Education and Training

Question 1: Can you please go over the difference between Dual Degree and Dual Major? 

Answer: A double major is a program with two sets of specialization requirements that leads to the receipt of only one degree. The student’s transcript will reflect attainment of only one degree.    

For example, a business degree offers the options of Finance and Marketing majors. A student pursues a Finance and Marketing double major resulting in a single Bachelor of Science (BS) Business degree being earned and reflected on the student’s transcript. 

A dual degree program is when a student is pursuing a program that includes two separately approved degrees at the same school. The student’s transcript will reflect attainment of two separate degrees.  

For example, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science Information Systems dual degree program results in the student obtaining two separate degrees, a MBA and a MS Information Systems degrees from the school.

Question 2: I noticed that for Chapter 35 students, it is now a requirement to have the resident and online hours on the certification. Do we now have to differentiate this like we do for Chapter 33 students?

Answer:  Based on the recent update School Certifying Officials (SCOs) must enter a number in the online hours field in EM for all students. You only need to separate out resident from online credits for Chapter 33 and Chapter 31 students However, all others can be certified with the resident and online credits combined in the resident field, as you have been doing. Zero can be entered in the online field.

Question 3: Are minors considered under the Dual Major guidance?

Answer: A minor pursued as part of an approved major (including as part of a double major or dual degree program) can be certified, even if the minor will require additional credit to graduate. Only courses required to complete the degree, including the minor, can be certified. 

SCOs should use the notes field in EM to annotate information regarding a minor for compliance survey purposes. For example, a note such as “Student enrolled in BA Business Administration with a minor in Accounting.” 

Question 4: I have a returning Chapter 35 student who has Date of Birth (DOB) 01/01/1900 can I certify them, or student needs to correct their DOB before being certified?

Answer: Yes. go ahead and certify the student. SCOs do not have to withhold certification for an inaccurate DOB, or for any other inaccurate bio or contact information. 

Question 5: How do i remove inactive students from my students list on EM?

Answer: At this time, there is no way to remove inactive students. This feature is planned for a future EM update.

Question 6: Are we required to have Certificate of Eligibility (COE) on file for students?

Answer: No. Although VA does not require a school to obtain proof of eligibility from a student before certifying the student’s enrollment in EM (or paper 1999s when applicable), the law allows a school to require students provide a COE or award letter as a precondition for reporting enrollment. However, VA recommends schools not institute this policy, as it may delay payment to the school and the student. 

Question 7: Would schools be allowed to change the student ID associated with the certifying school? From the last time our office had asked, we were not able to change the Student ID.

Answer: Yes. SCOs can add or update a student’s ID on the student’s Programs Tab. Please be aware that in some cases the Student ID is not updating properly. However, we have a request in to update that in the future.

Question 8: Why does the SCOs personal email reflect in certification print outs? I thought it was only used to log into EM. Veterans Affairs (VA) reps are providing students with our personal email.

Answer: The email address in EM (used for logging in and reflected on certifications) is based on the email the SCO used when they registered for and requested EM access. While the EM registration directs the user to enter their work or school email, some mistakenly believe they should use the one associated with their ID.me or login.gov account and enter that personal email instead. This then links that personal email to their EM account and prints on certifications. VA staff often use the email on enrollment certifications for SCO contact purposes but have been instructed not to use an SCO’s personal email if it was mistakenly entered during an EM access request. 

To change the email that is reflected in EM and on the certification, contact the SCO Hotline and request a Call Center Representative send the information to their coach for action. Email address corrections are done a weekly basis, so it may take a few days after reporting to be reflected in EM.  

When speaking to the representative, please provide the representative the: 

● Facility code 

● Incorrect email address 

● Correct email address 

Question 9: Are dual enrollments classified as an associates and bachelor programs taken at the same time as well?

