Education and Training

Question 1: Will SCOs ever get answers on how to certify Chapter 33 students who officially enroll after the start of the term?

Answer: If a student officially enrolls after the start of the term, SCOs should certify them following the procedures provided in the SCO Handbook in the “Enrollment Periods” section: School Certifying Official Handbook (On-line) (va.gov). If this results in certifying the student more than 30 days after the start of the term, the SCO should document the student’s file, to ensure the school is not cited for a late report on a compliance survey.

Question 2: How do SCOs get rid of inactive students on our student’s tab?

Answer: At this time, SCOs can't deactivate students in Enrollment Manager. This capability is planned for a future release.

Question 3: The SCO Hotline is also telling SCOs that they still need to wait 24 hours between amendments, not the 15 minutes. How long should SCOs wait?

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

Question 4: There is no Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) remark available for clock hours for Chapter 33 students, if class is not online? 

Answer: If the clock hour-based class is a residential, SCOs should enter the number of weekly hours scheduled in the “clock” field in Enrollment Manager. No remark is needed.

Question 5: We are a flat rate school, and we were recently told that the tuition and fees (T&F) should be prorated by term. In this meeting it was mentioned that SCOs can report the full T&F with the initial certification.  Which one is the correct way to submit T&F? 

Answer: Please see SCO Handbook: Flat Rate Tuition Schools (Chapter 33), at the following link: School Certifying Official Handbook (On-line) (va.gov).

Schools with flat rate tuition should certify modular terms by first dividing the total tuition charged by the minimum number of hours considered full-time (usually 12). They should then multiply that per-credit hour cost by the number of hours of enrollment for each modulated term (until the minimum full-time hours are reached) and certify the results. No tuition should be certified for subsequent hours pursued.

Note: The example used in October Office Hours did not have modular terms; it was one generic Fall term and the student reduced credits after the add/drop date.

Question 6: Could Veterans Affairs (VA) add an effective date for changes to tuition in Enrollment Manager? That would make it much easier to be more accurate about the changes that occurred.

Answer: If amending only the tuition and fees in Enrollment Manager, SCOs should choose “Change to Tuition and Fees” from the drop-down for amendment reason. The “effective date” field does not activate as changes to tuition and fees are effective the first day of the enrollment period.

Question 7: Can SCOs modify dates yet, including vacation dates, in pre-set enrollments?

Answer:  No, SCOs should not modify a Pre-set Enrollment, if any certifications using the Pre-set Enrollment have been submitted. If an error was made in any of the dates in a Pre-set Enrollment the SCO should deactivate the Pre-set Enrollment and create a new one with the correct dates and a new name. Any certifications submitted using the original Pre-set Enrollment will have to be amended to provide the new dates.

Question 8: Without custom remarks, how do SCOs report when a student passes away during the semester?

Answer: Please submit the information via Ask VA (AVA) or call the SCO Hotline.

Question 9: Will EM give the payment details? If so, where? and when? waiting for the payment list to come in the mail is not efficient at all!

Answer: No, Enrollment Manager does not provide payment details. In addition to the payment reports that VA sends to schools, this information is also available through the school’s bank. The direct deposit payment includes an addenda field with the student's identifying information and term dates of the payment. Financial institutions are required to provide this information upon request according to rules set by the National Automated Clearing House Association.

Question 10: I have a student who never attended a summer class. I have been trying to report the non-punitive grade. There are no Amendment Reasons that match this scenario.

Answer: If the student attended other courses during the term, the correct reason to choose in Enrollment Manager is “Pre-registered but reduced prior to the first day of the term”. If the course in question was the only course the student was enrolled in during the term, amend the certification, check the “termination” box, and choose “Pre-registered but never attended”. If the student never attended the course at all, VA does not need to know the type of grade received as the class is not eligible for payment.

Question 11: When submitting corrections on Chapter 33, does the SCO have to submit a second certification?

Answer: If the SCO has submitted the tuition and fees based on the original certification and then have changes to report for the student, the amended certification reporting those changes serves as your second (verification) certification if it is received within the timeframe required under Section 1010.

