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Committee hears bill to codify veterans education approvals under Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services
Summary
Lawmakers and department officials told the State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee that HB 120 would move statutory authority over the state approving agency for VA educational benefits from the Department of Education to the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services (DMAVS) to match current practice.
Representative Jim Creighton introduced HB 120 to transfer statutory responsibility for the state approving agency — the office that reviews and approves educational and training programs for veterans using VA benefits — from the Department of Education to the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services. "When the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services was stood up ... they were doing the job now," Creighton said, and the bill would update statutes to match current practice.
Brent Fraser of the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services told the committee the department entered a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in January 2024 and now performs the review, approval, and reapproval work for educational programs. "It's a 100% federally funded program," Fraser said, adding the move requires no general-fund dollars and would have no fiscal impact on the state's general fund.
Steve Appleby, director of educator support and higher education at the Department of Education, told the committee the Department of Education supports the transfer. "It just makes so much more sense for our veteran population to have a one-stop shop," Appleby said.
Representative questions focused on whether the DMAVS already performs the work (witnesses said yes), whether the change had been made in statute previously (no), and whether any fiscal impact or operational gap would result from moving the statutory authority (testimony said no). The committee closed the hearing on HB 120 with no immediate action taken.
Why it matters: The bill would align state statute with current departmental practice and federal relationships, clarifying which state agency carries responsibility for veterans' educational approvals and formalizing an arrangement witnesses said already exists.
