text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Education for Returning 
  Veterans Act of 2008''.
  
  SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF VETERANS AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 
                EDUCATION.
  
      Title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1133 et 
  seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
  
    ``PART F--PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF VETERANS AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 
                                 EDUCATION
  
  ``SEC. 781. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPORT OF VETERANS AT INSTITUTIONS OF 
                HIGHER EDUCATION.
  
      ``(a) Grants Authorized.--
              ``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
          appropriations, the Secretary is authorized to award grants to 
          institutions of higher education to enable the institutions of 
          higher education to establish programs that support veterans 
          who are students at such institutions by providing and 
          coordinating services that address the academic, financial, 
          physical, and social needs of such veterans.
              ``(2) Grant period.--A grant awarded under this section 
          shall be awarded for a period of 3 years.
      ``(b) Selection of Grant Recipients.--
              ``(1) Application.--An institution of higher education 
          seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the 
          Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and 
          containing such information as the Secretary may require.
              ``(2) Approval.--The Secretary shall, in consultation with 
          the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approve or disapprove each 
          application submitted by an institution of higher education 
          under paragraph (1). In determining whether to approve or 
          disapprove an application, the Secretary shall consider the 
          following:
                      ``(A) The number of veterans enrolled as students 
                  at the institution of higher education.
                      ``(B) The needs of such veterans at such 
                  institution.
                      ``(C) The ability of such institution to sustain a 
                  Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success 
                  described in subsection (c)(2)(A) after the completion 
                  of the grant period described in subsection (a)(2).
                      ``(D) The equitable distribution of grants under 
                  this section among various types and sizes of 
                  institutions of higher education.
                      ``(E) The equitable geographic distribution of 
                  grants under this section.
                      ``(F) The equitable distribution of grants under 
                  this section among rural and urban areas.
      ``(c) Use of Grant Funds.--
              ``(1) Program required.--Each institution of higher 
          education receiving a grant under this section shall use the 
          grant to establish a program that supports each veteran who is 
          a student at such institution by providing and coordinating 
          services that address the academic, financial, physical, and 
          social needs of such veteran.
              ``(2) Required program activities.--Each program 
          established under paragraph (1) shall include the following:
                      ``(A) Establishing a Center of Excellence for 
                  Veteran Student Success on the campus of the 
                  institution of higher education that provides a single 
                  point of contact to coordinate comprehensive support 
                  services for veterans who are students, including the 
                  following:
                              ``(i) Admissions.
                              ``(ii) Registration.
                              ``(iii) Financial aid.
                              ``(iv) Veterans benefits.
                              ``(v) Academic advising.
                              ``(vi) Student health.
                              ``(vii) Personal or mental health 
                          counseling.
                              ``(viii) Career advising.
                              ``(ix) Disabilities services.
                      ``(B) Establishing a support team for veterans who 
                  are students, including representatives from the 
                  student veteran association and veteran service office 
                  of such institution of higher education, if any.
                      ``(C) Providing a full-time or part-time 
                  coordinator whose primary responsibility is to 
                  coordinate the program.
                      ``(D) With respect to such veterans, monitoring the 
                  rates of enrollment, persistence, and completion of 
                  programs of education at such institution.
              ``(3) Optional program activities.--With respect to 
          veterans who are students at an institution of higher education 
          receiving a grant under this section, a program established 
          under paragraph (1) by such institution may include the 
          following:
                      ``(A) Outreach to, and recruitment of, veterans.
                      ``(B) Supportive instructional services for 
                  veterans, which may include--
                              ``(i) personal, academic, and career 
                          counseling, as an ongoing part of the program;
                              ``(ii) tutoring and academic skill-building 
                          instruction assistance, as needed; and
                              ``(iii) assistance with special admissions 
                          and transfer of credit from previous 
                          postsecondary education or experience.
                      ``(C) Assistance in obtaining student financial 
                  aid.
                      ``(D) Housing support.
                      ``(E) Providing classes that are limited to 
                  veterans to help them fulfill general education 
                  requirements.
                      ``(F) Providing activities designed to ease the 
                  transition of veterans to life on the campus of such 
                  institution.
                      ``(G) Support for veteran student organizations and 
                  veteran student support groups on campus.
                      ``(H) Coordination of academic advising and 
                  admissions counseling with military bases and National 
                  Guard and Reserve units in the area.
                      ``(I) Such other support services as the 
                  institution considers necessary to ensure the success 
                  of veterans in achieving the veterans' educational and 
                  career goals.
      ``(d) Evaluation and Accountability Plan.--The Secretary shall 
  develop an evaluation and accountability plan for programs established 
  under subsection (c)(1) to measure the impact of such programs, 
  including an objective measure of whether the rates of enrollment, 
  persistence, and completion of programs of education at institutions of 
  higher education by veterans increase as a result of such programs.''.
target: Supporting Education for Returning Veterans Act of 2008 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award three-year grants to institutions of higher education to establish programs that support veterans who are students by providing and coordinating services that address their academic, financial, physical, and social needs.
  
  Requires each grantee to establish a campus Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success that provides a single point of contact for the coordination of comprehensive support services for students who are veterans.
  
  Requires the Secretary to develop an evaluation and accountability plan for measuring the effect such programs have on veterans' success in postsecondary education.
feat_title: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants to institutions of higher education to establish programs for the provision of services and support to veterans who are students at such institutions, and for other purposes.