Answer: Programs are reflected in WEAMS and EM in varying fashion, based on differing State Approving Agency (SAA) approval and Education Liaison Representatives (ELRs) entry. If the combined Associate and Bachelor program has been approved by the SAA as a single program, you will select the single program in EM. If they have not been approved as a single program, you will follow the procedure for reporting a dual degree program as provided in the February Office Hours.

Question 10: With dual degrees, will we have to add the custom remark every term or will this carry forward term-to-term? If it doesn't carry over, this will be cumbersome, and it will be helpful to have it added potentially into the program area.

Answer: SCOs only need to add the dual degree remark on the initial certification. It will not carry over and be visible on subsequent certifications, but that will not affect payment for the student. 

Question 11: Can you search for a student in EM using a partial date of birth, or does it need to be the full DOB? for example, could we enter only the month and year?

Answer: SCOs must enter a full DOB. Please review the Student Search Microlearning on February Office Hours for additional information. 

Question 12: Student's enrollment was terminated before the end of the term "withdraw during drop period - non punitive" was selected. When the semester ended, the student was placed on suspension. Do we need to submit the unsatisfactory progress? If yes, would the process be the same for when correcting a previously terminated enrollment?

Answer: No, you do not need to submit the unsatisfactory progress since the certification has already been terminated. Use the Notes Tab on the student’s profile to annotate the unsatisfactory progress for compliance survey purposes. Ensure you follow your SAA approved policy regarding certification after a student has been determined to not be meeting satisfactory progress if the student remains enrolled. 

Question 13: Are we supposed to split online and residential hours for 35?    

Answer: Based on the recent update you must enter a number in the online hours field in EM for all students. You only need to separate out resident from online credits for Chapter 33 and Chapter 31 students. However, all others can be certified with the resident and online credits combined in the resident field. Zero can be entered in the online field.

Question 14: If a Chapter 33 student medically withdraws mid-semester and has already received their benefit payment, do they need to return that payment? 

Answer: Acceptable mitigating circumstances allows VA to pay the student through their last date of attendance, rather than creating a debt from the first day of the term. If the student has received their monthly payment before the amendment or termination is processed a debt will be created. However, this is why it is imperative for SCOs to report changes in enrollment quickly.  

For example, if a student with acceptable mitigating circumstances withdraws on February 15^th and the termination is submitted on March 3^rd, the full month of February has been paid when VA processes the termination. Therefore, a prorated debt covering February 15^th through the end of February will be created. If the termination was not submitted until April 1^st, a debt would be created covering February 15^th through March 31^st.  

Question 15: How do I get all the requirements that I am responsible for during an audit? 

Answer: Please see the Compliance Survey section of the SCO Handbook for information. Additionally, there is Compliance Survey learning module worth 2 Learning Hours that can be accessed under the Existing SCO Training section in the SCO Training Portal. When you have a compliance survey scheduled, the individual conducting the compliance survey will provide you with a detailed list of what they need to review. 

Question 16: When I needed to correct a number of flight hours reported for one enrollment, i was instructed to go all way the way back to enrollment-create a new enrollment and then enter each monthly certs again until I get to the month that needed correction from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. I caught it in internal audit and wanted to "amend" a specific cert. It seems redundant to have to enter each monthly cert again just to correct a single cert. Is this a normal process?

Answer: EM currently does not have the functionality to allow you to amend or replace a monthly certification of hours if incorrect information is certified and amending the enrollment will not allow you to provide corrected monthly certification information. If an error is found on a monthly cert you should add a remark to a subsequent monthly cert providing the corrected information. 

For example, if while entering the monthly cert for February you notice that the hours submitted for the previous December were wrong, you should enter a remark on the February certification such as “December Ground hours were incorrectly reported as 1. The correct Ground hours are 1.5” 

Question 17: Is there a way to pull more than a week at a time through the report feature in EM?

