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Australia and New Zealand Financial Aid Administrators -National Conference 2014 • • • • • 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] • ‘‘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. • Authorized to use the trademark: – Education/ training institutions eligible to receive GI Bill benefits – State Approving Agencies – Recognized Veterans Service Organizations • 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). • Third-party users – Cannot use the term in company names, internet domain names, logos – Can only use the term to promote VA benefit programs • 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 • Education Service successfully deployed two online tools on the GI Bill website. • 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. • 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) • Post-9/11 GI Bill Housing Allowance – Calculated based on enrollment • 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. • VA determines eligibility for housing allowance by calculating the rate of pursuit. • 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. • A student with a rate of pursuit greater than 50% can qualify for the housing allowance. • Paid at the nearest 10% level – Distance (online) learning only and Foreign School • $754.50 a month for the 2014 - 2015 academic year • This amount is 1/2 the national average BAH rate • $1,509 for those attending a foreign school • GI Bill School Official Resource page: www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/school_resources.asp • School Certifying Official Handbook: http://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/job_aids/SCO_Handbook.pdf • Education Service Webinar Archive: www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/resources/education_resources/school_certifying_officials/presentatio ns.asp • GI Bill Comparison Tool: benefits.va.gov/gibill/comparison • Centralized Complaint System (VA): www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/Feedback.asp • VA Employment Center for Veterans: www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs • VA Career and Educational Counseling: www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/edu_voc_counseling.asp • National Association of Veteran’s Program Administrators: www.navpa.org/ • CFPB Paying for College: www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/ • VA ONCE Guide: http://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/vaonce/VAONCE_SCO_PowerPoint_v7.pdf