Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER PROTECTION NEWS: FTC launches new complaint process for military members regarding higher education institutions, (Jan 30, 2014)
Organizations Mentioned:Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The FTC, in partnership with the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) and several other federal agencies, announced today the launch of a new complaint process to gather input from veterans, service members, and their families pursuing higher education through the post-September 11 GI Bill and other military education benefits.
The FTC, DoD, and VA have created customized online reporting forms in collaboration with the Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that veterans and service members can use to file consumer complaints about education institutions. Students can file complaints with the DoD and VA directly about the cost of attendance, marketing, graduation rates, program quality, employment prospects, and course credit. The Department of Education (DoE) will also accept email complaint on certain topics.
Complaints will be forwarded from the VA, DoD, and DoE to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network database beginning next month. Sentinel is accessible to over 2,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. These complaints will help the government identify and address fraudulent and deceptive practices targeted toward service members, veterans and dependents who use military education benefits.
The Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012 requires the FTC and other agencies to partner with the VA to improve outreach and transparency regarding the quality of instruction, recruiting practices, and post-graduate employment by institutions of higher learning.
News: ConsumerProtection FederalTradeCommissionNews