Question 12: What is the process when an SCO makes a mistake on a termination? I sent an inquiry to ASK VA and was told changes had to be made in Enrollment Manager. How can we if the certification was terminated?

Answer: If a certification has been terminated and a change needs to be made to the enrollment, the SCO must recertify the enrollment period and choose the VBA Remark “Correcting previously terminated enrollment. Notice of change in student status to follow”. This will ensure that duplicate tuition and fees are not released. The SCO must then resubmit all previous amendments (if any) and will be able to make any necessary corrections as well. Finally, the SCO will re-terminate the enrollment.

Question 13: With Dual Certs, why force to school to report the original amount which generates addition workload on the school side with potential refunds to students, if a change of course load reduces during the census period?

Answer: By law, Veterans Affairs (VA) must send tuition and fee payments for a course the student was pursuing, this money is for the school to apply to the student’s record. If this causes a credit balance on the student account, the school must follow their refund policies to refund the student. See further:

§ 21.9640 Rates of payment 21.9640 Rates of payment of educational assistance of educational assistance:

(1) (i) A lump sum amount for established charges paid directly to the institution of higher learning for the entire quarter, semester, or term, as applicable. 

Question 14: Can we add new programs (degrees) or are they automictically pulled in from the Web Enabled Approvals Management Systems (WEAMS)?

Answer: Programs are updated automatically from WEAMS.

Question 15: Will Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes need to be entered into Enrollment Manager?

Answer: CIP Codes will be included in new program approvals submitted to State Approving Agency (SAA) and will not be entered in Enrollment Manager.

Question 16: I have a lot of students whose enrollment says "pending" or "in review" yet they have been processed. Can we get that fixed.

Answer: Only Chapter 33 Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and Non-College Degree (NCD), and automated Chapter 30 IHL and NCD certifications will update. All others, including non-automated Chapter 30 certifications, all certifications under Chapter 35 and Chapter 1606, as well as all Vocational Flight and all On-the-Job Training/Apprenticeship (OJT/APP) certifications will remain “under VA review” as  VA systems are not all fully integrated yet.

Question 17: Can the notes section appear/print on the Certification of Enrollment?

Answer: No, the point of the Notes section is to allow the entry of information the SCO may want to annotate for the school’s record, or that may be used for compliance purposes, but are not needed by the processing office. Information needed for processing should be reported using the Remarks, or via the amendment or termination reason, if applicable.

Question 18: Why can SCOs no longer submit amendments with future effective dates in EM? It seems to be new with the latest updates.

Answer: This was corrected with the October 7, 2023, update.

Question 19: With the introduction of the standard remark "Correcting Previously Terminated Enrollment" do SCOs need to use the remark for every step when recertifying an enrollment?

Answer: No, it only needs to be entered on the certification of the enrollment period. Including this remark ensures that the tuition and fees are not paid again.

Question 20: When would a parent facility and guest campus be the same?

Answer: The parent facility is the institution granting the final disposition for example: degree, certificate, etcetera (etc.). A guest campus is where the student is taking coursework to apply to the graduation requirements at the primary campus. If there is a specific situation leading to this question, please email National Training Team- Schools.

Question 21: Can the last day of benefit be added to the student's Certification or Eligibility (COE)?

Answer: If referring to a student’s ending date of eligibility (delimiting date), it is provided in the COE for any student’s that have one. Keep in mind, many students no longer have a delimiting date due to recent changes in the law. If referring to when they will exhaust their entitlement, that is not known until a student has been certified and completed the enrollment period in which their entitlement exhausts.

Question 22: How does an SCO get persons who have completed the program out of the system?

Answer: SCO currently can’t deactivate students in Enrollment Manager.

Question 23: I am an On-the-Job Training Certifying Official. Every submission to EM (for all students) shows the status as "VA Review" even though our students have received their housing allowances. It has been this way for a few months now and I haven't been able to find anything regarding this in the EM user guide.

Answer: On-the-Job Training/Apprenticeship (OJT/APP) certifications will remain “under VA review” as VA systems are not all fully integrated yet.

