Attention Veteran Students: Important Monthly Verification of Enrollment from Department of Veteran Affairs

Verification of enrollment to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill® Benefits As of August 1, 2021, Non-College Degree (NCD) students must verify their enrollment status each month to continue receiving their Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) and/or kicker payments. This change will be implemented in phases, starting with students enrolled at a NCD facility, and extending to students at Institutes for Higher Learning (IHL) this fall Note: Monthly enrollment verification is applicable to only Chapter 33 students NCD facility students can verify their enrollment status in one of two ways: Text Messaging – NCD students who choose VA’s “Opt-In” feature will receive a text message each month prompting them to verify their enrollment status Telephone – NCD students who Do Not Opt-In for text may call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 888.442.4551 to verify their enrollment status. If you have any questions please contact VA 1.888.442.4551.

In accordance with section 1019 of  Public Law 116-315, students who have created debts between February 14, 2021, and March 22, 2021, due to a change in their enrollment status, which resulted in an overpayment of tuition and fees.

VA will not collect these debts from you. Rather, VA will collect these amounts from your school. In turn, your school may require you to pay any outstanding balance for tuition and fees and may contact you regarding this debt.  It is important that you work with your school to resolve this matter.

What does this mean?

You will still be responsible for repaying any debts associated with the monthly housing allowance and the books and supplies stipend to VA.

How is school debt created?

A school debt is established when a student terminates enrollment on or before the first day of the term and VA has paid the institution tuition and fees (and in some cases Yellow Ribbon payments). A student debt is established when the student reduces or terminates enrollment after the first day of the term. When a debt is established, either the student or the school is notified and provided next steps

Dear School Certifying Official,

In accordance with section 1019 of Public Law 116-315, the following message was sent to GI Bill® students who have created debts between February 14, 2021, and March 22, 2021, due to a change in their enrollment status, which resulted in an overpayment of tuition and fees and/or Yellow Ribbon benefits. You are receiving a copy of this message for your awareness, in case one or more of your students receive the below message.

If you have any questions, please contact your Education Liaison Representative (ELR) or the Education Call Center at: 1-888-442-4551 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday. For timely updates about this new law, please visit the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 webpage.

Respectfully,

Education Service

Dear GI Bill® Student,

IMPORTANT: Your recent change in enrollment resulted in an overpayment of tuition and fees and/or Yellow Ribbon benefits. As a result, you may have received, or will soon receive, an automated notification from VA stating that the debt amount must be repaid and will be collected by our Debt Management Center.

However, in accordance with section 1019 of Public Law 116-315, VA will not collect these debts from you. Rather, VA will collect these amounts from your school. In turn, your school may require you to pay any outstanding balance for tuition and fees and may contact you regarding this debt. It is important that you work with your school to resolve this matter.

You will still be responsible for repaying any debts associated with the monthly housing allowance and the books and supplies stipend to VA.

What does this mean for me?

On January 5, 2021, the President signed the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 into law (Public Law 116-315). The new law requires schools and training providers to be financially responsible, instead of the student, for benefits paid directly to an educational institution. This applies to tuition and fee payments and Yellow Ribbon program payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (including under the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship), and to advance payment of benefits under the various GI Bill programs.

Currently, VA payment systems for the Post-9/11 GI Bill automatically establish debts against students or schools and an overpayment letter is generated and sent. A school debt is established when a student terminates enrollment on or before the first day of the term and VA has paid the institution tuition and fees (and in some cases Yellow Ribbon payments). A student debt is established when the student reduces or terminates enrollment after the first day of the term. When a debt is established, either the student or the school is notified and provided next steps to address the overpayment.

What do I need to do?

At this time, there is no action required from you. Since you had a change of enrollment which resulted in an overpayment of benefits associated with tuition and fee charges, you will still receive an automated notification from VA indicating the tuition and fee debt amount to be collected. VA is presently working through implementation of this new provision and its complexities. We apologize for any confusion as we work through issues related to implementation of this new law. We are committed to providing you with regular updates through direct email campaigns and social media about VA's efforts to implement these new changes.

If you have questions or concerns

Please contact the Education Call Center at 1-888-442-4551, Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Central Time. We will be actively monitoring our Education Call Centers and social media outlets for any questions or concerns. For timely updates about this new law, please visit the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 webpage.

Respectfully,

Education Service