Education

1
Education

• Texas Veterans Commission
• Fall Conference 2008

2
Overview of Education

• Purpose
• Different Educational Benefit Programs
• Types of Training
• Changes
• Application Procedures

3
Overview of Education (cont.)

• Original vs. Supplemental Claims
• Processing Flow
• Forms
• Chapter 32 Refunds
• Chapter 36 Counseling

4
Purpose

• The VA educational assistance is designed to help
  service-persons and Veterans adjust to civilian
  life by extending the opportunity of higher
  education to those who might not afford the
  opportunity.

5
Benefit Programs

• Nine different educational programs
• Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty
• Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve
• Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance
  Program
• Section 901 Test Program

6
Benefit Programs (cont.)

• Section 903 Pilot Program
• Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance
  Program
• Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors
• Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Anti-terrorism
  Act
• The Voc Rehab will be covered separately.

7
Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty

• Also known as Chapter 32
• Eligibility
• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Honorable discharge
• Benefit
• Receive a basic full-time check and possible DoD
  kicker

8
Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve

• Also known as Chapter 1606
• Eligibility
• Determined by DoD or Homeland Security
• Completed Initial Active Duty for Training
• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Good standing in a drilling reserve unit
• Officer Eligibility
• Must agree to serve 6 additional years beyond
  initial obligation
• Enlisted Eligibility
• Must have a 6 year obligation signed after 30
  June 1985

9
Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Education Assistance
Program (VEAP)

• Also known as Chapter 32
• Incentive Program
• The ONLY voluntary contribution-matching program
• 21 Ratio match (for every 1 contributed, the
  government gave 2)
• Eligibility
• First entered active duty after 31 Dec 1976 but
  before 1 July 1985, AND
• Contributed to VEAP before 1 April 1987, AND
• Completed first period of service, AND
• Discharged under conditions other than
  dishonorable

10
Section 901

• Also known as Education Assistance Test Program
• Eligibility 3 areas
• Education-related Requirement
• High School Diploma
• Service-related Requirement
• Service members and Veterans must have enlisted
  or reenlisted between 30 Nov 1980 and 1 Oct 1981
• Discharge must be honorable or general under
  honorable conditions
• DoD Requirement
• Service member must be in particular military
  occupational specialty
• Service member must have scored a specific value
  on the Armed Forces Qualifications Test

11
Section 903

• Also known as Education Assistance Pilot Program
• Modification of VEAP with 2 main differences
• No contribution required
• Section 903 can be transferred to a spouse or
  child (Army only)
• Eligibility 3 areas
• Service Members and Veterans
• Cannot be eligible for Chapter 34
• Must have enlisted between 30 Nov 1980 and 1 Oct
  1981
• Must have served 181 continuous days (unless
  discharged due to service-connected disability

12
Section 903 (cont.)

• Service Members
• Completed first obligated period of active duty
  or 6 years, which ever is less
• Made chapter 32 contributions
• Have 3 months of contributions available
• Meet any additional DoD requirements
• Veterans
• Discharged under conditions other than
  dishonorable
• Elected to participate in VEAP
• Chosen by service department to participate in
  the pilot program, with contributions

13
Dependents Education Assistance (DEA)

• Also known as Chapter 35
• Provides assistance to
• Spouses
• Surviving Spouses
• Children of qualified Veterans
• Eligibility
• Veteran is permanently and totally disabled (PT)
  from service-connected disability
• Veteran died while rated PT from
  service-connected disability
• Veteran died while on active duty
• Veteran died as a result of a service-connected
  disability
• Veteran was/is listed as Missing in Action or
  Prisoner of War for 90 days

14
Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) (cont.)

• Eligibility Spouse or Surviving Spouse
• May retain eligibility if they remarry after 1
  Jan 2004, after their 57th birthday and are still
  within the 10 year eligibility period.
• If spouse divorces Veteran all benefits are
  terminated.
• The spouse or surviving spouse cannot be in the
  armed forces themselves.
• Eligibility Dependent Child
• Child must be between 18 and 25
• Child can be married or unmarried
• Child cannot be on active duty in the armed forces

15
Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors (REPS)

• Restores certain Social Security Benefits that
  were reduced or terminated by the Omnibus Budget
  Reconciliation Act.
• Eligibility
• Main eligibility is that Veterans death has to
  be service-connected
• Eligibility Surviving Spouses
• Married to Veteran upon their death
• Not remarried
• Have a child between 16-18 years of age
• Eligibility Unmarried Children
• Between 18-22 years AND
• Enrolled full-time in an approved secondary
  program

16
Omnibus Diplomatic Security Anti-terrorism Act of
1986

• Established to provide educational assistance to
  persons held captives or hostages and their
  dependents
• Eligibility
• Any American citizen held captive by a foreign
  power for any reason or any length of time.
• Also extended to spouse and dependent children of
  the hostage.

