Letter to VA Secretary: 85/15 Rule Reduces Veterans’ Access to Higher Education

The National Defense Committee called on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) today to reconsider its 85/15 Rule, either by reinitiating the rulemaking process or rewriting the rule entirely.

In a letter to Secretary Denis McDonough, executive direct Bob Carey writes that the 85/15 rule will limit veterans’ educational opportunities and cause “needless and dilatory” burdens on the universities and colleges they choose to attend.

“The fact is restrictive rules such as VA’s 85/15 Rule or the [Department of Education’s] 90/10 Rule do not slow the rise in tuition costs. In fact, they accelerate those tuition increases,” the letter states.

A 2021 opinion piece for the Hechinger Report notes that colleges were forced to increase tuition “about 20% above the maximum amount students could receive in federal financial aid”  to stay within the rule’s arbitrary bounds. Eliminating waivers under the 85/15 Rule will have the same effect: Market forces will no longer drive college costs. Instead, compliance with a “stiffened” 85/15 Rule will, and the effect will be for schools to raise tuition, the letter says.

The NDC concludes by calling on the VA to rescind the 85/15 rule and restart rulemaking process after the Ensuring Best Schools for Veterans Act is implemented, or initiate a negotiated rulemaking committee to rewrite the 85/15 rule with stakeholder input.

Read the Full Letter Here.