An Audit Report on Veterans' Services at Selected Institutions of Higher Education and Survey Results Related to Veterans' Services at All Texas Public Higher Education Institutions
September 2010
Report Number 11-004
Overall Conclusion
The seven institutions of higher education (institutions) that auditors visited either fully or partially complied with statutory requirements related to students who are veterans or current military service members and their dependents (student veterans). Each also had in place several nationally recognized best practices to help make the institutions veteran friendly.
However, auditors identified several areas in which the institutions should consider providing additional services and support to help student veterans maximize available state and federal educational benefits. These include:
- Sending targeted communications about financial assistance and resources available to student veterans prior to their arrival on campus.
- Enhancing their Web sites to ensure that they provide easily located and comprehensive information about the educational benefits available to student veterans, including a link to those resources on the Web site's home page.
- Offering student veterans one central location on campus where they can obtain information about both the federal and state education-related financial assistance available to student veterans.
- Establishing a veterans advisory committee that includes representation from all stakeholders.
- Offering early class registration to student veterans.
Additionally, auditors reviewed the Web sites of 20 Texas public institutions. While most of the Web sites contained information about the benefits and services available to student veterans, that information was not always comprehensive or easily located. For example, 11 of the 20 Web sites did not have a link to veteran-related information on their home pages, and many of the Web sites presented information about federal and state financial assistance in separate locations that were often difficult to locate and/or did not clearly identify the financial assistance offered by the State's Hazlewood Act.
An institution's Web site is typically the first resource used by current or prospective student veterans to access information on available benefits and resources. If these Web sites do not provide clear, direct access to information about all the benefits available to student veterans, eligible students may be unaware of the benefits and may not take advantage of the financial assistance available to them.
Auditors also conducted a survey of all 111 public two-year, four-year, and health-related institutions in Texas that were approved providers of veteran education programs by the Texas Veterans Commission. All four-year and health-related institutions and 85 percent of two-year institutions responded to the survey.
The 101 responding institutions reported an increase in the number of student veterans using federal and state benefits during the Fall 2009 semester, after the expansion of federal and state benefits became effective. The institutions also anticipated an increase in the number of military dependents receiving financial assistance through the State's Hazlewood Act, which exempts eligible recipients from tuition, dues, and selected fees.
Overall, the majority of responding institutions stated that they provide programs and services specifically designed for student veterans, offer some form of counseling services for student veterans, and are considering implementing veteran-friendly changes in the next five years.
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