Answer: No, at this time reports can only be generated on a weekly basis. Ad hoc reports longer than 1 week can be generated by using the filter features on Search my students page. However, those results can then be exported to a Comma-separated values (CSV) file using the “Export all results” button. Please note, if you have multiple pages of students, you must generate the CSV from each page, as it only captures results for the page you are currently on. 

Question 18: How does the source one work for Chapter35 students who qualify for the benefit under two different veterans? How does it know which to pull? Does it matter?

Answer: When adding a Chapter 35 student in EM, the VA File Number you enter is the VA File Number associated with the Veteran the student is deriving eligibility from. The system uses the VA File Number to determine under which Veteran to pay the student. The “Source One and Source Two” entries (or whatever entries an SCO chooses to use in those fields) are solely to assist the SCO with identifying the two records. VA systems do not validate or use those entries and they are not submitted on the certification. SCOs are encouraged to use the actual Veteran names in those fields, if known.

Question 19: For a Non-College Degree (NCD) school, if a student completes one program and then starts a second approved program, does this qualify under dual degree?  We are not accredited and do not give degrees.

Answer: No, that is not the same thing as a dual degree. If a student completes one program (regardless of the type of program) and then begins a new program that is not a dual program. 

Question 20: How can we edit a student’s program of study if they add a program of study after the original certification and are now seeking a Dual Degree?

Answer: The next time you certify the student select the “Dual Degree Program” VBA remark and provide the additional program information in a remark if the programs are separately approved in the Web Enabled Approvals Management System (WEAMS) Report. 

Question 21: If it serves no purpose for the VA, why were new fields added to Chapter 35 students when adding them to EM? That seems like a solution in search of a problem.

Answer: The purpose of these fields is to assist you, the SCO, in identifying Chapter 35 records, especially for beneficiaries who have eligibility from multiple sources. Which VA File Number a Chapter 35 student is certified under matters for delimiting date and entitlement purposes. An SCO needs to be able to be able to identify which record a Veteran is associated with. When a student has multiple sources, the SCO had no way of knowing from the Benefits Tab which Veteran the student’s record is associated with as the VA File Number is not visible. The Veteran name fields were added to solve this issue for SCOs.

Question 22: Do we have to update the Chapter 35 benefit tab if the students’ certifications are pending VA review, or will the VA still pay without the veteran first and last name listed?

Answer: SCOs only have to add the Veteran source information when adding a student initially or if you are changing the source under which the student is using benefits. The names provided in these fields are not validated against any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data source, are not transmitted to VA, and are not used by VA for any processing purpose.

Question 23: Dual enrollment, should we update now or wait until next certification?

Answer: The next time you certify the student select the “Dual Degree Program” VBA remark and provide the additional program information in a remark if the programs are separately approved in the Web Enabled Approvals Management System (WEAMS) Report. 

Question 24: Not enough information available for Chapter 35 students. Everything always seems to be "pending" or "under review."

Answer: For Flight and OJT/APP (all chapters), all Chapter 1606, 35, 31 (VR&E), Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP) claims, VET TEC claims, and all non-automated Chapter 30 claims the status will remain "Under Review".

Question 25: Who do we call for assistance with new Chapter 35 students? I keep getting transferred back and forth between the SCO and EM hotlines.

Answer: The Veteran name fields are for clarifying information for the SCO only. So, you do not need to contact the Education Call Center for this information. VA encourages you to use the most accurate information you have available to you when completing them, but the name fields are not validated against any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data source, are not transmitted to VA, and are not used by VA for any processing purpose. So, the certification can be submitted for processing without obtaining the actual Veteran’s name if you do not have it. 

Question 26: How are we supposed to submit "Unsatisfactory Progress" for Ch 33 students when we don't have that comment option anymore and can't enter custom remark?

Answer: Unsatisfactory Attendance, Progress or Conduct was not an option under VBA remarks. It is an option in the drop-down menu for Amendment Reason when terminating a student.  

