Introduction of the Facilitating Veterans' Education Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Defense provides exceptional training and experiences to our nation's servicemembers. For each occupation in the military, servicemembers undergo a series of formal military training courses.

For years, the American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluated that training and related experiences to provide colleges and universities with guidelines and recommendations to consider when awarding credit for such training. For instance, ACE may recommend that colleges award one semester credit hour of first aid for a soldier who has taken basic combat training.

Since 2013, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard have produced the Joint Services Transcript (JST), an official documentation of a servicemember's military training and their corresponding ACE credit recommendations. The JST allows veterans to earn college credit for their military service, helping them attain a college degree sooner.

While the document is available through an online portal, there are reports of servicemembers leaving the military unaware of the JST.

Therefore, I am introducing the bipartisan Facilitating Veterans' Education Act, which directs the Department of Defense to issue the Joint Services Transcript to servicemembers separating from the Armed Forces.

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