WASHINGTON, D.C., — Today, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik joined Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) in introducing the Military Learning for Credit Act. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
The Military Learning for Credit Act gives more veterans an opportunity to translate the expertise they developed during their training into college credit. Specifically, the bill allows all veterans to be eligible to use veterans’ educational assistance funds to cover up to $500 of the fees required to take the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and the Dantes Subject Standardized Test Program (DSST) credit exams, which are a group of standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge.
“I am proud to introduce this legislation with Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander to ensure America’s service members can unlock more educational and professional opportunities,” said Chairwoman Stefanik. “Providing more opportunity for our brave service members who selflessly serve our nation to receive the benefits they have earned is one of the many ways we can show our appreciation to them. It is incredibly important that we honor the extraordinary commitment our service members have made to our country as well as incentivize recruitment of future troops.”
“My father used to say he got his education from the United States Navy, a reality I experienced myself as an intelligence officer for more than a decade. Our veterans go through intensive training during their service to our country. They should be able to apply that experience if they apply to college,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “I am proud to introduce the Military Learning for Credit Act to support our veterans as they transition out of the service and give them every opportunity to apply the skills they earned in the military as they pursue a higher education.”
The bill also allows all veterans to be eligible to use veterans’ educational assistance funds to cover up to $500 of the fees required to take the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) Examination, which measures and certifies the essential work skills needed for success in jobs across industries and occupations. Thousands of private and public employers now ask for or require NCRC scores as part of their application process.
The legislation does not authorize any new funding but instead provides another use for existing veteran educational assistance entitlements.
Read the bill here.
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