Regents committee hears report on veterans resources across University of California campuses

Alumni Regent Jeff Pack told the University of California Board of Regents’ Public Engagement and Development Committee that veterans and “military‑affiliated” students rely on a patchwork of federal and state education benefits and campus services across all 10 UC campuses.

Pack said the post‑9/11 GI Bill and California’s tuition fee waiver for veteran dependents have expanded the population served by campus veterans resource centers (VRCs), with family members often outnumbering enrolled veterans. “Because of these generous benefits for both veterans and their family members, veterans resource centers or VRCs at all 10 UC campuses typically use a broader term for their students and often describe them as the military connected or military affiliated community,” Pack said.

The report outlined campus counts Pack collected during visits: UC Berkeley — about 300 veterans and 454 dependents; UC Davis — 137 veterans and about 850 dependents; UC Santa Cruz — about 70 veterans and 930 dependents; UC Riverside — about 250 veterans and about 700 dependents; UCSF — roughly 10 veterans and 28 dependents. Pack said, on average, these two benefit programs serve “over 4 and a half times as many family members than actual veterans” at UC campuses.

Nut graf: The figures matter because VA and state benefits pay tuition and, in some cases, sizeable monthly stipends that affect students’ on‑campus enrollment and local economies. Pack told the committee that the GI Bill pays full tuition and a monthly housing stipend (examples cited in remarks ranged roughly from $2,300 to nearly $4,000 depending on campus and cost‑of‑living determinations), and that many VRC services and student work‑study positions are funded by the VA rather than campus or state dollars.

Pack described VRC integration with campus offices, noting certifying officers in financial aid or registrar offices verify benefit eligibility for federal and state agencies. He highlighted VA work‑study programs at one mid‑sized campus that employed 19 students (dependents, spouses and veterans) and paid each $4,000–$6,000 per quarter, tax‑free.

Regents’ questions focused on mental‑health counseling, certifying‑officer staffing, and differences between UC and the California State University system. Chancellor Lyons suggested using UC email signatures to direct users to new federal‑issues resources maintained by UC’s external relations team: “We can put links to sites like that in all of our email signatures,” he said.

Regent Brooks noted a Department of Veterans Affairs guidance from December 2023 recommending one full‑time school certifying official (SCO/FCO) per 125 GI Bill students. Citing campus visits, the regent said UCLA reported more than 700 students using federal VA benefits yet had only two full‑time certifying officers, “which equates to approximately 385 students per FCO, which is more than triple the VA’s recommended ratio.” Regents and staff discussed that a hiring freeze complicates immediate fixes but said the staffing ratio and variation in counseling services merit follow up.

Pack and multiple regents also discussed why Cal State enrolls proportionally more veterans than UC. Pack said center directors suggested targeted outreach and the timing/flexibility of Cal State and community college admissions as possible factors; he recommended the university investigate the reasons to determine whether outreach or admission timing adjustments could improve access.

Pack recommended that regents use the annual rotating VRC summit as an opportunity to learn more about veterans’ experiences. He praised VRC directors as experienced and committed, noting many are UC alumni and several pursue advanced degrees while remaining in their director roles.

Ending: The committee did not take additional formal policy action on the veterans report at the meeting, but several regents pressed staff to return with follow‑up information on counseling availability, SCO/FCO staffing levels relative to VA guidance, and potential outreach steps to better understand the CSU/UC enrollment differences.