Post-9/11 GI Bill Chapter 33

Benefit Payments

3 Tuition and Fees Individuals on active duty are eligible for the lesser of: − Tuition and fees charged; or − The amount of charges that exceed the amount paid by the military’s federal tuition assistance Individuals not on active duty are eligible for the applicable percentage (based on aggregate active duty service) of the lesser of: − Tuition and fees charged; or − Highest amount of tuition and fees charged for in- State undergraduate training at a public institution of higher learning in the state the student is enrolled

4 Established charges means the actual charge for tuition and fees that similarly circumstanced nonveterans enrolled in the program of education are required to pay. Tuition and Fees

5 Fees are defined as mandatory charges (other than tuition, room, and board) that are applied by the institution of higher learning for pursuit of an approved program of education and include, but are not limited to: Health premiums Freshman fees Graduation fees Lab fees Does not include study abroad course(s) unless the course(s) is a mandatory requirement for completion of the approved program of education

6 Tuition and Fees Institutions must report tuition and fees separately on VA Form , Enrollment Certification A spreadsheet containing the highest in state tuition per credit hour and the highest fees per term is posted on the GI Bill website Tuition and fees payable are calculated separately VA compares actual tuition charged per credit hour vs. maximum in-State tuition per credit hour and then pays the lesser amount

7 Tuition and Fees MN Caps Tuition = $750.00/credit Fees/term = $4, Example for 50% Benefit Level Post-9/11 GI Bill Payment Tuition 50% X ($450 X 6) $1350 Fees 50% X $500 $250 Books and supplies50% X (6 X $41.67)$ $ Paul ’ s total charged tuition and fees are $3,200, however, he is only eligible for a $1600 tuition and fee payment.

8 Tuition & Fees Example Status : Active duty Benefit Level : N/A Highest in state maximum charged per credit hour : N/A Tuition Charged : $25,000 Fees Charged: $0 Number of hours enrolled : 12 Tuition Assistance : $0 Result: Tuition and fee payment to the institution is $25,000 because the individual is on active duty.

9 Tuition & Fees Example Status : Veteran Benefit Level : 100% Highest in state maximum charged per credit hour : $750 Highest in state fees : $4,000 Tuition charged : $18,000 Fees charged: $2,000 Number of hours enrolled : 12

10 Tuition & Fees Example Calculation: Step 1 - Determine tuition cap $750 X 12 = $9,000 Step 2 - Compare tuition $9,000 vs. $18,000 pay the lesser: $9,000 Step 3 - Determine fee cap $4,000 (Highest in state fees) Step 4 - Compare fees $4,000 vs. $2,000 pay the lesser: $2,000 Step 5 - Add and multiply by benefit level $9,000 + $2,000 = $11,000 $11,000 x 100% = $11,000 RESULT: Tuition and fee payment to school is $11,000.

11 Tuition & Fees Example Status: Veteran Eligibility Percentage: 60% Highest in state maximum charged per credit hour: $750 Highest in state fees: $4,000 Tuition charged: $5,000 Fees charged: $350 Number of hours enrolled: 9

12 Tuition & Fees Example Calculation: Step 1 - Determine tuition cap $750 X 9 = $6,750 Step 2 - Compare tuition $6,750 vs. $5,000 pay the lesser: $5,000 Step 3 - Determine fee cap $4,000 (Highest in state fees) Step 4 - Compare fees $4,000 vs. $350 pay the lesser: $350 Step 5 - Add and multiply by benefit level $5,000 + $350 = $5,350 $5,350 x 60% = $3,210 RESULT: Tuition and fee payment to school is $3,210.

Monthly Housing Allowance

14 Monthly Housing Allowance Individuals are not eligible for the monthly housing allowance if they are: On active duty Training at ½ time or less Pursuing training solely by distance learning

15 Monthly Housing Allowance Equivalent to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents Amount determined by zip code of the IHL where the student is enrolled Calculated by multiplying the individual’s benefit level (40–100%) by the full monthly housing allowance Payments issued directly to the student on a monthly basis for the previous month.

