AVECO, JULY 14 – 18, 2014

1. What Can Be Certified, What's Approved, Study Abroad, Fees… AVECO, JULY 14 – 18, 2014

2. What Can Be Certified? • Degree Requirements • Degree audits • Official approved curriculum • Practical training • Rounding Out • Courses at approved subsidiary branches or extensions • Remedial or Deficiency Courses • Courses Required for Admissions to the Next Level

3. What Can Be Certified? • Degree audits • A “best practice” is to ask for a degree audit or official program plan from the academic advisors or Registrar • Should show the plan or map of courses for the veteran’s or dependent’s official program of study, often including course substitutions if needed and how prior credit applies to program • Course substitutions are authorized for certification if they are official (page 49, SCO Handbook) • Check your school’s policy on course substitutions • Keep a copy in your VA file for the veteran or dependent (page 112, SCO Handbook)

4. What Can Be Certified? • Course Applicability – The Approved Curriculum* • If “deemed approved” under PL111-377, use the curriculum found in your official catalog or official addendum to the catalog • Certify only accepted curriculum courses unless officially substituted • If not “deemed approved”, use the curriculum approved by the State Approving Agency • If it has changed, request approval of new curriculum *See Page 46 of the SCO Handbook

5. What Can Be Certified? • Practical Training – The Good Option* • Required internships, externships, clinical training • Must be approved by SAA if not a “deemed approved” school • Clock or Credit Hours? • Practical training clock hours should be certified if it is to the student’s advantage • 18 clock hours per week is full time at an IHL • Off Campus Training Sites MUST be approved • If not deemed approved, provide a list to the SAA with a request for approval • If deemed approved, talk to your ELR! *See Page 48, SCO Handbook

6. What Can Be Certified? • Rounding Out • A VA student can round out a schedule with non-required courses to bring course load up in last term only • Allows students to continue to receive benefits at the full-time rate in their last term of enrollment, even though fewer credits are required to complete the program • This procedure can be done only once per program • In rounding out a full-time schedule, VA students may use any credit hour unit subject, including a subject that has previously been successfully completed (received a passing grade).

7. What Can Be Certified? • Courses at approved subsidiary branches or extensions can be certified • If opening a new teaching site not on your campus, send a letter to the State Approving Agency identifying the site’s: • Name • Address • Primary Staff or Point of Contact • Even if you are teaching “deemed approved” programs • SAA will verify whether site meets requirements for VA • SAA will determine if site has administrative capability • The ability to maintain records and accounts required for compliance survey visits • A person who could be designated as an SCO • Administrative authority does not need to be present at the site • SAA will determine if your school needs to apply for approval of the site

8. What Can Be Certified? • Remedial and Deficiency Courses • Must show a verifiable need to correct deficiencies in basic general education areas • Validated by testing • Keep the test results or other documents that verify or demonstrate the need • Course must be mandatory for the student • Check your school policy • Remedial and deficiency courses can NEVER be certified if taken by independent study!

9. What Can Be Certified? • Courses Required for Admissions to the Next Level (Page 47, SCO Handbook) • May be approved in two situations. • When an IHL requires a student to pursue courses at an educational level for which he or she already holds a diploma or degree • When an IHL requires a student to pursue courses at an educational level for which he or she appears qualified by reason of previous training (example, college requires a student with a B.A. degree to take undergraduate subjects for admission to a graduate degree program, or to gain teacher certification for specific subjects) • A statement from the school as to requirements of any specific courses for the student must accompany the claimant's application.

10. What Can Be Certified? • Courses Required for Admissions to the Next Level Continued… • If a graduate school requires a student with a bachelor’s degree to pursue undergraduate courses to satisfy admission requirements, then the courses required for admission may be certified as part of that graduate degree program • The student should apply to the school as a graduate degree-seeking student and the student must furnish the school transcripts of all previous education and training. • The graduate school must determine whether the student meets its matriculation criteria. This process includes evaluation of prior credit. If the student cannot matriculate immediately upon enrollment, then the requirements the student must meet in order to matriculate must be identified and documented. • If undergraduate courses are required to matriculate, the graduate school must prepare a statement on the school's letterhead, signed by a responsible school official–the department head, for example–that outlines the required undergraduate courses (identified by course number and name). This statement must be kept in the student’s file. • If the student is only certified for undergraduate courses, report training time according to undergraduate credit measurement. • If both graduate and undergraduate course work is certified, report training time according to undergraduate or graduate measurement, whichever is greater.

11. What’s Approved? • VA Form 22-1998 “WEAMS” Report • Approval Letter from SAA & Concurrence from ELR • Details types and lengths of programs approved, both IHL and NCD • Modality of Training • Independent Study • Practical Training • Deemed Approved by Public Law 111-377 • Approval of NCD programs returned to SAA jurisdiction effective 10/01/2013 • Administrative and non-administrative branch locations, extensions, or satellites must be approved before attendance is certified

12. Study Abroad… • Study Abroad can be certified if it is YOUR school’s course • Is it taught under contract? – if so, get the contract approved and you can certify the course (deemed approved with ELR, not deemed approved with SAA) • Is it supplemental enrollment through another school? (page 59, SCO Handbook) • Can certify Study Abroad fees, minus transportation and room & board (page 84, SCO Handbook) • Study Abroad fees can only be certified for mandatory Study Abroad courses (page 64, SCO Handbook) • If an elective or optional class, you can still certify what would be charged if taken at home • Newest Study Abroad Fact Sheet http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/docs/factsheets/post_911_study_abroad_fact_sheet.pdf

13. Fees… • Mandatory, Mandatory, Mandatory – no options! • Class or item must be required • Class must be eligible for certification • Item related to fee must be required for the class or school • No optional equipment, kits, tools, etc., can be certified as fees • Fee must be required for all similarly circumstanced students • Paying the school is required – no 3rd party payments • Can include mandatory tools, uniforms, health insurance, lab kits, parking fees, etc. • Must be a published fee • Must be “item specific” on student account ledger • Ledger must clearly state the item • See pages 64 & 65 of the SCO Handbook • If in doubt, always consult with your ELR

14. Fees Continued… • Once you’ve identified that a fee is mandatory, you can see if the fee is allowed • Common Types of Fees Allowed • Health Premiums • Freshman Fees • Graduation Fees • Lab Fees • Material Fees • Tool Fees • Kits & Uniforms • Parking Fees - if required of ALL students

15. Fees Continued… • Common Types of Fees NEVER Allowed • Penalty Fees (late registration, late course or schedule changes, returned checks, repeated courses, withdrawals after drop period, parking tickets, damages, and many more) • Check your school’s fee schedule for potential penalty fees! • Add/drop course fees • Parking fees that are not required for EVERY student • Overload fees for extra courses • Transportation/transit system fees not required of EVERY student • Application for admission fees • Check to make sure fee is billed by school and not a 3rd party • Any fee billed by a 3rd party to your students • Be careful with parking, tools, uniforms, kits, supplies, etc.

16. QUESTIONS?