If the student completed the term with all non-punitive grades and unsatisfactory progress also needs to be reported, you can no longer add a custom remark regarding unsatisfactory progress, however. In such a case, choose “Completed term with all non-punitive grades” from the drop-down for Amendment Reason when terminating, and add the information about unsatisfactory progress as a Note.

Question 27: How can I inactivate a term? I used to be able to do it, but now I can’t.

Answer: There is a fix in the backlog to update the Preset enrollment page to allow terms to be inactivated, as well as show the facility code for each term.

Question 28: How do we amend enrollments for a veteran who missed class for drill weekends?

Answer: If the student is still enrolled, you will not amend a certification for classes missed that do not violate your school’s SAA approved attendance standards.  

Question 29: When will EM update students’ birthdays properly? It makes it hard to look for students in the all students tab when needing to add students.

Answer: Roughly 50% of the records have been corrected, with 300,000 fixed in a recent update. We appreciate your patience as Accenture Federal Services (AFS) continues to work on this issue. 

Question 30: Custom remarks are no longer available on EM. In one slide y'all said add a custom remark, how are we supposed to do that if it's not available?

Answer: For dual degrees and dual majors where the programs are separately approved in WEAMS, when you choose the VBA Remark “Dual Degree Program” it opens up a custom remarks box for you to enter the second program name. Additionally, custom remarks are still available for all non-Chapter 33 certifications and for all students at facilities other than Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and Non-College Degree (NCD).

Question 31: If I don't catch sign ups in the first few minutes, how can I sign up for Office Hours or workshops?

Answer: ALL announcements are sent via GovDelivery which you must be registered in to receive communications from VA. Here is the URL for GovDelivery:  

Veterans Benefits Administration (govdelivery.com) 

Question 32: I cannot find 'mitigating circumstances' in EM. Where should I be looking?

Answer: The Mitigating Circumstances drop-down only appears when Mitigating Circumstances are a factor. Therefore, the drop-down will only activate on an amended certification when one of the following amendment reasons is selected: “Reduction after drop period – non-punitive grades assigned”, “Student completed term, but non-punitive grades assigned for one or more courses” or, “Withdrew after drop period - non-punitive grades assigned”.

Question 33: Vacation Period Reporting on Enrollments- I just wanted to verify that I do not have to report Spring Break as a vacation period. It is a 9 full day break (including weekends) but since my college has a standard 16-week term, I do not need to report it as a vacation period, correct?

Answer: Correct. SCOs do not report any vacation periods during standard length terms. Only report a vacations period if it occurs during a non-standard length term. 

Question 34: Are we still supposed to pre-certify credits with no tuition, then after census verify certification with correct credits and tuition?

The dual certification is still required for Chapter 33, but you can certify T&F up front and then amend for $0 after add/drop period. I thought we had to do two certifications for Chapter 33, correct?

So dual cert is no longer a requirement?

Answer: There are two concepts involved with your question: 

1. Certifying with zero Tuition and Fees (T&F) on the initial certification. This is an optional way to certify offered to SCOs who do not know the exact amount of T&F when the initial certification is submitted. This allows the school to certify prior to the term start date (up to 180 days for Chapter 33) to ensure students receive their book and housing payments on time.  Once the SCO knows the exact T&F the cert is amended to add the T&Fs.   

If the SCO knows the exact T&Fs at the time of certification, they should certify the T&Fs. If a certification is submitted with zero T&F and the student subsequently changes their enrollment before the T&F are submitted (an increase or decrease in credits) the cert must be amended, and the original T&F reported first. Then, the certification can be amended to report the change, along with the applicable T&F for the new number of credits.  

 2. Section 1010 requires a second (verification) certification after the drop-add period. If the SCO initially certified with zero T&F and the student has made no changes to their enrollment, amending the certification to report T&F satisfies the 1010 requirement for the second (verification) certification if it is submitted after the drop-add period but no more than 30 days after the end of the drop-add period.  