17
Types of Training

• Refers to the actual means a claimant uses to
  achieve their educational, professional, or
  vocational objective
• Types of training
• Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL)
• Non-College Degree (NCD)
• Apprenticeship/On-the-Job Training (OJT)
• Flight Training
• Independent Training, Distance Learning,
  Internet Training
• Correspondence Training

18
Types of Training (cont.)

• Types of Training (cont.)
• National Testing Program
• Licensing Certification
• Entrepreneurship Training
• Work-Study Program
• Co-op Training
• Accelerated Payment of MGIB-AD
• Tuition Assistance Top-Up
• Tutorial Assistance Program

19
Types of Training (Cont.)

• IHL
• Four-year Universities
• Community Colleges
• Advanced Degrees
• NCD
• HVAC Certification
• Truck Driving
• Barber/Beautician School
• Apprenticeship/OJT
• Union Plumber
• Firefighter
• Hotel manager

20
Types of Training (Cont.)

• Flight Training
• Must have
• Private Pilots License AND
• Appropriate Medical Certification
• Then apply for training
• Rotary Wing Qualification
• B747-400 Qualification
• Dual Qualification
• Independent, Distance Learning, or Internet
  Training
• Similar rules apply for IHL

21
Types of Training (Cont.)

• Correspondence Courses
• Home-Study program in which the Veteran receives
  the lesson in the mail, must complete it and
  return for a grade
• VA pays for training by reimbursing the student
  for lessons completed
• National Testing Program
• Reimbursement for testing
• SAT
• LSAT
• CLEP

22
Types of Training (Cont.)

• Licensing and Certification
• Reimbursement for tests taken after 1 March 2001
• Entrepreneurship Training
• VA will pay for programs offered by Small
  Business Development Centers or Veterans
  Corporations
• Work-Study Program
• Available to any student receiving VA Education
  benefits and attending school three-quarter time
  or more
• Can work at
• VA Regional Office
• VA Medical Facilities
• Approved State Employment offices

23
Types of Training (Cont.)

• Co-Op Training
• School and Employers work together to provide
  both study and work experience
• Attend classes in the morning, work in afternoon
• Attend classes at night, work in the day
• Attend full-time classes during one semester,
  then work full-time the next semester
• Accelerated Payment for MGIB AD
• Lump sum of 60 of tuition and fees for certain
  High Cost, High Technical programs

24
Types of Training (Cont.)

• Tuition Assistance Top-Up
• Available to MGIB AD ONLY
• VA pays the difference between what the military
  branch pays and the college course
• Tutorial Assistance Program
• Available to students who are attending classes
  three-quarter time or more and having a
  deficiency in a subject

25
Notifying VA of Changes

• VA Form 22-1995, Request for Approval of Change
  of Program or Place of Training
• No matter how small, any and all changes MUST be
  reported
• Claimant must specify
• Precious Program, why they want to change, what
  the new program is, AND
• An explanation of why the new program was selected

26
Application Procedures

• Basic vs. Complete Applications
• When to send Basic Application only
• Complete Application Package
• Where to send the application

27
Application Procedures (cont.)

• Basic Application
• The actual application
• Complete Application
• The actual application PLUS
• All supporting documentations to process the
  claim and award payment

28
Application Procedures (cont.)

• When to send Basic Application only
• Claimant wants to find out if they are eligible
  for benefits before applying to a school
• Expedite award processing when the school does
  not participate in advance payments
• Apply to an out-of-state school and want to
  expedite processing

29
Application Procedures (cont.)

• Compete Application Package
• Basic Application for program specific
• Enrollment Certification (VAF 22-1999)
• Supporting Documentation
• Where to send the application
• Regional Processing Office
• Atlanta, GA
• Muskogee, OK
• St. Louis, MO
• Buffalo, NY (All foreign enrollments too)