16 Rate of Pursuit Rate of pursuit applies specifically to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and is similar to training time in other benefit programs It is calculated by dividing the number of credit hours (or equivalent) being pursued by the number of credit hours (or equivalent) that is considered to be full-time at the specific institution The resulting percentage is the individual’s rate of pursuit

17 Rate of Pursuit Example Standard term: Full time is 12 credit hours Student is pursuing 8 credit hours 8 ÷12 = Rate of pursuit is 67% If rate of pursuit is more than or 50%, housing allowance is payable

18 Rate of Pursuit Non-standard term: Equivalent Credit Hours (ECH) must be computed first ECH will be divided by the number of credit hours considered to be full time at the institution to determine the rate of pursuit.

19 Rate of Pursuit Example Non-standard term: Full time is 12 credit hours Student is pursuing 3 credit hours over an 8-week semester ECH = ÷ 12 = Rate of pursuit is 56%

20 Monthly Housing Allowance Calculation: Based on the length of his active duty service, Corporal Connors’ benefit level is 90% The monthly housing allowance for Benedictine College is $1,742 Amount of housing: $1,742 X 90% = $1, per month 08/14/09 – 08/31/0917 days $ /01/09 – 09/30/0930 days$1, /01/09 – 10/31/0930 days$1, /01/09 – 11/30/0930 days$1, /01/09 – 12/14/0914 days $731.64

21 Monthly Housing Allowance Sergeant Green’s benefit level is 60% The monthly housing allowance for Seton Hall University is $1,447 Amount of housing: $1,447 X 60% = $ per month 08/10/09 – 08/31/0921 days $ /01/09 – 09/30/0930 days $ /01/09 – 10/07/097 days $202.58

22 Books and Supplies Stipend Up to $1,000 per academic year – $41.67 per credit hour – Up to 24 credit hours in a single academic year – Lump sum payment (each quarter, semester or term attended) paid directly to the individual Prorated based on benefit level If the enrollment begins before 08/01/09, it is not reduced based on a partial enrollment period Active duty members are not eligible

23 Books and Supplies An individual at the 100% benefit level enrolls for 15 credit hours for the Fall 2009 term. Calculation: $41.67 X 15 X 100% = $ The individual enrolls for 12 credit hours for the Spring 2010 term. How much is the payment for the books and supplies stipend?

24 Book & Supplies Stipend Example: – If Susan enrolls in 15 credit hours for the Fall Term, she will receive a lump sum payment of $ ($41.67 x 15 credit hours = $625.05) – During the Spring term she enrolls in an additional 12 hours. Susan is only eligible to receive the books and supplies stipend for 9 of the 12 credit hours, she can not receive payment for more than the maximum of 24 credit hours in a single academic year. Her payment for the Spring term will be $ ($41.27 x 9 = $375.03)

25 Books and Supplies Stipend Since the individual already received the books and supplies stipend for 15 credit hours, he/she is only eligible for payment for the books and supplies stipend for an additional 9 credit hours. Calculation: $41.67 X 9 X 100% = $375.03

26 Books and Supplies An individual eligible at the 80% benefit level enrolls for 18 credit hours for the Fall 2009 term. Calculation: $41.67 X 18 X 80% = $ The individual enrolls for another 18 credit hours for the Spring 2010 term. How much is the payment for the books and supplies stipend?

27 Books and Supplies Since the individual already received the books and supplies stipend for 18 credit hours, he/she is only eligible for an additional 6 credit hours Calculation: $41.67 X 6 X 80% = $ NOTE: The total payment for the academic year is $800.07, the applicable percentage of the maximum books and supplies stipend based on the individual’s benefit level

Yellow Ribbon

29 Yellow Ribbon Program A way for veterans to attend higher-cost schools and educational programs VA partners with Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) to pay unmet charges May pay up to 100% of costs that exceed the highest in-state maximum limits by creating a matching program VA will match the IHL’s contribution towards the unmet charges up to 50%

30 Yellow Ribbon Program Report tuition charged, fees charged, and the maximum amount willing to contribute per term VA will pay the lesser of: –The amount of Yellow Ribbon certified –The difference between the amount certified and 50% of the individual’s unmet tuition and fee charges

31 Yellow Ribbon Ray Green’s Tuition for 12 resident credits is $12,000 and fees are $ Example Post-9/11 GI Bill Payment Tuition $750 (MN Cap) X 12 $9,000 Fees $175 $175 $9,175 Ray’s total unmet charges are $2,825 ($12,000 - $9,175) Ray is attending a Yellow Ribbon participating institution that agreed to contribute up to $2,500 per student annually. The institution should certify the maximum amount of Yellow Ribbon contributions that they are willing to pay for the certified enrollment period. VA will pay the lesser of the amount certified by the school or $1, NOTE: Ray is also entitled to the monthly housing allowance and the books and supplies stipend, however, they are not used to calculate the Yellow Ribbon payment.

