McDonald:

We write today to ask you to take immediate action to protect veterans from Computer Systems Institute (CSI), which the Department of Education (ED) found "submitted false job placement data to its accreditor to maintain the accreditation of its schools, and disclosed false job placement data to current and prospective students."

As a result of its findings, the Department of Education ended CSI's participation in the federal Title IV program effective January 31. In addition, CSI's accreditor issued a decision in May, which is pending appeal, that the school's accreditation should be withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has allowed CSI to continue to participate in the GI Bill program despite a clear provision in law requiring disapproval of any institution which engages in misleading practices. Specifically, 38 U.S.C. § 3696 states:

"The Secretary shall not approve the enrollment of an eligible veteran or eligible person in any course offered by an institution which utilizes advertising, sales, or enrollment practices of any type which are erroneous, deceptive, or misleading either by actual statement, omission, or intimation."

The Department of Education provided multiple examples of CSI's misleading practices in its January 29, 2016 letter of denial to the company's Chief Executive Officer, Julia Lowder. Why, nearly eight months after ED found that CSI engaged in practices prohibited under 38 U.S.C § 3696, has VA not used its authority to remove this company from the GI Bill program?

We look forward to your prompt response.

Source