30
Original vs. Supplemental Claims

• Original Claim Involves a determination of
  whether or not the claimant qualifies for a
  benefit
• Supplemental Claim three categories
• Simple Reentrance
• Other Reentrance
• Amended Claims

31
Original vs. Supplemental Claims (cont.)

• Simple Reentrance
• Occurs when a claimant returns to the same school
  after a period of interruption (Ex. Returning to
  school after summer break)
• Other Reentrance
• Involves both a break in enrollment and a change
  of program or school
• Adjudication must verify that remaining
  entitlement and the new school or program is
  approved

32
Original vs. Supplemental Claims (cont.)

• Amended Claims
• Involves a change that takes place while the
  claimant is receiving benefits
• Change of program or school with no break in
  enrollment
• Dependency change

33
Process Flow

• First, application is received and date-stamped.
• Next, an education file is prepared (with the
  exception of MGIB AD).
• Next, the claim is established in BDN.
• Afterwards, file is routed to the claims
  examiner.
• Finally, the award, or disallowance, is
  authorized and routed to an authorizer.

34
Process Flow (cont.)

• Processing for REPS
• Original application is sent to the RO that has
  the C-File. It is date-stamped and added to the
  existing file.
• Basic eligibility is determined.
• Application is sent to St. Louis RO where the
  award is completed and logged into BDN.
• Finally, the award is routed to the authorizer.

35
Forms

• The most common forms are
• VA Form 22-1990, Application for Educational
  Benefits
• VA Form 22-1999, Enrollment Certification
• VA Form 22-5490, Application for Survivors and
  Dependents Educational Assistance

36
Forms (cont.)

• VAF 22-1990
• First time application
• Never have to complete this form again, unless
  switching from active duty to Veteran
• VAF 22-1999
• Completed by the schools certifying official
• VAF 22-5490
• Used by spouse, surviving spouse, or children

37
Forms (cont.)

• Other Forms Used
• VAF 20-5281, Application for Refund
• VAF 20-8691, Application for Work Study
• VAF 21-674, Request for Approval of Attendance
• VAF 21-8924, Application for REPS
• VAF 22-1990T, Application for Tutorial Assistance
• VAF 22-1995, Request for Change of Program
• VAF 22-1999b, Notice of Change in Student Status
• VAF 22-5495, Request for Change
• VAF 22-8889, Application for Educational Test
  Program

38
Chapter 32 Refunds

• Both active duty and Veterans can receive a
  refund of any unused contributions.
• Active duty
• May receive a refund and then re-contribute or
  make a lump sum contribution prior to release
  from active duty to receive benefit again.
• Veterans
• Once refund is received, Veteran is no longer
  eligible for benefits.

39
Chapter 32 Refunds (cont.)

• Application Process
• VAF 5281, Application for Refund of VEAP
  Contributions
• Active Duty personnel must have form signed by
  service members finance officer.
• Veterans must have form notarized or witnessed by
  a VBC
• Survivors can use VAF 21-4138, Statement in
  Support of Claim, and request the refund, along
  with a copy of the death certificate and the
  Veterans discharge forms

40
Chapter 30 Refunds

• Active duty personnel and Veterans who
  participated in Chapter 30 cannot receive a
  refund.
• Participation was by pay reduction not
  contribution.
• Next of kin may apply for refund if
• Member dies while on active duty, or
• Veteran dies of a service-connected disability

41
Chapter 36 Counseling

• Available Services
• Finding best suited benefit based upon Veterans
  interests, skills, and talents.
• Professionally trained counselor can help select
  the best educational and vocational objectives.
• Identify the means to reach said objectives.
• Assist with coping of personal problems that
  might interfere with reaching the objective.

42
Chapter 36 Counseling

• Eligibility
• Must have less than 180 days left on Active Duty,
  OR
• Less than 1 year from discharge, AND
• Discharge must be under other-than-dishonorable
• Application
• VA Form 28-8832, Application for Counseling

43
Review of Education

• Purpose
• Different Educational Benefit Programs
• Types of Training
• Changes
• Application Procedures

44
Review of Education (cont.)

• Original vs. Supplemental Claims
• Processing Flow
• Forms
• Chapter 32 Refunds
• Chapter 36 Counseling

45
Questions