Caldwell University to Pay U.S. Government $4.8 Million for Defrauding Program for Veterans
“Caldwell University tried to hoodwink the Department of Veterans Affairs and, worse, veterans themselves”
This is awful. The program specified here was set up to help veterans after 9/11.
NJ.com reports:
N.J. university will pay millions for role in defrauding government program for veterans
Caldwell University in Essex County has agreed to pay the United States more than $4.8 million to resolve its role in a scheme to defraud a federal education benefit program for veterans, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday.
“Caldwell University tried to hoodwink the Department of Veterans Affairs and, worse, veterans themselves, by claiming to offer online classes developed and provided by Caldwell that were in fact marked-up offerings by an online correspondence school,” Carpenito said in a statement. “Our veterans should never be treated this way, and we will continue to work to ensure that they receive all of the benefits that they deserve as a result of their service to the country.”
Under a deal marketed by Ed4Mil, a Pennsylvania-based company, veterans could use their Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits to enroll in online courses offered by Caldwell, authorities said. The bill was designed specifically to help veterans who served in the armed forces following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The online classes were not offered by Caldwell University or taught by the university’s staff, according to court documents. Instead, they were low-cost correspondence courses that were not eligible for the GI Bill.
But Caldwell University submitted false claims for payment for the courses to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from Jan. 1, 2011 through Aug. 8, 2013, Carpenito said. The agency administers the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
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