If T&F were submitted on the original enrollment and the student has made no changes to their enrollment, the SCO can submit an amended cert with no changes made to it to satisfy the 1010 requirement for the second (verification) certification. The ‘no change’ amended cert must be submitted after the drop-add period but no more than 30 days after the end of the drop-add period. 

Question 35: Would mitigating circumstances be used when amending a certification for a student who missed class for scheduled drill time?

Answer: If the student is still enrolled, you will not amend a cert for classes missed that do not violate your school’s SAA approved attendance standards. Mitigating circumstances are only required and available in EM when a cert is amended or terminated and one of the following amendment reasons is selected: “Reduction after drop period – non-punitive grades assigned”, “Student completed term, but non-punitive grades assigned for one or more courses” or, “Withdrew after drop period - non-punitive grades assigned”.

Question 36: Do you have to do a zero-change amendment?

Answer: If the school has no changes to report for the enrollment or tuition and fees for a term, a second enrollment certification is still mandated. In EM, this should be done by amending the enrollment, making no changes, and submitting the term. Comments or remarks should be avoided (unless necessary) on these “unchanged” amendments to allow the greatest likelihood of automation by VA. 

Question 37: Can you clarify how long to wait between amendments for each benefit type? 

Answer: Enrollment Manager can process more than one amendment on a single certification in a 15-minute period for Chapter 33 students. For non-CH 33 students, continue submitting successive adjustments on separate days.

Question 38: What happens when the DOB is incorrect in EM? I had this occur with a student and I submitted the student’s birth certificate in Ask VA, but never heard back.

Answer: It will not affect your certification. If the file number or date of birth (DOB) is incorrect on a student profile, please encourage your student to contact the Education Call Center (ECC) directly at 888-GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551) to update their profile information.

Question 39: So, the single payment account on file only pertains to chapter 33?

Answer: It does not only pertain to Chapter 33. VA is requiring all Veterans and beneficiaries who receive GI Bill® payments and any other VA benefit payments (compensation, pension etc.) across multiple banking accounts to select one account by April 20, 2024.

Question 40: How can we print Certificates of Eligibility (COE)? I thought we could print a student’s COE?

Answer: SCOs cannot access or print a student’s COE. A COE (or other entitlement letter or statement) must be obtained from the student.

Question 41: Is there a way to update student ID number for our own school?

Answer: Yes. SCOs can add or update a student’s ID on the student’s Programs Tab. Please be aware that in some cases the Student ID is not updating properly. However, we have a request in to update that in the future.

Question 42: When do we need to start noting Dual degrees in EM? 

Answer: The next time you certify a student in a dual degree or dual major and the programs are separately listed in WEAMS/EM, select the “Dual Degree Program” VBA remark and provide the additional program information in a remark. You only need to report the dual degree information one time. 

Question 43: If we have multiple campus locations, do we have to wait 15 minutes between processing amendments for dual certification purposes for each campus location? 

Are we supposed to wait 24 hours when submitting dual enrollments for 2 different facilities main/ extension?

Answer: For Chapter 33 students, it is requested that you wait at least 10 minutes between each submission. The 24-hour wait time is only for non-Chapter 33 students. We are considering the addition of a time stamp to EM so the need can be removed.

Question 44: Will there be a way to change the student's major without having to terminate the certification in EM?

Answer: SCOs can update a student’s program, when they change majors before certification. However, if you are saying a student’s certification was submitted under the wrong program, you must terminate the certification and submit a new one after updating the student’s Programs Tab. At this time, you cannot amend a certification to change the program already certified. There are updates to the Programs Tabs being discussed with the contractor that may alleviate this issue. 

Question 45: If a student is changing chapters, is that when I enter source 2? They are going from a Chapter 33 to Chapter 35?

Answer: Yes. The source is entered when the student is added in EM or, in this case, when you are updating the chapter used on the student’s Benefits Tab. 

Question 46: How come SCO hotline is unable to give us the veteran name for our Chapter 35 students?

