Chad Daugherty, Valdosta State University Best Practice: Working with your Bursary/Business Office to ensure accurate and timely tuition and fee payments Chad Daugherty, Valdosta State University

Which VA programs make tuition and fee payments directly to the school Which VA programs make tuition and fee payments directly to the school? Chapters ___ and ____. About Us Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam aliquet eu mi quis lacinia. Ut fermentum a magna ut.

Chapter 31 Vocational Rehab & Employment (Voc Rehab) -Veterans with at least a 10% VA disability rating may be eligible for these benefits. -The local Voc Rehab office will provide the veteran with the 22-1905 paperwork each semester, clearly stating what the VA will pay for. -School will report enrollment hours in VA ONCE and will bill the VA separately.

Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI BILL -A veteran or their dependents* may use these benefits to pay tuition and fees directly to the school -School reports both the enrollment hours and the tuition and fees in VA ONCE. -The veteran or dependent may receive between 40% and 100% of this benefit.

What can you bill the VA for? (Assuming that the student is enrolled in an approved program)* Bill Don’t Bill Net cost of tuition charges Mandatory Fees Lab fees Health premiums Transportation fees Technology fees Study abroad courses (unless the specific course is mandatory to graduate) Housing Meal Plans Books Costs already covered by a school waiver and/or certain scholarships

Do you worry about whether or not you are accurately reporting tuition/fees?

What happens if an error occurs? Having the same person review charges and submit tuition/fee amounts in VA ONCE will result in errors! -These errors are often found by the Bursary, when payments are being receipted in from the VA. -These erroneous payments will either result in underpayments or overpayments. Underpayments: SCO will need to submit an updated certification with the correct amount. The Bursary will need to process the additional payment upon arrival. Overpayments: SCO will need to submit an updated certification, which results in a debt with VA. The Bursary will need to process a check to be mailed to the VA. As you can see, errors can and will happen. These errors result in more work for the school VA office and the school Bursary/Business Office!

Let’s help each other out! Here is how we do this at Valdosta State University… At VSU, students receiving the Post 9/11 VA Benefit will have a “contract payment” applied to their charges. This contract payment is based on the expected payment from the VA and credits the student charges, much like the PELL grant, HOPE Scholarship, etc. This allows the student to quickly resolve the balance that is due to the school, while the school waits for the final payment from the VA later in the semester. Since we are crediting the student account before any payment is actually received from the VA – all offices want to be sure the expected amount of payment is accurate. The SCO reviews the Certificate of Eligibility (COE), charges, and course details to determine what they believe the estimated VA payment will be for the semester. The Bursary reviews and either confirms the SCO’s figure or notifies the SCO that they came up with a different figure.

The “Spreadsheet” Large image A shared drive (V-Drive) is used by the Bursary and the VA Office -The spreadsheet in this drive will include the details of each Chapter 33 (and 31) student that has requested to be certified for the current term. -Important factors such as the student’s name, school ID, percentage of benefits, estimated T/F payment, and remarks are provided. -All of these factors are used to justify the SCO’s estimated tuition and fee payment.

Bursary Confirmed/Posted to Banner Large image The “Spreadsheet” (continued) Student Last Name Student First Name VSU ID SSN Tuition and Fees % Chapter Bursary Confirmed/Posted to Banner Remarks Smith Emily 870-12-3456 1234 $1,308.00 100 33 Y $3,738 - $2,430 (HOPE) = $1,308 Jones Tom 870-99-9999 5678 $2,466.80 70 33 Y $3,524.00 X 70% = $2,466.80

VA Contract Payment (Banner View) Large image $3,524.00 X 70% = $ 2,466.80

Actual receipt of payment Large image Actual receipt of payment When actual VA payments are received by the Bursary, the spreadsheet is updated by the Bursary to reflect the exact amount received. If the amount matches the original expected amount, no additional action is taken. If the amount received is more or less than the original expected amount, the Bursary notifies our VA office via email. Our VA office then contacts the SCO hotline to determine why the payment was more or less than expected.

If payment is less… Large image If the actual VA payment is less than expected (after confirming info with SCO hotline), we will adjust the student’s VSU account and contact them regarding a balance due. These situations can be due to reasons such as; delaminating date reached, remaining months of benefits was not enough to cover the length of semester, the expected percentage of entitlement was incorrect, etc. These issues can be avoided or greatly reduced, by requiring an updated COE or eBenefits screenshot of benefits each semester. (VSU requires an updated COE/eBenefits screenshot each term)

If payment is more… Large image If the actual VA payment is more than expected, the Bursary will contact our VA office for us to research further. If validated that the higher payment is correct (ex: the percentage of entitlement was originally expected to be 90% but ended up being 100%), the student’s contract payment credit is increased. Refund issued to student (if balance was already paid) If we determine that the higher amount is incorrect (ex: error made when the final certification was made in VA ONCE), the SCO will adjust the certification to reflect the correct tuition/fee amount. Bursary will hold onto the additional VA payment until a debt letter is received in a few weeks. Then, the overpayment is paid to the VA.

What is the end result? Happier students Reduced debt for the school Better relationship between offices Improved service to veterans and dependents

Questions? Thank You Chad Daugherty 229-333-5935 cndaugherty@valdosta.edu Valdosta State University