Atlanta RPO Update _____________________________ March 6, 2008 Linda McAllister Chief, Education Liaison Officer

Structure and Staffing Atlanta (PR and VI) St. Louis Buffalo (Foreign Schools) Muskogee (AK, HI, Guam Samoa, and Manila) Education Processing Office

Structure and Staffing Education Officer Training and Quality Control Chief, Claims Processing Section Chief, Customer Service Section Chief, Outreach Section Original Claims Processing Unit Supplemental Claims Processing Unit Special Projects Unit Support Unit Interview Activity (phones and walk-ins) Inquiry Resolution Activity Congressional Correspondence Committee on Waivers Compliance and Liaison Unit Work Study Unit 148 Employees Authorized

Division Performance Fiscal Year 2007

Division Performance Fiscal Year 2008

Division Performance  11,582 claims  63 inquiries Pending Inventory as of 2/19/08

Structure and Staffing  Claims received -1.6 million nationwide -318,000 in our jurisdiction  Claims processed -1.4 million nationwide -277,000 in our jurisdiction -14% increase over FY06  Active trainees -101,444 in our jurisdiction -19.3% of individuals trained nationwide FY07 RPO Education Benefits

Puerto Rico Active Schools & Trainees  Trainees  CH 30 = 626  CH 31 = 217  CH 35 = 1175  CH 1606 = 631  CH 1607 = 456  Total = 3105 Schools – 66 IHL’s and 12 NCD’s

Workflow  Upstream -Hard copy documents -VONAPP claims -VA Once certifications  Downstream -Original claims -Supplemental claims -Special Projects Claims Processing

Workflow Electronic Receipts  VA Once Certifications -Monday – School submits electronic certification -Tuesday – Electronic certification processed through ECAP -Wednesday – Status code changes to 5A or 5M and electronic certification is visible in TIMS

Workflow Electronic Receipts  5A – Certification processed by ECAP with no human intervention -Only Chapter 30 claims -Payment issued within 3 – 5 business days with direct deposit -Approximately 10 – 15% of the Chapter 30 electronic certifications

Workflow Electronic Receipts  5M – Certification referred for manual processing by a VCE -Referral based on certification information and VA information -Includes Chapter 30 claimants entitled to kickers and $600 contribution -Subject to average processing delays

VAONCE  VAONCE now sends an to your student when you submit an enrollment certification  Go to Admin to include this option  Include student’s address on the Bio page

CH 1607 Monthly Verification April 1, 2008  CH 1607 required to verify their enrollment in order to receive payment  WAVE is the best way to verify (24/7)  Automated telephone (24/7)  Claimants will be informed at the end of Feb and Mar

Customer Service  Education Call Center -Staffed by VA employees at the Muskogee RPO. -Buffalo RPO transferred in January inquiries handled by local RPO.  April 2008 Atlanta calls to Muskogee

Customer Service  Really Simple Syndication (RSS) on the Web -A way to receive breaking information without going back to the website. -New information is automatically delivered to your desktop. -More information at

Address Changes and Direct Deposit  Individuals training under Chapters 30, 1606 and 1607 may receive direct deposit  National Direct Deposit Center  GI Bill Toll-free Line

Self-service Options  Claimant specific benefit information may be viewed via the WAVE link  WAVE information will be updated after a claim is processed  WAVE information may also be found under the VA Data tab in VA Once  Answers to FAQs via “Ask a Question” link on GI Bill website

WAVE ENHANCEMENT: Users can now click the “Check Pending Documents” link from the Homepage to see if there is a claim pending in VA’s electronic folder. If no documents are pending, the following message is displayed: We currently do not show a claim pending. If you recently submitted your claim, WAVE may not have been updated yet. Please allow for mail time plus business days. Check back periodically to confirm receipt. If you have had a claim pending, but it is no longer reflected on this page, it may have been recently completed. Please check under Benefit Status to see if your enrollment data has been updated.

 Claimants may establish secure account for claim specific inquiries  Certifying Officials may submit claim specific inquiries  Priority responses to registered Certifying Officials RPO Inquiries

Contact Us  GI Bill website  GI Bill toll-free line  Monthly enrollment verification  Direct Deposit

Contact Us  Having a problem with the toll-free line?  Unable to reach an Education Case Manager and really in need of assistance?  Experiencing a hardship? Are you or your students…

Contact Us  Chris Richardson, Section Chief  Sam Miller-Walton, Unit Chief  Cindy Navarre, Senior Veterans Claims Examiner  Clairmont Barnes, Senior Veterans Claims Examiner

RPO CONFERENCE 2009  March 31, 2009 – April 3, 2009 (Tentative)  Crown Plaza Ravinia  Meet with other school officials Presentations by RPO officials RPO Tour

Questions