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Dear School Certifying Official,
Thank you for joining November Office Hours where we reviewed and discussed upcoming compliance surveys, Ask VA, Enrollment Verification, VA-ONCE and the Two Certification Requirements, the expiration of COVID-19 special provisions and SCO Annual Training Requirements.
As a reminder, students who attend Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) facilities with terms starting on or after December 17, 2021, will be required to verify their monthly enrollment to continue receiving Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) and/or kicker payments. Students in Non-College Degree (NCD) facilities began verifying enrollment in August 2021.
During Office Hours, we referenced several resources created to support your understanding of the changes and communicate information to beneficiaries. Below, you will find a summary of helpful resources outlined during the sessions.
RESOURCES:
Compliance Survey
You may be contacted by staff from St. George Consulting Inc. regarding a compliance survey. VA has contracted with Saint George Inc. to support expanded compliance survey capabilities. Please coordinate with them as you would when the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or an SAA conducts a compliance survey.
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Ask VA
The “Ask a Question” system on the GI Bill® website was upgraded to a new system called “Ask VA” on October 18, 2021. To use the new system, users will need a VA.gov account through ID.me and will need to verify their identity to use the service. If you or your students have any issues setting up an account, call the MyVA411 main information line at 800-698-2411.
**We are aware of the PII issues/concerns surrounding AVA, and we want to inform you that there will be an upcoming fix in December 2021.
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Isakson and Roe Section 1010 Updates
After December 17, 2021, both NCD and IHL facility students will have an additional verification method that they can utilize with the introduction of email verification.
IHL SCOs: You can utilize the IHL Enrollment Verification Communication Toolkit for pre-drafted language and helpful resources to share information with your students. We will be emailing the toolkit to IHL SCOs in early December.
NCD SCOs: Please reach out to your students who have not yet verified previous months enrollments and let them know to call the Education Call Center to verify and prevent payment holds.
To learn more about the Enrollment Verification process, visit the website, check out the infographic with step-by-step instructions and review the FAQs.
To access additional resources for Section 1010 Monthly Enrollment, Two Enrollment verification and Without Penalty, visit the resources below:
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VA-ONCE and Two Enrollment Certifications
As we continue to move towards a modernized system for providing and managing education benefits, please continue using the VA-ONCE User Guide for information on the Two Enrollment Certification Requirements.
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Isakson & Roe Section 1102 and 1103, COVID-19 Provisions
Starting December 22, 2021, students will no longer be able to receive their MHA at the resident (in-person) rate for classes taken online. For more information, review the SCO COVID-19 FAQS.
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Upcoming Office Hours
- December 15 & 16
- January 19 & 20
- February 23 & 24
- March 23 & 24
- April 20 & 21
- May 25 & 26
- June 22 & 23
- July 20 & 21
- August 24 & 25
- September 21 & 22
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For more information or questions about this event, please contact the Training Corporate Mailbox. For specific information about GI Bill benefits, please visit the GI Bill website. We truly appreciate you taking the time to attend November Office Hours. We look forward to continuing regular sessions and providing materials to support you. Please be on the lookout for your next invite and additional resources.
Thank you for your ongoing support, feedback, and participation.
Respectfully,
Education Service
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