Version P055 of VA-ONCE Installation Date 07/28/18 Prepared by S. Norton

Version P055 of VA-ONCE implements the major changes due to the Colmery Act (Forever GI Bill). Provisions addressed in this release are 308 and 107. Section 308 – Informing Schools About Beneficiary Entitlement VA must make available to educational institutions information about the amount of educational assistance to which a beneficiary is entitled. A beneficiary may elect not to provide the information to an educational institution. Section 107 - Monthly Housing Based on Campus Where Student Attends Most Classes The law requires the monthly housing allowance under the Post-9/11 GI Bill program to be calculated based on the zip code of the campus where the student physically attends the majority of classes, rather than the location of the school where the student is enrolled.

Section 308 – Opt Out Currently information on entitlement is shared for chapter 30, 1606, and 1607 students on the VA Data page. This section of the law mandates the information is shared for all chapters and gives the claimant the option of NOT sharing with their school. VA-ONCE will be updated to include all chapters, but has been updated to prevent the school from seeing the information, if the student has opted out. To the left is the current view of VA Data for a student receiving chapter 30 benefits.

If the student has notified the VA that they would like to “Opt Out” of sharing their information with their school, the school will see an “Opt Out” message on the VA Data page. Note – the opt out option is all or none. If the student has opted out, no schools will be able to see the data. It cannot be done on a school by school basis.

Section 107 – Section Housing Based on where majority of classes are taken VA will determine where the majority of the classes are taken, but the SCO must provide the zip code for each group of hours. This will apply only to chapter 33 and chapter 33 Yellow Ribbon students in VA-ONCE. If the student is taking ALL classes at the zip code of the facility address in VA-ONCE, then there is no change to the way you certify students. VA-ONCE will default to the zip code of the school address. To determine if your school address is correct in VA-ONCE, click the School Detail option at the top of the screen.

A list of all the facilities that you have access to will appear A list of all the facilities that you have access to will appear. Click on each one to verify the address. Check the address and zip code on the School Data page. If the address (especially the zip code) is incorrect, be sure to contact your ELR to have it updated.

New Admin Function – Adding Zip Codes When you are reporting zip codes to the VA, you will be choosing from a drop down list. This is to help prevent typos and incorrect entries. You will need to enter zip codes in the Admin section before doing certifications at multiple zip codes. Click the Admin Tab and from the Maintenance drop down menu, select “Zip Code Location”.

To add a zip code, click Add at the top of the screen. Enter the zip code and a description of the location and click “Save”. The description is to assist you when selecting a zip code.

Once the zip code is saved, it appears in the grid and on the drop down menu when doing a certification. If you have students taking a classes overseas, you will need to add a “99999” zip code. This is the default zip code for all foreign training.

To delete a zip code, highlight it in the list and click Delete. There are sample descriptions in the list below, but you may use whatever is most helpful to you. Once you have entered your zip codes, certifications with multiple zip codes can be submitted. You may enter new zip codes at any time.

Scenario 1 – All classes taken at the zip code of the main facility. Term is entered and submitted as always. The only difference is that the “Hours by Zip Code” button is in the Edit Enrollment work area.

Sample of the new layout of the Enrollment Cert for one zip code

Scenario 2 – Classes taken at the zip code of the main facility and distance hours. Term is entered and submitted as always. The only difference is that the “Hours by Zip Code” button is in the Edit Enrollment work area. VA-ONCE defaults the distance hours to zip code 99999.

Sample of the new layout of the Enrollment Cert for one zip code and distance hours

Scenario 3 – Classes taken at two zip codes. Term is entered as usual. After entering the dates, hours, and T&F, click the “Hours by Zip Code” button and a new modal will appear.

The center section of the modal will have the information entered on the main page. The default when you enter this page will be all hours at the main zip code. You will need to change the hours accordingly.

In this scenario the student is taking 9 hours at the main campus and 3 at the south campus. Change the hours at the main campus to 9 in the “Edit Hours by Zip Code” section and click Save. The hours in the top grid will now show 9.

Click “New” in the top left to add the 3 hours at the south campus Click “New” in the top left to add the 3 hours at the south campus. A new row will appear in the grid. Select the zip code from the Zip Code drop down and enter the number of hours. Then click “Save”. There are now 2 rows in the hours by Zip Code grid. When you are done, click the “Done” button in the top right corner. You will be taken back to the main page where you can submit as usual.

If the hours on the main page do not match the zip code page, you will receive an error message when you try to submit. In this example there are 9 hours at one zip code and 2 at the other, but there should be 12 total. If you click Done and then try to submit on the main page, the error to the right will appear. Note: The total number of hours in each column in the grid should equal the number of hours from the Cert page that is displayed in the middle of the modal.

Sample of the new layout of the Enrollment Cert for two zip codes

Scenario 4 – Classes taken at three zip codes. Just like with 2 zip codes, the term is entered on the main page with the term dates, hours, and tuition an fees. Once that is entered, click the Hours by Zip Code button. Enter the hours for each zip code, be sure to save after each entry. If a zip code is entered in error, you may highlight it and click Remove to delete it. Once you are sure the hours at each zip code are correct and the total matches the information from the Cert page, click Done.

Sample of the new layout of the Enrollment Cert for three zip codes

Scenario 5 – Enrollment Submitted at one zip code, now going to another. You may use “Amend” to correct an Enrollment Certification submitted at the incorrect zip code. Select the term to be corrected, and “Amend” from the Cert drop down. This will open the “Edit Amendment” work area. All rules for Amendments still apply, but you can also correct the zip code. Click the Hours by Zip Code button.

The zip code modal will open and you will be able to change the zip code. If all 12 hours are being taken at a different zip code, use the drop down to change the zip code. In the sample below it is being changed from the main campus (20420) to the North Campus (20303). Once saved, the zip code in the grid will change to show hours at 20303.

If hours need to be redistributed to more than just one zip code, new zip codes can be added by clicking New. The total hours must always equal the number from the Cert page. Adjustments – increases or decreases in hours cannot be done on an Amended Certification. After making the corrections to the zip code, click Done. Submit on the main page as you usually would.

Sample of the new layout of the Enrollment Cert for Amended Certification (one zip code to 3)