32 Certification for Ray Green: For Yellow Ribbon Participants (33Yellow), the Yellow Ribbon field will be displayed in the Edit Enrollment Area and is required. The amount entered must be greater than zero. The Yellow Ribbon amount entered is the amount of the school’s contribution toward the “unmet” charges. Yellow Ribbon

33 Yellow Ribbon Yellow Ribbon Program amounts certified should be the maximum amount the institution is willing contribute per term VA will pay the lesser of the amount certified or 50% of the unmet charges Institutions will track annual amounts based on Yellow Ribbon Program agreements

34 The Yellow Ribbon Amount has been added to the Information Icon on the Certs page. If a Yellow Ribbon amount was submitted, it will be listed so that the certification does not have to be highlighted or opened to see the amount.

35 The “33Yellow” benefit type will allow you to quickly identify your Yellow Ribbon Participants. It also enables edits applicable to only chapter 33 Yellow Ribbon participants. To see how many Yellow Ribbon participants, you have, select “33Yellow” as the benefit type and click Filter. The number of records will appear in the middle left side of the screen.

36 If 33 Yellow is selected as the chapter type, the Active Duty checkbox cannot be checked. Active Duty students are reimbursed for the entire amount of tuition and fees, so the Yellow Ribbon Program is not applicable.

37 Payments From VA Tuition & Fee payment for each student Yellow Ribbon separate payment Payment based on VA Form , no payments will be made based on invoices or bills Student’s VA file number, name, and term dates will be provided with payment to your financial institution Payments by check will have stub containing the information above

38 Payments From VA All benefit payment types are processed separately Vet Rep Listing only contains payments issued to the institution Ch33 payments issued to the claimant are not associated with any facility code, therefore, these payments are not reflected on any Vet Rep Listings NOTE: Schools may still opt to receive Vet Rep Listing for non-ch33 payment issued to the claimant

39 Payments From VA Tuition and fee payments will be issued to the school on behalf of each student via Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) If EFT information is unavailable, payments will be sent to the school mailing address on file in VA’s Web-Enabled Approval Management System (WEAMS) Payments will include student identification information and the semester, quarter or term the payment is covering

40 Vet Rep Listing Report Mailed weekly to School Certifying Official. Lists all VA education benefits your students are receiving. Payments made directly to school will be listed in a sub-section titled “Chapter 33 Tuition and Fees and Yellow Ribbon Payments.”

41 Vet Rep Listing Report

42 Vet Rep Listing Report

43 Vet Rep Listing Report Claimant’s VA file number (8-digit file number or social security number)

44 Vet Rep Listing Report Amount of payment issued Enrollment period covered by payment

45 Vet Rep Listing Report Claimant’s address Benefit payment type 33T = Tuition and fees 33Y = Yellow Ribbon Program

46 Payments & Overpayments Payments amounts based on treasury records Amounts reflected are actual payment amounts after any overpayments have been withheld If amounts reflected are less than tuition and fees, schools should –Review claimant’s benefit level –Verify if overpayment exists NOTE: School may contact VA or review VA-ONCE for VA Form b to determine if an overpayment exists.

47 Payments & Overpayments If a student attends a portion of the certified enrollment period, yet does not complete training, schools should follow their established student refund policy If a refund is due, it should be issued to the student Refunds for partial attendance should not be returned to VA The student is responsible for any overpayment of VA benefits incurred as a result of a change in enrollment

48 Payments & Overpayments If a student never attends any portion of the certified enrollment period, schools should return money back to VA If a refund of a student’s out-of-pocket expenses is due, it should be issued to the student The school is obligated to refund payments to the VA for a student’s non-attendance (regardless of the established student refund policy) Payments returned to VA must include the student identification information as well as the quarter, term or semester for which the payment was made

49 Payments & Overpayments Send Check to the Agent Cashier of the RPO including “student identification information” or Send paper check to: U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service P.O. Box Philadelphia, PA or Electronically via: Automated Clearinghouse to R31 ACH return code

50 Payments & Overpayments If a student does not complete a certified enrollment period, the school may or may not issue a refund If an overpayment is created, the student will be responsible for making repayment arrangements with VA’s Debt Management Center (DMC) regardless of whether or not a refund was received from the school

