Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) At the end of World War II, as millions of veterans began flooding the nation's campuses, Congress enacted legislation to ensure that veterans were getting their money's worth. State Approving Agencies (SAAs) were established to determine whether educational institutions and training programs offer education of sufficient quality for individuals to use VA education benefits.

"But as the world changed, the laws did not. That is why I am today introducing legislation (S. 1290) to bring our laws into the 21st century," said U.S. Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

In a March 2007 report requested by Sen. Craig, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that many programs approved by SAAs have also been approved by the Departments of Education or Labor.

The report also found that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and SAAs have not made significant efforts to coordinate their approval activities with other entities, and that VA does not require SAAs to track the amount of resources they spend on specific functions, including those that may be performed by other agencies.

"Although I have no doubts about the dedication and sincerity of SAA personnel," Craig said, "I believe we should overhaul the entire statutory scheme regarding SAAs, as this bill would do, to help eliminate redundant procedures, increase VA's flexibility, and improve accountability.

"My bill would allow VA to determine what services would be of value and to contract with SAAs for those services," Craig said.

The bill would also require VA to coordinate any SAA approval activities with the Department of Education, Department of Labor, and other entities to reduce overlapping functions.

It also requires VA to establish outcome-oriented performance measures for SAAs and to require SAAs to track and report information on the amount of resources they expend on any activities they perform.

Similar to a bill the Senate passed last year, this bill would authorize $19 million per year for SAAs, with up to $13 million from mandatory funding and $6 million from discretionary funding.

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