1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veteran Education Empowerment Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) More than 1,000,000 veterans attend institutions of higher education each year. (2) Veterans face unique challenges in transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom and eventually to the workforce, including: age differences, family obligations, significant time away from academic life, and service-related disabilities. (3) The National Education Association found that student veterans can feel lonely and vulnerable on campus and that connecting student veterans can effectively ease this isolation by bringing together new student veterans with those who have already successfully navigated the first few semesters of college. (4) According to Mission United—a United Way program that helps veterans re-acclimate to civilian life—it is often essential for student veterans to be mentored by another veteran who understands their mindset and experience . (5) Student Veteran Centers are recognized as an institutional best practice by Student Veterans of America. (6) The American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 institutions of higher education across the United States, has called having a dedicated space for veterans on campus a promising way for colleges and universities to better serve veterans on campus and a critical component of many colleges’ efforts to serve their student veterans. (7) The Department of Education included as one of its 8 Keys to Veterans’ Success that colleges and universities should coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the creation of a designated space for them . (8) Budget constraints often make it difficult or impossible for institutions of higher education to dedicate space to veteran offices, lounges, or student centers. (9) The 110th Congress authorized the funding of Student Veteran Centers through the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success under part T of title VIII of the Higher Education