51 Payments & Overpayments VA will notify student about overpayment Notifications will inform student of the overpayment amount and whom to contact to establish a repayment schedule DMC will also send notification of the overpayment amount and provide due process rights Overpayments are collected by DMC

52 Payments & Overpayments In most cases, overpayments will not be collected during the due process period, which is 30 days from the day of notification Students with existing overpayments may attend school; however, their benefit payments will be withheld until the overpayment is collected Overpayments will be collected from the “next” payment, including tuition and fees and Yellow Ribbon Program payments

53 Transfer of Entitlement Spouses: May use after transferor completes 6 years in Armed Forces Paid at transferor’s rate - Cannot be paid monthly housing allowance or books and supplies stipend if the transferor is on active duty when the spouse is receiving benefits Can continue to use benefits if divorced, unless the transferor revokes remaining entitlement Can use benefits up to transferor’s 15-year eligibility period, unless transferor specifies an earlier ending date Not limited to highest in-State tuition and fee rates while transferor in on active duty

54 Transfer of Entitlement Children: Entitlement must be transferred to an unmarried child who has not reached the age of 18 or, if in school, before child is 23 years of age May use benefits after transferor completes 10 years in Armed Forces Must have: ― reached age 18; or ― completed requirements of secondary school diploma ― (or equivalency certificate) Receives veteran rate, including housing allowance & book stipend, even if transferor is on active duty May use until 26 years old even if transferor’s 15-year eligibility period ended May continue to use benefits after marriage

55 For Transfer of Entitlement (TOE) students, the VA file number is the student’s SSN and the payee# is “00 (Vet).

Reporting Procedures

57 Other Financial Aid Assistance VA benefits are considered an entitlement and are not reduced based on financial need Amounts reported to VA should be actual charges prior to any reductions or financial aid Financial Aid offices are responsible for determining if an individual remains entitled to state aid, scholarships or other financial assistance based on receipt of VA benefits – If a state prohibits a public IHL from charging a student tuition (and/or fees), no charges should be reported to VA – Initial charges of tuition and fees needs to be reported to the VA on the VA Form-1999 even if a state waives any portion of the tuition (and/or fees). (credits should be refunded directly to the student by the school)

58 Other Financial Aid Assistance Many states offer financial assistance to veterans enrolled at public institutions. This assistance varies by state and may include a full waiver of tuition and fees. Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition and fee payments are calculated based on an eligible individual’s charged tuition and fees. − If the waiver results in no tuition and fee charges, VA cannot authorize a tuition and fee payment. − Individuals will still receive the monthly housing allowance and the books and supplies stipend, if they are otherwise eligible. − If tuition and fees are charged, but subsequently waived, VA can authorize a tuition and fee payment. The resulting funds can be released if not prohibited by state regulations.

59 VA-ONCE VA-Once allows you to report additional information for the Post-9/11 GI Bill Distance Learning Credit Hours Tuition Charged Fees Charged Maximum amount of Yellow Ribbon Program contributions the school is willing to pay for the term, quarter, or semester –VA will pay the lesser of:  The amount of Yellow Ribbon certified  50% of the individual’s unmet tuition and fee charges You must also report the full-time measurement for all graduate level training in the “Remarks” section

60 Chapter 33 VA-ONCE Chapter Choices 1) 1)Chapter “33” and “33Yellow” are listed in drop down menus for benefit type. 2) 2)Chapter 33 Yellow should be used only if your school is participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and the student is a Yellow Ribbon Participant

61 The Status drop-down Filter allows you to identify 33 Submitted and 33 Processed. Note: This means that the 33 certification will be manually processed, not that it has already been processed. Selecting “33 Submitted” and clicking ‘Filter’ will bring up a list of all chapter 33 submitted certifications, status 4X. Selecting “33 Processed” and clicking ‘Filter’ will bring up a list of all certifications in status 5E. These status codes apply to both 33 and 33 Yellow students.

62 4X – Chapter 33 certification has been Submitted 5E – Chapter 33 certification has been received for manual processing VA-ONCE Status Chart

1. 1. Change “Chapter” to 33 or 33Yellow before starting a new cert Review Training Type-NCD, IHL- Undergrad or Grad Program name should be the same as listed on the VA Form (WEAMS Report) BIO Page

64 VA-ONCE “Cert” Fields 1) 1)Asterisks denote required fields. 2) 2)The “Dist” field is disabled for non-chapter 33 students. 3) 3)Tuition and Fees are required for all benefits and training times. Valid values are $0 to $99, ) 4)Tuition and Fees are reported separately.

