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By Blake Boles 
 
LAS VEGAS, NV (October 21st, 2016) — People join the military for various reasons. In a 2011 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, the great majority (90%) of those who joined after 9/11 did so because they wanted to serve their country. Because the wars that followed 9/11 ultimately proved unpopular, patriotism wasn’t always a sufficient motivator to entice recruits. As a result, many of the military members who joined during the later stages did so because of the benefits. During that survey, a full 60% joined to see more of the world, and 57% thought that the training would directly translate to better employment in the civilian world. A whopping 77%, though, joined because of the educational benefits.  
 
Now imagine yourself as a service member who enlisted because of the GI Bill. You honorably served for years, with a great likelihood of having at least two tours to your name. You transitioned out, and enrolled in a school that accepted the GI Bill. You were finally going to go to college, get a degree, and improve your station in life. Afterwards, when you had established yourself in a career, you would be able to purchase a home, or even start a family. 
 
And now imagine that the school you had been attending unexpectedly closes before you could get your degree. Moreover, many of the credits you had earned don’t mean anything to other institutions. In a final blow, you were informed that you wouldn’t be able to recoup the precious months of your GI Bill spent on that now-defunct school. This is the dilemma facing almost 7,000 student veterans after ITT Tech unexpectedly closed its 138 locations in 38 states in early September, including four in the Las Vegas area alone. 
 
The timing couldn’t be worse. Many veterans counted on the housing stipend of the Post-9/11 GII Bill to make ends meet. And at this stage in the year, fall semester classes for most of our nation’s colleges and universities are already well underway. Student veterans can technically complete late registration and enroll, but certifying registration for the GI Bill can be laborious, and it might already be too late to use those benefits for this semester. 
 
The case of ITT Tech, a for-profit institution, is not unique. Just last year, the embattled Corinthian Colleges closed its remaining 28 campuses, leaving over 16,000 students without degrees or certificates. And Bridgepoint Education, which operates the for-profit, online institutions the University of the Rockies and Ashford University, has been forced to forgive over $28 million in student loans, and pay an $8 million fine. This, after being accused by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that it misrepresented student loan installment payments. For-profit institutions are increasingly under the microscope, as federal law prohibits them from getting more than 90 percent of their revenue from federal student loans. These and other troubles of the for-profit educational sector have sent shockwaves throughout the student veteran community, as it is estimated that a quarter of all GI Bill benefits go to for-profit schools. 
 
Washington has taken notice. After the closure of Corinthian Colleges, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), introduced legislation that would have eased the burden on student veterans. The VA has released a statement on Facebook, stating “VA does not have the legal authority to restore any GI Bill benefits you have used to attend ITT, even if you are not finished with the classes this term. You are, however, free to pursue your education goals at another school or training facility.” As of now, no legislation has passed that would relieve student veterans after the closure of Corinthian, and the VA cannot reset lost GI Bill benefits. 
 
Nevada’s colleges and universities are looking at solutions, hoping to find something that might alleviate the calamitous situation many of Nevada’s student veterans find themselves in. But changing school policy and passing legislation takes time –time Nevada’s student veterans can’t afford.