Question 24: If an SCO certified 12 credits worth of tuition and fees with 1st certification, then student later drops to 9 credits before we submit the 2nd certification, can we simply submit the 2nd certification with the new total tuition and fees for 9 credits?

Answer: Yes, if the SCO submitted the tuition and fees with the original certification, the amendment for credit changes may be used as the second certification if it is submitted within the time period required by Section 1010.

Question 25: Why are SCOs being asked to input tuition and fees on the initial enrollment when we were instructed not to over the past 4 years?

Answer: Dual Certification, where an SCO reports $0.00 tuition and fees on the initial certification is still available for any schools that wishes to use it. However, if dual certification is used and the student makes changes the SCO must first report the tuition and fees for the original enrollment before submitting an amendment for the changed hours.

Question 26: I certified enrollment for Chapter 30 on 07/20/23 and it is still under review as of today. Is there something more I should be doing to get this enrollment cleared?

Answer: Only Chapter 33 Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and Non-College Degree (NCD), and automated Chapter 30 IHL and NCD certifications will update. All others, including non-automated Chapter 30 certifications, all certifications under Chapter 35 and Chapter 1606, as well as all Vocational Flight and all On-the-Job Training/Apprenticeship (OJT/APP) certifications will remain “under VA review” as VA systems are not all fully integrated yet.

Question 27: How soon after initial certification can a second certification be submitted for dual certification of Chapter 33 students?

Answer: Retroactive certifications may have second certifications submitted the next day. If this is not a retroactive certification, please use the information from the SCO Handbook:

The second 1010 submission must be received no later than 30 days after the school’s drop-add period or 60 days from the first day of the enrollment period, whichever occurs first. For schools without a drop-add period, the second 1010 submission must be received no sooner than 30 days and no more than 60 days from the first day of the enrollment period.

Question 28: I have a student that has begun the semester using Chapter 33 benefit and now wants to change to Chapter 35 as of November 01, 2023. I am not able to change that in EM because even though I added the new benefit, it still won’t allow me to change it. How does an SCO report this now that there is no Custom Remarks available?

Answer: This question has additional questions such as is this change within the term, or a new term beginning November 1.

Please contact your Education Liaison Representative (ELR) for specific assistance.

Question 29: How should an SCO report campus closing due to hurricanes/natural disasters along with reporting that the semester has been extended?

Answer: Please contact your State Approving Agency (SAA).

Question 30: For dual degree programs, does that include a minor?

Answer: Minor: A minor pursued as part of an approved major 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.

Question 31: We have several students who have Chapter 35 benefits available through both parents. We are unable to change a file number and/or see which one is in use unless we print the certification. Will there be an option in the future to handle situations as this?

Answer: Please have the student contact VA regarding their benefits at the Education Call Center’s toll-free number at 1-888-442-455.

Question 32: I understand the explanation for the incorrect payments for credit changes on the dual certification. How do we report it correctly?

Answer: Please submit the tuition and fees for the originally certified credits. Then, report credit change amendments with associated tuition and fee changes, as applicable.

If the SCO submitted an amended certification reducing the credits before they provided the tuition and fees for the original number of credits the SCO must take the following steps to correct the certification:

Increase the hours effective the first day of the term to the hours the student             originally started with and include the associated tuition and fees for those hours.

Next, do an amended certification to report the new number of hours with the correct effective date and the tuition and fees that would have been charged if the student had originally started out with the lower number of hours.

Question 33: If I make an amendment to a certification with $0.00 and later add tuition and fees will the tuition and fees still be prorated? How do we correct Chapter 33 amount that was prorated?

Answer: More information is needed; the first item to review is the effective date provided on the tuition and fee amendment. Contact your Education Liaison Representative (ELR) for assistance on a specific student record.

Question 34: When trying to amend for increase in units prior to the start of a course, it does not allow you to submit. EM won't allow you to submit amendments until the 1st day of class. Is this a known issue?

Answer: Yes, it is a known issue and a fix is expected in a future EM Update.

Question 35: The information given today regarding the amending of certifications on Chapter 33's to report the change of hours and tuition and fees is confusing. There needs to be clarification between a change in hours during drop/add and a “withdrawal”.

