​Veterans for Career Education (VCE) now completed over 20 stops at career, technical and trade schools on the Let VETS Choose Tour. The most recent stops were at the Tulsa Welding School and Heavy Equipment Colleges of America--both located in Oklahoma. 

Joshua Browder, U.S. Navy veteran, Florida resident and VCE ambassador joined Michael Dakduk, VCE Marine veteran and VCE co-chair, in authoring an opinion piece on GI Bill choice in the Florida Daily. 

U.S. Army Iraq war veteran and graduate of Wichita Technical Institute in Joplin, MO, authored a letter to the editor defending GI Bill school choice for veterans. 

In the letter, Avion writes: 

"Unfortunately, there are some proposals in Congress that would limit how veterans use their earned GI Bill benefit. Specifically, some in Congress are trying to manipulate the 90/10 rule to stop veterans from enrolling at schools such as WTI. Many of our lawmakers fail to understand that not all veterans are seeking a traditional four-year college or university after our service."

Read the full letter to the editor here. 

​Tempe, AZ – Over 500 military veterans from dozens of career education colleges and universities have joined Veterans for Career Education (VCE) to protect their right to use their earned GI Bill benefit at the school of their choice. In three weeks, the “Let VETS Choose Tour” has hosted rallies at eight campuses in seven cities bringing together veterans who are students, graduates, or educators at career colleges.

In Congress, seven bills and one draft piece of legislation are under consideration to restrict choice for veterans using the GI Bill and servicemembers using military education benefits. Lawmakers are advancing these bills under the banner of protecting veterans and servicemembers.

Veterans for Career Education (VCE) Ambassador and  U.S. Marine Corps veteran Andreau Miller wrote a letter to the editor that was published in The Sentinel .

In the Letter, Andreau speaks about how her earned educational benefits allowed her to pursue her goals at Triangle Tech. In the letter, Andreau wrote : "Welding and fabrication had always been a passion of mine, and thanks to the GI Bill I was able to pursue my dream and enroll in a 16-month program at Triangle Tech in Sunbury"

Andreau also challenged her representative Sen. Bob Casey, to stand with veterans and protect access to the education of our choice: "Proposals circulating in Congress to classify the earned GI benefit just like federal financial aid for students are wrong; benefits earned by members of the military are not the same."

Veterans for Career Education (VCE) has launched a nationwide mobilization effort for veterans to protect their right to use their earned education benefit at the college or university of their choice. The tour comes at a time when members of Congress and presidential hopefuls have threatened to cut off higher education choice for America’s veterans.

“The Let VETS Choose tour is about bringing together veterans, and their families, and supporting their right to use the GI Bill at the school of their choice,” said Steve Gonzalez, United States Marine Corps veteran and executive director of VCE.

​Michael Dakduk, Marine Corps veteran and co-chair of VCE, announced that Steve Gonzalez and Carl Walker will join the staff of VCE. Steve Gonzalez formerly worked for the U.S. House Budget Committee as a professional staff member. Prior to that, he worked on education issues for the American Legion. Steve is a Marine Corps veteran with multiple combat and overseas deployments. Steve will service as executive director of VCE.

Carl Walker graduated with both is undergraduate and graduate degrees from Full Sail University, a career-oriented university located in Orlando, FL. He also served eight years in the U.S. Air Force as a Tactical Aircraft Maintainer where had multiple deployments overseas including Afghanistan and Africa. “I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for my earned education benefits, like the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and the freedom to choose the school that I’ve always wanted to attend,”said Carl Walker. Carl will serve as director of VCE.

In an opinion piece written for Military Times, Navy Veteran and VCE Ambassador Larry Goerzen wrote in response to Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL) labeling the credentials earned by veterans at career schools as “worthless” and the institutions as “predatory.”
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“Veterans are organizing to dispel any suggestions that they were tricked or duped into choosing a certain school and are outraged that political activists continue to suggest that their schools and credentials are worthless.”

Tim McMahon, U.S. Air Force veteran and co-founder of Veterans for Career Education (VCE) testified today before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. In written testimony, Tim said: ​I am excited to be among the nearly 100 veterans that flew from across the country to Washington D.C., just before Memorial Day, and helped to found Veterans for Career Education (VCE). We founded VCE to support the right of veterans to use their earned education benefits, like the GI Bill, to gain career skills at the college or institution of their choice. We fundamentally believe that education policy should not dictate where veterans use their earned education benefits.

Tim's full written testimony may be found here. 

Details on the hearing may be found here.