Veterans & military: cross-functionality

1. Veterans & military:cross-functionality At Your Institution of Higher Learning

2. A Year of Change

3. VA Educational Benefits • Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (MGIB-AD; Chap. 30) • Vocational/Rehabilitation (Chap. 31) • Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR; Chap. 1606) • Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP; Chap. 1607)

4. VA Benefits Cont. • The veteran must pay into most of the programs previously listed • In order to qualify for Voc-Rehab, the veteran must be declared at least 20% disabled by the Veterans Administration • All of the benefits on the previous page pay student veterans based on their enrollment status

5. Starting the benefit • Utilizing the benefits is not an automatic process • Veterans must apply to the VA in order to utilize their education benefits—this can be a be a time-consuming process • Once they receive written approval from the VA, then they are free to use the benefits at an approved institution

6. The Post-9/11 GI Bill • Most generous version of the GI Bill since the original 1944 GI Bill • Is the first GI Bill since the original in which the VA pays tuition and fees directly to colleges or training institutions • For veterans completely vested in the Post-9/11 GI Bill, 100% of their tuition and fees--up to those of the highest in-state public institution—will be paid on their behalf • Housing and book stipends may be provided

7. VA Enrollment Trends @ HCC

8. 2011 Changes to Post-9/11GI BILL • Pro-rating of the housing stipend (as of 1 August 2011): prior to that date, students using this benefit needed to be enrolled greater than half-time with at least one class in residence in order to receive the full housing stipend • Currently, student must be enrolled full-time with at least one course in-residence; if the student is enrolled less than full-time but greater than half-time, the housing stipend will be pro-rated

9. Rate of Pursuit • VA calculates rate of pursuit by dividing the credit hours (or credit hour equivalents) being pursued by the number of credits considered to be full-time by the school. The resulting percentage is the student’s rate of pursuit. • 9 credits/12 = .75; student receives 75% of housing benefit • 7 credits/12=.58; student receives approx. 60% of housing benefit

10. Other Changes • Tuition and fees paid to colleges/universities are topped off at the highest in-state tuition rate at the institution; prior to 1 August 2011, tuition was topped off at the highest in-state public school tuition and fee rate • YELLOW RIBBON topped off at $17,500 per academic year;

11. Enrollment Demographics

12. SCO Responsibilities • Certify students using benefits: report dates of enrollment, credits, and tuition and fees • Verify that student is enrolled in eligible courses that apply to approved degree programs or certificate programs • Update certifications when necessary (schedule changes, fee changes, unsatisfactory attendance, etc.) • Maintain hard files for each student using VA education benefits

13. New SCO Responsibilities • Monitor students’ grades and academic progress…or lack thereof • Report students who have been placed on academic probation, academically dismissed, or dismissed for any other reason • Report students who graduate or complete their program of study • Add more info to student files: drop slips, registration slips, schedule of tuition and fee charges, transcripts from previous schools, student’s school application, records of disciplinary action, program outline, a curriculum guide or graduation evaluation, etc.

14. Compliance Surveys • All of the aforementioned items will be reviewed periodically by the VA and State Approving Agency to determine if said school is compliance with both VA and state regulations! • As part of this review, the VA will also want to review ALL financial transactions of VA students (i.e., Financial Aid, scholarships, tuition and fee waivers, etc.)!

15. Cross-Functionality • Communication among all Student Service areas is crucial: Admissions & Advising; Financial Aid; Retention; and Records & Registration; and Student Finance • Academic Affairs will also need to be involved (implementation or refinement of attendance policies) • Designating SCOs in other areas (Student Finance, for example)

16. Military/VA Team • Different functions are handled by different administrative area which may be housed in different physical locations under heads of different senior administrators (vice-presidents and/or deans) • Access to shared databases is useful • One-Stop Shop is ideal: a central location staffed by people from appropriate student service areas

17. Military Tuition Assistance • Tuition Assistance is an umbrella term for a federal benefit available to active duty military personnel, some reservists, and members of the National Guard (aka “TA”) • State benefits may include tuition discounts (as in Maryland) or whatever policy a given state wishes to implement.

18. Dod MOU • The new instruction states all institutions providing high school completion and post secondary education programs through the DoD Tuition Assistance (TA) Program must agree to the new DoD MOU and have a signed copy on-file with DoD prior to Service members receiving TA approval to attend their institution. • http://www.dodmou.com/ • All schools that intend to utilize DoD TA most complete Memorandum of Understanding prior to the end of this calendar year!

19. SCO HANDBOOK • Available as PDF document at the following Web site: http://www.gibill.va.gov/documents/job_aids/SCO_Handbook_v1.pdf

20. MyCAA The MyCAA (My Career Advancement Account) was created by the Department of Defense as an education benefit for spouses of active-duty military during spring/summer 2009, and it initially provided a benefit of up $6,000 in tuition lifetime for the spouse. The program was temporarily suspended during the winter of 2010. It was resumed a short while later.

21. The NEW MyCAA! MyCAA was revamped prior to the start of the current academic year. The revamp reduced the lifetime tuition benefit to $4,000. Rather than being available to all spouses, the benefit is available to the spouses of junior level enlisted personnel (E-1 through E-5), officers (O1 and 02), and warrant officers (W1 andW2). New participants were able to enroll in the program as of late October 2010

22. Help for Veterans • There are resources for student veterans who demonstrate the need for counseling services: refer them to our counseling services • Vet Center: www.vetcenter.va.gov

23. Useful links • GI Bill Website: www.gibill.va.gov • National Center for PTSD: www.ncptsd.va.gov • Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.mdva.state.md.us/ • Columbia Workforce: http://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/veteranservices.shtml

24. Thank You! OlaytaRigsby – Assistant Registrar, Veterans Affairs and Scheduling Howard Community College origsby@howardcc.edu 443-518-4514