The VA needs to stop saying "drop" when they mean withdrawal. SCOs report any change in hours during drop/add on the second certification (done after drop/add ends) along with the tuition and fees. If there is a “withdrawal”, the SCOs waits until the school has been paid for the original enrollment and then submit the withdrawal (change in hours) with the corresponding tuition and fees. This is the only way to make sure the money is correct.

Answer: Veterans Affairs (VA) realizes its terminology is different than what is used by some schools. VA generally uses ‘drop’ or ‘reduction’ for a reduction in hours regardless of when it occurs during the enrollment period. VA generally uses ‘withdraw’ to mean the student has completely terminated their enrollment for the enrollment period.

Prior to reporting an amendment for changes in credit (decrease or increase), you must report the tuition and fees for the originally certified credits, if your school’s procedure is to report the initial certification with $0.00 for tuition and fees. This is true for a change during the drop/add period as well, as the student is legally entitled to a prorated tuition and fee payment for the number of days they attended the dropped/withdrawn course even if the school does not charge them for the course. If the prorated tuition and fee payment causes a credit balance on the student’s account, the school should follow their refund procedures to refund the payment to the student.

If you report the reduction in credit hours with the corresponding tuition and fees for the reduced number of credits before first reporting the tuition and fees based on the initial certification, the school will only receive a prorated tuition and fee payment for the term. Please refer to the example provided in the Office Hours presentation.

If a student completely withdraws from the term, please ensure the amendment for termination is reported within 30 days of the official action; not based on the receipt of tuition and fees. 

Question 36: When the person asked about reporting F grades. It is still necessary for All F's unofficial withdrawals. I didn't want them to get that mixed up with the answer.

Answer: Please contact your Education Liaison Representative (ELR) for specific assistance based on your school’s policies.

Question 1: Can you confirm that the VA will prorate Chapter 33 benefits if a student drops credits after the add/drop period; same with if a student terminates after the add/drop period?

Answer: Veterans Affairs cannot.  Processing will review the student record when an amendment comes in and determine payment/overpayment. Payment depends on many factors, including whether punitive or non-punitive grades were received, if acceptable mitigating circumstances were provided and if the one-time Six Credit Hour Exclusion can be granted. There may be additional factors, including remaining entitlement or Transfer of Eligibility affecting the outcome as well.

Question 2: During Nation Association of Veteran Program Administrators (NAVPA), we were told Chapter 35 would be discontinued in 2025. Those students would be switched over to the Fry Scholarship. What will be the criteria/qualifications based on disability ratings?

Answer: Chapter 35 is not discontinuing. VA’s authority to pay benefits for high school training under Chapter 35 is ending in 2026.

Question 3: When reporting a drop, if the student dropped during the refund period, do we need to report tuition before reporting that drop?

Answer: Yes, the SCO must submit an amendment with the tuition and fees associated with the originally certified enrollment before submitting any amendments for credit changes.

Question 4: Instead of College Navigator how do Non-College Degree and schools without Title 4 find the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes?

Answer: Please visit the following link for assistance with CIP Codes: CIP user site (ed.gov).

Question 5: Are Chapter 31 only schools no longer accepted by Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E)?

Answer: Chapter 31 only approvals are still possible, but there must be a Veteran eligible for VR&E already attending or interested in attending that school. The VR&E division must also determine that there is no other training facility already approved that meets the Veterans needs before they can consider a Chapter 31 only approval.

Question 6: If our email contact on the Covered Institution list is not correct, how do we change it? 

Answer: Please verify the information on your Web Enabled Approvals Management System (WEAMS) report is correct. If the WEAMs report has the incorrect information, please contact your Education Liaison Representative (ELR).

Question 7: Who can SCOs contact when we get zero response from our ELR contact and the SAA Office is unsure as to what to do?

Answer: Please contact the National Training Team-Schools.

Question 8: Will Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes need to be entered into Enrollment Manager?

Answer: Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes will be for new program approvals submitted to the State Approving Agency (SAA).

