WASHINGTON – Judy Caden, an executive in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Loan Guaranty Service for more than a decade, has been named director of VA's Education Service.
In that capacity, she is responsible for the administration of the Montgomery GI Bill and other VA programs that last year helped pay for the education or training of nearly 292,000 veterans and active-duty personnel, 82,000 reservists and National Guardsmen and about 47,000 survivors and dependents.
Prior to her appointment, Caden served as the deputy director of the Loan Guaranty Service since 1998 and previously served as assistant director for loan policy since 1990 where her responsibilities ranged from procedures related to loan origination and underwriting to initiation of legislation and regulations. She also recently served as the acting executive assistant to the deputy under secretary for benefits.
In the Loan Guaranty Service, she was involved in projects to improve VA's debt collection, to standardize the mortgage process and to implement initiatives that included the restructuring of field offices, which cut administrative costs while improving services to veterans and to the housing industry.
Caden is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has continued her education in the areas of real estate law and mortgage banking.
As the director of VA's Education Service, she guides policies ensuring the Montgomery GI Bill and other programs provide meaningful readjustment assistance while aiding the Armed Forces in their recruitment and retention needs.
The Montgomery GI Bill has become increasingly popular with changes in benefits that allow active-duty members to draw upon their accounts to help pay for off-duty courses not fully funded by the military's tuition assistance program. Use among veterans is expected to increase this year with the first of a series of major benefit increases having taken effect, along with a new program that this fall will begin covering certain high-tech courses such as those leading to certification of computer network professionals.
