A student-run UW-Madison committee has decided that the 37-year old student organization Vets for Vets won't get funding through student fees.

The group has typically gotten about $40,000 to fund resources for student veterans, which includes benefit counseling and help with the transition into civilian and student life.

The General Student Services Fund Committee last month denied the group's application after much deliberation, citing increasingly strict criteria that requires each organization's mission to benefit all students, not just a niche group.

"It was difficult to see how veterans benefits counseling was aimed at reaching all students," said chair Kurt Gosselin.

Vets for Vets is one of several groups that have fallen victim to an effort by student leaders to tighten the eligibility criteria for funding through student fees, also known as segregated fees.

Engineers Without Borders, the Legal Information Center, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council and Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow also were denied funding this year.

"There's been a conscious effort by committee members this year and last year to make sure funding stays at a reasonable level," Gosselin said. "The idea is we should be funding student services, not making a slush fund for RSOs (registered student organizations)."

The question of what groups get funding from student fees is often a hot topic on campus and sometimes the subject of legal battles, as in the case of the Roman Catholic Foundation, which went to court when the university denied its funding.

Student fees have increased significantly over the past 10 years, with many of the fees administered mainly by university officials. This year, students will pay $890, up from $854 last year but a relatively modest increase compared to recent years.

In the past, the committee has funded almost every group that applied, leading to a "bloating of the fund," Gosselin said. Some groups, like the Multicultural Student Coalition, have a budget of more than $300,000.

The new criteria settled on this summer have two main thrusts. For a group to be eligible for funding, it must both offer direct services to students and benefit everyone, not just those in the group. The committee must also adhere to the decision in the landmark UW Board of Regents vs. Southworth case that funding must be given out on a "viewpoint neutral" basis.

This means there's a shrinking number of groups that fit the description of deserving money from the General Student Services Fund.

The General Student Services Fund budget has decreased from $3.5 million two years ago to $2 million for the 2008-09 school year.

Gosselin said the university isn't abandoning those organizations and still recognizes the services they provide are important.

There is more money available for event, travel and operation grants, for which student organizations can apply independently of the General Student Services Fund, he said.

As for Vets for Vets, UW-Madison hired retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Bechtol as an assistant dean for veterans and ombuds services to help resolve issues for veterans.

But the group's president, Courtney Pfad, said she fears that if a student needs to fight the university on an issue, Bechtol won't be in a position to be an advocate.