Question 9: Could SCOs get in writing a clarification of how funds are to be used when a student drops during the drop period and the VA sends more money for services rendered, but if the amount exceeds the amount due it is to be returned to the VA so the student gets that money?

Answer: By law, Veterans Affairs (VA) may not send tuition and fee payments directly to a student. If VA has paid ‘services rendered’, meaning the tuition and fees for a course the student was pursuing, this money is for the school to apply to the student’s record.  If this causes a credit balance on the student account, the school must follow their refund policies with the student.

See further: § 21.9640 Rates of payment 21.9640 Rates of payment of educational assistance of educational assistance:

(1)   (i) A lump sum amount for established charges paid directly to paid directly to the institution of higher learning for the entire quarter, semester, or term, as applicable.   

Question 10: How do I find Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes? I can’t select any of my school’s programs.

Answer: Please go to College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics and search your school.  In your school information, select ‘programs’ to find the specific program names your school uses.  Then go to CIP user site (ed.gov) and enter the program name to get the CIP code.

Question 11: How do SCOs update the information for our tuition and fees on the GI Comparison Tool?

Answer: When an SCO selects some schools, VA imports the average tuition/fees for an undergraduate student as reported by the school to the Department of Education through IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). This is the same information that is published on College Navigator.

SCOs may also email: EDUAPPMGMT.VBACO@va.gov and put ‘Comparison Tool’ in the subject line. Please be aware that the Comparison Tool is updated on a quarterly basis.

Question 12: For Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) students under 18 where do they seek out counseling to determine if they can benefit from DEA benefits? Their Certificate of Eligibility (COE) states they can, but I have been unable to determine where to connect the student to for this.

Answer: Please see the following link in reference to DEA counseling: Educational And Career Counseling (VA Chapter 36) | Veterans Affairs.

Question 13: How does payment work for a student that is concurrently enrolled? For example, a student is enrolled in one class at another Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) but is primarily taking classes at another.

Answer: A student may take courses at more than one school only if they apply to his or her degree. The school that will grant the degree is the student’s “primary” school. All other schools are “secondary” schools. The primary school must submit a letter to the secondary school listing the courses the student is taking at the secondary school that the primary school will accept as transfer credit and that apply to the student’s program.

If the student is only enrolled at the secondary school (supplemental enrollment) during a term, VA will pay for the credits taken at the secondary school. If the student is enrolled at the primary school and the secondary school during the same term (concurrent enrollment), VA will pay for the combined credit, taking overlapping enrollment dates into account.

Note: Please see the SCO Handbook: ‘Supplemental and Concurrent Enrollments’ on additional SCO actions necessary to certify your student.

Question 14: What should be provided to the institution if a dependent is using benefits that were transferred to them?

Answer: The student will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to show the school. However, the SCO should not withhold certification if a COE is not received.

Question 15: Who should the SCO contact when a Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) counselor is not returning communication?  We had a VR&E withdraw and have not received a debt letter; ASK VA response was to contact VR&E directly.

Answer: There is a list of VR&E Officers in each Regional Office linked in the Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) SCO Handbook found on the Resources for Schools webpage: https://www.va.gov/school-administrators/.

Question 16: Where can I find Veterans Affairs (VA) graduation rate requirements for new schools requesting approval?

Answer: Please contact your State Approving Agency for approval requirements.

Question 17: When to report LDA (Last Date of Attendance) for Punitive Grades if it is determined that a student stopped attending prior to end of term?

Answer: If the accredited school does not have an attendance policy, punitive F grades for nonattendance do not have to be reported.

If the SCO needs to report a punitive grade, use one of the following methods to determine the last actual date of attendance: (1) attendance records, (2) grading reports, (3) last date on which examination or other papers filed, or (4) last day of activity in the instructor's records.

Note: A signed statement from the student as to the last day of his or her attendance may not be used as the sole means of verifying attendance. See the SCO Handbook: ‘Last Date of Attendance/Effective Date for additional information.

Question 18: If an SCO needs to amend the original tuition and fees, can they do both the credits and tuition changes on one amendment?

Answer: No, the SCO must submit the tuition and fees for the original credits certified; then amend the credit changes with any applicable tuition and fee changes.