Hearing of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs - The Evolution of State Approving Agencies

Statement

Hearing of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs - The Evolution of State Approving Agencies

Statement of The Honorable Timothy H. Bishop
a Representative in Congress from the State of New York

Madam Chairwoman and Members of the Subcommittee: I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to express my strong support for the State Approving Agencies (SAAs) and their crucial role in supporting our veterans.

I have first-hand experience with the SAAs from my career as an administrator at Southampton College in Southampton, New York. Representatives from the New York SAA would visit campus annually to assess the quality of Southampton's programs and ensure our veteran students were taking full advantage of the academic and extracurricular activities we offered.

Southampton College was a fully accredited institution of higher education, but it was very helpful for us to have an external quality assessment each year. Throughout my career in academia, the SAAs made administering the GI Bill benefits easier for Southampton as an institution, and helped us to better serve our dedicated veteran students.

Today, as a Member of Congress, I have a new appreciation for their diligence in ensuring that taxpayer dollars are supporting only bona fide programs, and that veterans are receiving the top quality education they have earned.

I was proud to vote for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and to see it signed into law as the most significant veterans benefit in America's history. The unprecedented scope of this program has required a dramatic increase in activity at all agencies responsible for administering the GI Bills, including the SAAs. However, the federal commitment to the SAAs has not been enhanced to meet the increasing demands of this new mission, which include:

* Performing outreach activities to increase the utilization of the GI Bills
* Providing advice and guidance to veterans, guard, reservists, and other GI Bill benefit recipients, as well as educators, trainers and others who counsel veterans
* Training VA School Certifying Officials at all educational institutions and job training establishments; and
* Assisting the federal government in eliminating waste, fraud and abuse

Other witnesses on the panel will be able to detail more specifically how the recent freeze in funding has affected the SAAs; however, I believe it is clear that they have been asked to do too much for too many with too little. Furthermore, the need for enhanced funding is critical as the 21st Century GI Bill begins paying benefits this fall.

Having created this landmark program, Congress must make adequate provision to ensure it benefits our veterans as intended. I am gratified that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs shares my strong support for the SAAs and views them as a valued partner that deserves additional support.

Once again, Madame Chairwoman, I appreciate the opportunity to testify before the subcommittee today. Like our nation's veterans, the SAAs deserve the highest level of support from Congress and I hope to have the opportunity to vote for an appropriate increase in funding in this session.

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