Answer: SCOs do not need to contact VA for this information. The names provided in these fields are not validated against any VA data source, are not transmitted to VA, and are not used by VA for any processing purpose. The purpose of these fields is to assist you, the SCO, in identifying Chapter 35 records in EM, especially for beneficiaries who have eligibility from multiple sources. Because these fields are for clarifying information only, VA encourages you to use the most accurate information you have available to you, but in instances where you have the qualifying Veteran’s file number, but not their name, you can notate both name fields as “Source One” or “Father” etc., so the certification can be submitted for processing without delay. 

Question 47: Where can I find additional training or information on what to do if a student does not graduate, but does not re-enroll for another term?

Answer: If the student completed the term certified but did not return for any subsequent term, you do not need to take any further action.  

Question 48: Where do we find the SCO handbook?

Answer: SCOs can find the SCO Handbook at the Resources for Schools page listed below.

Question 49: If a Dual Degree student is only claiming VA benefits for one of their two programs, do we need to note the student as Dual in EM as discussed?

Answer: No. If the student only wishes to use benefits for one of the degrees, credits and T&F should be certified only for that degree and the dual degree remark and additional information for the second degree should not be included on the certification.  

Question 50: Why do we have to submit both resident and online credits now for Institutions for Higher Learning (IHLs) for non-Chapter 33?

Answer: For non-Chapter 33 students SCOs can enter zero in the Online credits box and continue to include any online credits in the Res Credits box.

Question 51: In EM, how do I input information for a student who is using two benefits from their parents at once (Chapter 35)?

Answer: When adding a Chapter 35 student in EM, the VA File Number of the Veteran/Sponsor from whom they derive benefits is entered. If a Chapter 35 student wishes to switch and use benefits under a second Veteran during a subsequent term, you must enter the second Veteran’s VA File Number by using the Edit button on the student’s Benefits Tab to switch records.  

There is no way to certify a student under both records during a single term in EM at this time, however. For certification purposes, you will certify the student under one record and the student will need to contact VA using the Ask VA system or by writing to the Regional Processing Office of jurisdiction in order to confirm that they wish to use two entitlement sources during one term. 

Question 52: Some pre-populated semesters that I've set up in EM cannot be deactivated after the semester has passed. How can I enable the deactivation option?

Answer: There is a fix in the backlog to update the Preset enrollment page to allow terms to be inactivated, as well as show the facility code for each term.                    

Question 53: When both parents transfer GI bill benefits, SCO can only create one file. The student wants to use both for the same academic year. How do I identify which benefits the student is using at that moment?

Answer: When adding a Chapter 35 student in EM, the VA File Number of the Veteran from whom they derive benefits is entered. If a Chapter 35 student wishes to use benefits under a second Veteran, you must enter that Veteran’s VA File Number by using the Edit button on the student’s Benefits Tab.  

New fields requesting the Veteran’s (sponsor’s) name were recently added to assist SCOs to know which record in EM to use for certification. Prior to the new name fields, it simply showed “35 to 35” when switching between records on the student’s Benefits Tab. Now you can enter the Veterans’ actual names or if you cannot obtain them from the student, you can make another entry in those fields that allows you to differentiate between the records.

Question 54: Are we able to make corrections if we input the incorrect hours into enrollment manager?

Answer: SCOs are both able to and required to correct any erroneous submissions in EM:  

• If you are an SCO at a school, you will amend the certification and correct the hours (and tuition and fees if required).  

• If you are an SCO at an OJT/Apprenticeship facility you will add a remark on a subsequent monthly certification providing the corrected information if you have submitted inaccurate hours for a previous month.  

Question 55: For Chapter 33, when we submit initial certification, and a student drops during drop-add. Do we need to report T&F first, then initiate drop? Previously, we did not need to for Drop During, but now we've had several Chapter 33s with partial payments only.