65 The Distance hours field is enabled and required for all chapter 33 and 33 Yellow students. Any classes the student is not taking in residence should be reported in this field. If all classes are being taken in residence, zero should be entered. Tuition and Fees are also required. VA-ONCE “Dist” Field

66 Undergraduate Resident Training In-residence training for undergraduate students defined in 38 CFR (d) as: Undergraduate resident training. VA considers the following undergraduate courses to be resident training. (1)A course which meets the requirements for resident institutional training found in § (f); (2) A course which requires regularly scheduled, standard class sessions at least once every two weeks and which has a total number of class sessions equal to the number of credit hours awarded for the course, times the number of weeks in a standard quarter or semester, as applicable.

67 Graduate Resident Training Offered through regularly scheduled, conventional classroom or laboratory sessions; or Consists of research (either on campus or in absentia) necessary for the preparation of the student’s: – – Master’s thesis, – – Doctoral dissertation, or – – Similar treatise which is prerequisite to the degree being pursues; or Consists of a combination of training described above

68 Hybrid Courses Resident or Distance? Number of credits X weeks in standard term = number of required class sessions to be considered a resident course Standard quarter = 12 weeks; Standard semester = 15 weeks To qualify for 1 class session a course must meet a minimum of 50 minutes. Course meets 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM every Thursday for 10 weeks –3 qtr credits X 12 weeks in Fall term = 36 required class sessions to be considered a resident course –Course meets 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM every Thursday –The course is meeting one day a week for 1 class session X 10 weeks = 10 class sessions.

69 Certify as Credit or Distance? Registered for 8 undergraduate credits 5 credits of resident courses One web-enhanced course – Title : History of Distance Education – 3 quarter credits – Campus and online sessions alternate every Tuesday, 4:00 – 7:30 PM – Quarter is 10 weeks long

70 The course must be certified as “dist” credits. To be classified as resident there must be 36 class sessions. Each campus meeting = 4 class sessions X 5 campus sessions = 20

71 Remedial Credits Remedial courses may be required for entry into, but are not a required part of a degree, diploma or certificate program Independent study/online courses must be part of an approved degree, diploma or certificate program to be eligible for VA education benefits Remedial courses offered online can’t be certified for VA education benefits under ANY chapter.

72 Enter the number of credit hours pursued via distance learning Hours can be “0” Do not include hours reported under “Credit” Remedial courses can only be taken in residence for VA benefits, therefore must be certified in the “Credit” field.

73 Enter total charged tuition and total charged fees

74 Field is required for benefit type “33YELLOW” Entry must be greater than zero Indicate the maximum amount the school is willing to contribute for the term certified NOTE: Modify benefit type on BIO page to “33” when maximum annual contribution amount has been certified

75 Indicate the full-time measurement for graduate level training

76 Reporting Changes Revisions to the VA Form b, Notice of Change in Student Status, allow schools to report additional information for changes under Ch33 Schools should report Ch33 changes involving no training time change Schools should report the revised maximum amount the institution is willing to contribute toward the Yellow Ribbon Program for the period certified For reductions, amount should be proportionate to original amount certified

77 Field is required for benefit type “33YELLOW” and must be greater than zero Indicate the revised maximum amount the school is willing to contribute for the term certified

78 The printed form will include the new fields and the revised Yellow Ribbon amount

79 Multiple term enrollment box--The Yellow Ribbon field will only appear if you have selected 33 Yellow as the benefit type. NOTE: Only use the multi-term cert if the student is taking nonstandard term courses within the standard term certifying.

80 For graduate students only, along with selecting a training time, a remark must be added to tell VA the minimum credit load for full-time status at your institution. 9 credits is minimum full-time status for this graduate program 12 credits is minimum full-time status for this graduate program

81 Create a standard remark for graduate programs telling VA the full-time credit load for the program.

82 The “Amend” Cert feature is used to modifying the Begin Date, End Date, and Tuition, you can also amend the Fees, and Yellow Ribbon amounts. Note: Do not use “amend” to change the “begin” and “end” dates because the student is taking the course certified during a different term.

83 The “Adjust” feature includes the Yellow Ribbon amount, if applicable. When printed, the Notice of Change in Student Status includes all fields and the revised amounts.

84 Is this a properly completed Cert?