Evidence on how federal, state, county, and campus education programs work together.
Independent research on education access, benefit coordination, campus implementation, and outcomes for California's military-connected community.
Pick who you are, where you plan to study, and which benefits you are weighing. Get a sourced coordination report.
All 148 public campuses: 116 community colleges, 22 CSU, 10 UC.
The flagship implementation audit: all 58 counties and 148 campus pages coded, with the dataset and coding guide.
The benefit library, campus directory, and responsibility map as CSV and JSON.
What the Observatory examines
CalVet and VA already publish eligibility pages, and this project does not duplicate them. The Observatory works the points where systems meet: GI Bill access in California, VR&E and higher education, College Fee Waiver implementation, federal and state benefit interaction, financial-aid coordination, campus certification processes, credit for military learning, state legislation, and the access barriers and missing public data those systems leave behind.
Start where you work
Start with the benefit library and the interaction navigator, then take the written questions to your campus offices.
The responsibility map and interaction rules show which office owns each step, with the statutory basis cited.
Briefing materials, tracked legislation, and the open questions the public record does not answer yet.
Downloadable datasets with definitions, provenance, verification dates, and suggested citations.
Current evidence base
Every figure below counts records in this project, is defined next to its number, and links to the underlying evidence.
Structured records on federal and California education benefits, each citing its administering authority and official source.
Current programs. Last verified 2026-08-26.
Every currently operating CCC, CSU, and UC campus, verified against the system offices' published rosters.
Current rosters. Last verified 2026-08-26.
Sourced rules on how benefits combine, with what is settled separated from what depends on the campus.
Current rules. Last verified 2026-08-26.
Aggregate-only FOIA and CPRA drafts awaiting review and manual submission. None submitted yet.
Launch queue. Last verified 2026-08-26.
- Research framework: California College Fee Waiver Implementation Audit
- Records queue: 13 aggregate-data request drafts prepared across six agencies
- Latest dataset: Campus directory, 148 campuses, CSV and JSON
CalVet states self-supported programs (commonly extension or extended education) are not required to apply the waiver. How does each campus label its programs, and which campuses nonetheless apply the waiver to particular self-supporting charges?
The answer changes a dependent's cost by thousands of dollars per year, and program labeling (state supported versus self supporting) is decided campus by campus.
See all open audit questionsWhat this project does and does not do
The Observatory documents how programs work, where official sources agree or conflict, and what reliable data exist. It does not decide eligibility, file applications, represent students, or provide individualized legal, financial-aid, education, or benefits advice. Eligibility decisions belong to VA, CalVet, county offices, CSAC, and campuses; this project shows which one, with the source.
The California Veteran Education Observatory is an independent research and public-information project of The Veteran Benefit Desk. It is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, the California Student Aid Commission, or any college or university. It does not provide individualized legal, financial-aid, education, or benefits advice.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at va.gov/education.
Found an error or a source that changed? Submit an issue. Corrections publish under the corrections policy.