Answer: Yes. It has always been required to first report the original tuition and fees before reporting any dropped (or added) classes, including when the drop happens during the drop-add period. Schools who were not doing caused incorrect payment amounts to be issued. 

When $0.00 T&F are certified initially, the SCO must ensure the following if the student makes changes to their enrollment: 

•  Tuition & fees based on the original enrollment must be submitted on an amended certification prior to reporting any increase or decrease and any associated change in tuition & fees for that increase or decrease in hours.   

If the tuition & fees for the original number of credits is not reported, the school will receive a prorated payment for the entire term due to the way VA systems process amendments.

• If the change occurs during the drop period, the school will receive a prorated payment based on the original credits and tuition & Fees which covers the period from the first day of the term through the date the credits changed. 

This is not an overpayment even if the school does not charge the student for the dropped course(s). It's the appropriate tuition and fee payment for the period the student was in pursuit of the course(s). The school should follow their normal refund procedures with the student if there is no remaining balance due for the term.  

• The amended certification reporting the new number of credits and tuition & fees must report the amount of tuition & fees the student would have been charged if they had initially enrolled in the new number of credits.

NOTE: The tuition & fees reported will often not match what the school is actually charging the student, particularly if the withdrawal of a course(s) occurs after the drop period. 

Question 56: How does the benefit the student wants to use come into play? How do we know which benefit we should use when certifying?

Answer: SCOs should always ask the student which benefit they wish to use, as many VA students are eligible for more than one benefit. The benefit certified can affect the student’s payments, entitlement used and can be affected by their delimiting date (if they have one).

Question 57: Is there a specific place to report when we find a broken link on a VA page? We link to several Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) questions on VA's page and sometimes the pages stop existing or move and we don't know where to find the new ones or how to report that the link no longer works?

Answer: Please reach out to NTT-S at edutraining.vbaco@va.gov  

Question 58: For Dual Degrees - do we need to report the second degree if the cost for the second degree is encapsulated in their first degree?

Answer: Yes. If the student’s transcript will reflect the attainment of two separate degrees. Reporting of the second degree is not dependent upon additional tuition and fees being charged. 

Question 59: With One the Job Training (OJT) program hours we sometimes have more than EM allows; what do we do with those extra hours?

Answer: EM allows up to 260 monthly hours to be submitted. It would be unusual for a VA beneficiary to be training more than 260 hours in a given month. Hours reported should only include hours that count toward the approved number of training hours. Please also remember: 

• The hours certified may include approved paid related training that occurs during working hours and cannot include any related training received or pursued after working hours. 
• Hours reported can never include Vacation periods (annual leave), sick leave, military leave or hours not worked due to strike or layoffs.   
• Overtime hours can only be certified if the hours count toward training and are consistent with the work processes and tasks that were approved by the SAA or VA, as applicable. 

Question 60: How do we report graduation in EM?

Answer: Graduation is reported on an Amended Certification by checking the Graduation/End of Term or course box additional applicable fields. Please visit this webpage and access the EM User Guide for instructions.

Question 61: SCOs are supposed to certify chapter 33 before the semester begin and a second one when the semester started.  What happens if I receive the documentation after the semester started?

Answer: SCOs are not required to certify a Chapter 33 student before the term begins. However, it is suggested to ensure the student’s book stipend and MHA payments are received timely.  

SCOs are required to submit a second (verification) certification after the school’s drop-add period. If your initial certification for the term occurs after the drop-add period, the two (2) certification requirement remains. An “unchanged” amended certification should be submitted the day after you certify the term in order to maximize automation. Please see the Two Certification Requirement section SCO Handbook for additional information.  

Question 62: How do schools apply Yellow Ribbon (YR) for dual degree students? Can they receive YR from both programs?

Answer: The Yellow Ribbon program can be paid towards net tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. If a student is enrolled in a dual degree program at a school and both degrees can be certified, then YR is applied to both degrees, as they are submitted together on one certification.