Appreciating and Supporting Our Veterans

Nelnet is a company that appreciates and supports our veterans, current service members, and their families. We value the hard work and leadership that our military members provide to our business and our country. Nelnet is a strong advocate for legislation and initiatives that benefit or encourage employers to hire veterans on a city, state, and national scale. This includes testifying in support of legislation benefiting veterans, for example, legislative bills that exempt veteran pay from taxes, in our home state of Nebraska. 

Through our work, we have had the opportunity to serve members of the Armed Forces in various capacities. A former Nelnet affiliate held Department of Defense contracts providing test preparation and basic skills courses to service members and their families aiding their career progression in the military or assisting their transition to a civilian career.  As a federal student loan servicer, we support thousands of members of the military to ensure they receive special loan benefits from the Departments of Education and Defense, such as interest rate limits or certain repayment plans, they have earned with their service. 

Veterans Day marks a meaningful time at Nelnet. In the last few years, we have added extra impact to our Veterans Day celebration by launching the 11 Days of Thanks campaign. Over an 11-day span, we recognize daily those who served and show our appreciation through social events, a t-shirt fundraiser, and a showcase of our current and former military associates.

While these 11 days are a concentrated focus on recognizing our veterans, we know the importance of showing appreciation stretches well beyond this celebration. A few things we do all year include:

1. We currently employ over 250 self-identified veterans, and we’re always looking to add more to our team. Veterans bring important attributes to their work at Nelnet including a mission-focused approach; integrity; adaptability; leadership; experience working in diverse teams; and so much more. We’re lucky to have so many at Nelnet.

2. Many of our associates are family members of National Guard, Reserve, or active-duty military members, and serve in their own way. We work to support them as service takes them to different places. 

3. For the past decade, Nelnet has donated to and volunteered for a variety of causes that support the veteran community. This includes projects such as Rocky Mountain Fisher House, Houses for Warriors, United Veterans Coalition of Colorado, Veterans Community Project, and Blue Star Moms.

4. The NelVets associate resource group (ARG) was created to support our veteran associates and those who support them.

Nelnet is proud to have been recognized with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) award for supporting Guards and Reservists well especially when they are in training or deployed. We continue to foster new ways to best support our current and former military members and carry the deepest gratitude for their service and dedication.

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