Dear VSO Partners,
On March 8, 2019 Dream Center Education Holdings which owns several school brands, including Argosy University and several campuses of The Art Institutes, notified the Department of Veterans Affairs of its permanent closure 25 campuses. This closure affected 1,733 GI Bill beneficiaries who have pursued training between January 1, 2019, and March 11, 2019. VA has notified these individuals that Argosy University and DCEH’s Art Institute campuses have closed, and provided them with their options moving forward.
If a school closes after a term is completed or is between terms, the beneficiary will not qualify for restoration of entitlement under 38 U.S.C. § 3699(b)(2), and can have MHA extended for a period of 120 days under 38 U.S.C. § 3680(a)(2)(B).
If the school closed before the term ended, beneficiaries may qualify for regular restoration of entitlement if:
- VA finds that the beneficiary was unable to complete the program of study due to the school closing, AND
- The beneficiary did not receive credit or lost training time toward the completion of the program of education.
GI Bill beneficiaries may apply for restoration of benefits at: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/fgib/restoration.asp.
If you are aware of any GI Bill Beneficiaries who are in a hardship situation due to the closure of Art Institutes and Argosy University, please have them contact the Education Call Center at 888-442-4551 between 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Central Time, Monday-Friday to speak with a representative.
Respectfully,
Education Service