Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-22) today met with student veterans attending Nova Southeastern University at an event hosted by Mission United, an organization that helps U.S. military veterans and their families re-acclimate to civilian life in Broward County.

“Today’s roundtable gave me an opportunity to hear directly from student veterans what they need to better succeed in school and find good jobs,” said Frankel. “It reinforced the importance of doing everything we can to make this transition easier for all our returning heroes.”

Frankel and Congressmen Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) will introduce the Veterans Education Empowerment Act next week. The bipartisan legislation establishes a grant program through the Department of Education for colleges and universities to create veteran student centers. These centers would help student veterans obtain federal and state benefits, thrive in school, and find a job after graduation. They introduced similar legislation last Congress.

Often student veterans face unique challenges when enrolling in college. Some have been away from school for long periods, are older than their peers, have families to support, or struggle with service-related disabilities. These hurdles often lead talented veterans to drop out of school before graduating and limit potential job opportunities. The information collected from the student veterans will help shape the final legislation establishing a grant program supporting veteran student centers.

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