U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R) is calling for expanded federal investigations into trade schools accused of defrauding veterans and misusing G.I. Bill Benefits, following Washington Post reporting that identified more than $300 million in alleged fraud across 20 schools.
Sen. Cornyn joined Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in bipartisan letters to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) urging stronger oversight and enforcement.
"The GI Bill is intended to help those who have honorably served our country pursue higher education, receive career training, and build a life after the military," said Cornyn. "Any bad actors who have abused its benefits by ripping off American taxpayers and deceiving veterans for their own gain must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The VA letter asks its Office of Inspector General to conduct an enhanced investigation of unaccredited trade schools where veterans are enrolled. The senators also urged the VA to improve how it handles complaints from students and whistleblowers, increase investigative resources, and coordinate with the DOJ and state attorneys general when cases warrant prosecution.
In a separate letter, the senators asked the DOJ to review how federal prosecutors investigate and pursue G.I. Bill fraud, including how settlements are handled and how the department coordinates with the VA and state authorities.
The senators pointed to a Washington Post investigation reporting that some schools charged veterans thousands of dollars for short or substandard training programs. One example cited in the letter involved a school that received about $2.1 million from the VA, including up to $14,900 per student for a four-to-five-day course on growing grass.
The VA has separately warned veterans about education scams and fraudulent schools targeting users of education benefits.
