3 What We Do When SVA was founded in 2008, we were primarily an online community for advocacy and sharing best practices. We spent over a decade developing our expertise within the veteran and higher education nonprofit space with a long-standing dedication to advocacy at all levels of government. We conducted first-of-its-kind research to tell the story of veterans in higher education and produced high caliber, datadriven programs and services to empower student veterans who participate in their Chapter. Below is more detail about each of these focus areas. Government Affairs The mission of the Government Affairs Department is to shape policy and regulations on behalf of veterans in pursuit of career advancement through higher education. The team works closely with Congress and the federal government to promote forward-looking policies and to help veterans attain the education needed to thrive in their careers and communities. Our robust policy work focuses on a myriad of issues and preparation of analyses for a wide variety of matters that impact veterans in higher education. As subject matter experts on higher education and veterans’ policy, Congress and senior government officials frequently call on SVA to deliver testimony. SVA achieves a high level of influence through consistent interaction with Congress, relevant organizations and associations, industry leaders, and others concerned with proposed and pending policies. As a result, SVA representatives are regularly called upon to testify before Congress. The team frequently provides testimony regarding topics such as the GI Bill, the Transition Assistance Program, student debt, the Veteran Success on Campus program (VSOC), predatory higher education practices and institutions, and many others. The team provides cabinet-level advice and influence on the creation and improvement of the GI Bill Comparison tool, economic opportunity, VA work-study, childcare for student veterans, agreements with the Federal Trade Commission, and numerous proposals affecting the Post-9/11 GI Bill. We remain connected closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Education (ED), Department of Labor (DoL), Department of Defense (DoD), Small Business Administration (SBA), and other federal agencies to affect change impacting the lives of student veterans across the country. Strong ties with relevant committees in the House and Senate emphasize SVA’s bipartisan agenda. The team works at every level within the Executive Branch, from the on-the-ground program manager through cabinet-level decision-makers. Beyond this, issues that arise at the state and campus level are supported by your National Headquarters, and Chapter Leaders are encouraged to engage with our Government Affairs team for support regarding any policy issue. A great example of this work was showcased through the team’s efforts on the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, more commonly known as the “Forever GI Bill,” legislation that was signed into law with unanimous bipartisan support in 2017. SVA lead a coalition of more than 60 organizations to secure the largest expansion in VA education benefits in nearly a decade. The Forever GI Bill included major reforms such as removal of the 15-year limit on GI Bill benefits for those who separated on or after January 1, 2013, expanded benefits for Purple Heart recipients, included the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM scholarship, and additional access to high-tech certification programs. More recently, SVA advocated for the passage of the Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019, which expanded Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) eligibility for blind and seriously injured veterans. SVA has also closely monitored the impacts of COVID-19 on student veterans since March 2020. Immediately following campus decisions to move to a virtual setting, the team led advocacy on the passage of several pieces of emergency legislation to protect GI Bill benefits during the shift to virtual instruction. Our ability to directly respond to needs and concerns like these is often directly informed by Chapter Leaders, formally though our Policy Liaison Program.
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