Transcript Document
Australia and New
Zealand Financial Aid
Administrators
-National Conference
2014
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Program Expenditures
Trademark Terms of Use
The President’s Principles of Excellence
Best Practices
GI Bill and Financial Aid
Barrett Y. Bogue | GI Bill Outreach Development Team Leader
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
[email protected]
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‘‘GI Bill®’’ is a federally registered trademark owned by VA.
– VA trademarked the term to stop deceptive and misleading promotional efforts
targeting GI Bill educational beneficiaries.
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Authorized to use the trademark:
– Education/ training institutions eligible to receive GI Bill benefits
– State Approving Agencies
– Recognized Veterans Service Organizations
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Must use the trademark symbol ‘‘®’’ in the most prominent place and give attribution
(wording on http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill along with full instructions on Terms of
Use).
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Third-party users
– Cannot use the term in company names, internet domain names, logos
– Can only use the term to promote VA benefit programs
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Report suspected violations by email to [email protected]
May 2012
December 2012
Sent letter to encourage participation in PoE Published revised 2012 DoDi 1322.25
to institutions
February 2013
June 2012
Launched the College Scorecard
Began conducting informational webinars for
schools and professional organizations
March 2013
Received approval for System of Record
July 2012
Notice (SORN) for the Centralized Complaint
Released the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet System
September 2012
Submitted 90-Day Status Report for
Implementation and Enforcement &
Compliance to White House
October 2012
Registered GI Billâ Trademark
Developed standardized intake form for
Complaint System
April 2013
Completed two market surveys
Submitted the PL 90-Day Report to Congress
June 2013
Updated the SCO Handbook
February 2014
Launched Comparison Tool
August 2013
Launched CareerScope pilot
Began identifying institutions for targeted riskbased reviews
October 2013
Provided additional updates to the SCO
Handbook
March 2014
Finalized initial crosswalk of VA and ED data
Published student outcome measure
definitions on College Navigator
December 2013
Received approval for Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) / OMB Information Collection
January 2014
Launched Complaint System and began
processing complaints
Published GI Bill® Trademark Terms of Use in
Fed Register
Began uploading complaints to Consumer
Sentinel
May 2014
Conducted first Risk-based program review
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Education Service successfully deployed two online tools on the GI Bill website.
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Feedback System (Centralized Complaint System)
– Launched January 30, 2014
– Approximately 2,000 complaints submitted as of October, 2014.
– The top issues identified by complainants were financial issues, quality of
education, and free text entry “other” category.
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GI Bill Comparison Tool
– Launched February 4, 2014
– Most popular school searched is University of Texas at Austin
– As of May 20, 2014, there have been 410,000 unique visitors who have viewed
or interacted with the tool. More traffic than College Navigator and CFPB’s
Paying for College Guide websites.
– Provides personalized calculation of GI Bill benefits.
• Ensure your POC is knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations
– Join National Association of Veteran Program
Administrators
– Learn the SCO Handbook and VA ONCE User Guide
– Attend VA Education Service Quarterly Webinars
• Next scheduled for December 2014
– Utilize training resources at
benefits.va.gov/gibill/school_training_resources.asp
• Hire a Workstudy Student
– Students training ½ time or full-time may participate
• Paid the Federal or State minimum wage; whichever is
higher
– Type of approved work: Any veterans-related position in an
Institution of Higher Learning, such as:
• Assisting with dissemination of general information
regarding Veteran benefits and/or services
• Providing assistance to Veteran students with general
inquiries about Veteran benefits via phone, email, or in
person
• Maintaining and organizing veteran-related files
– Have interested students apply by visiting
benefits.va.gov/gibill/workstudy.asp
• Federal Financial Aid (Title IV) does not affect the reported Tuition and Fees for
the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• Determine college costs through Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s
Paying for College Tool.
• Using Title IV to pay for Tuition and Fees:
– Can be applied after GI Bill or refunded to student per school policy
• Students are encouraged to complete FAFSA
– VA counsels potential students to consider:
• What is a reasonable amount to pay for my degree?
• What is the interest rate and when do I have to start paying the loan
back?
• Will I make enough money to repay my student loan debt?
• Use VA Career and Educational Counseling (Chapter 36)
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Post-9/11 GI Bill Housing Allowance
– Calculated based on enrollment
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Those enrolled more than one-half time can qualify for a monthly housing
allowance based on DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for an E-5 with
dependents.
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VA determines eligibility for housing allowance by calculating the rate of pursuit.
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Rate of pursuit is expressed in a percentage calculated by dividing the number of
credits in which the student is enrolled by the number of credits considered to be
full time.
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A student with a rate of pursuit greater than 50% can qualify for the housing
allowance.
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Paid at the nearest 10% level
– Distance (online) learning only and Foreign School
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$754.50 a month for the 2014 - 2015 academic year
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This amount is 1/2 the national average BAH rate
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$1,509 for those attending a foreign school
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GI Bill School Official Resource page: www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/school_resources.asp
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School Certifying Official Handbook:
http://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/job_aids/SCO_Handbook.pdf
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Education Service Webinar Archive:
www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/resources/education_resources/school_certifying_officials/presentatio
ns.asp
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GI Bill Comparison Tool: benefits.va.gov/gibill/comparison
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Centralized Complaint System (VA): www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/Feedback.asp
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VA Employment Center for Veterans: www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs
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VA Career and Educational Counseling: www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/edu_voc_counseling.asp
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National Association of Veteran’s Program Administrators: www.navpa.org/
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CFPB Paying for College: www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/
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VA ONCE Guide: http://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/vaonce/VAONCE_SCO_PowerPoint_v7.pdf