Robert Ahles Minnesota State Approving Agency THE PITFALLS OF Blended/hybrid, online courses, and non-standard terms. Robert Ahles Minnesota State Approving Agency

MINNESOTA STATE APPROVING AGENCY Who we are What we do

Pursuit: An effect to secure or attain; quest The GI-BILL®, signed into law on June 22, 1944 was – and still is - intended to pay benefits to service members while pursuing their studies.

End result: Veterans receive benefits for each day they are pursuing their studies. “ PAID BY THE DAY”

BENEFITS ARE PAID DEPENDING ON THESE VARIABLES: What benefit are they eligible for The training time (full time, half time, etc.) The number of days in the term The amount of tuition and fees

VETERAN BENEFITS Chapter 30 (MGIB – active duty) Chapter 31 (Vocational-rehabilitation) Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) Chapter 35 (Dependent Education Assistance) Chapter 1606 (MGIB –Select Reserve)

The trend at universities and colleges 1. More online course offerings 2. More blended hybrid course offerings 3. More non standard terms

80% or more of Veterans using their benefits are eligible and using Post 9/11 GI Bill®. Focus on today’s presentation will center on these students.

Veterans using Post 9/11 receive benefits in the form of: $ Tuition and fees paid to the school $ Books and supply stipend paid to the student $ Housing benefit paid to the student.

Resident coursework versus online coursework. Veterans enrolled in resident courses will receive housing benefits based on the zip code of the college. Veterans enrolled in online courses will receive housing benefits based on – half the national average.

Housing benefit scenario – resident vs online Veteran at the 100% benefit rate attends a nearby university taking 12 resident credits. His monthly housing benefit is: $1,799.00 Veteran at the 100% benefit rate attends a nearby university taking 12 online credits. His monthly housing benefit is: $840.00

Housing benefit scenario – resident vs online How can the online student receive the resident housing rate of $1,799? Take at least one resident credit during the term for the full semester

Blended / Hybrid Courses VA considers resident training for undergraduate students as training consisting of regularly scheduled class sessions (at least every two weeks). “Total number of hours of classroom instruction (based on 50 minutes of classroom per hour) must equal, or be greater than, the number of credit hours awarded for the course multiplied by the number of weeks in the term.” VA SCO Guide

Blended / Hybrid Courses Comp 101, 3 credits meets M ,W from 12:00 to 12:50. Total seat time for the week is 2 hours = online Comp 101, 3 credits meets M ,W ,F from 12:00 to 12:50. Total seat time for the week is 3 hours = resident

Blended / Hybrid Courses Comp 101, 3 credits, meets M W from 12:00 – 12:50 = online BIOL 150, 3 credits, ARR (arranged) = online HIST 200, 3 credits, ARR (arranged) = online ENG 210, 3 credits, ARR (arranged) = online ACCT 190, 3 credits, ARR (arranged) = online Veteran took 15 credits and took one class at the school. He assumes he will receive the resident housing rate of $1,799 per month. He ends up with $840. Had Comp 101 met M W F from 12:00 – 12:50, the student will have received $1,799 per month. Student blames the school 

Non standard terms – Rate of PURSUIT “In a standard quarter or semester for Chapter 33 students the rate of pursuit is dividing the credit hours pursued by the full-time student equivalent (normally 12). For instance, 7 credit hours divided by 12 would be 58%. Chapter 33 students’ rate of pursuit must be more than 50% to receive the monthly housing allowance.”….. VA SCO Guide

Non standard terms – Rate of PURSUIT Veterans assume that if they are enrolled in 12 credits in a semester, they will receive the housing benefit for a full time student. This is correct for a traditional semester. This might not be the case for a school with non standard terms. Veterans are not satisfied, unhappy, and in some cases have left the school because they felt the school did something wrong.

Non standard terms – Rate of PURSUIT Scenario 1: Veteran taking a Line Worker diploma program at a state college. Signs up for 4 – four credit resident courses that start during the first week of the standard semester and ending on the last week of the standard semester. Housing rate = $1,799 per month (prorated from the start date to the end date of the term) Veteran received his full housing benefit.

Non standard terms – Rate of PURSUIT Scenario 2: Veteran enrolled in a Line Worker degree program at a state college for the fall term. 8 courses with varying start and end dates and varying number of credits for each course. Total number of credits = 17 Veteran ended up with a variety of housing payments each month. How did this happen?

Non Standard Term - Fall 2017 Line Worker Program enrollment LWT 1111 Line Worker Theory - 3 credits M W 09/01/17 – 10/01/17 10:00 – 10:50 LWT 1201 Transformers - 2 credits T 09/15/17 – 10/21/17 1:00 – 2:50 LWT 1301 Line Construction – 3 credits T H 10/15/17 - 11/16/17 9:00 - 10:20 LWT 1401 Pole Top/Bucket – 1 credit F 11/27/17 – 11/28/17 8:00 – 4:30 LWT 1501 Field Construction - 3 credits W H 12/01/17 – 12/20/17 10:00 – 10:50 LWT 1601 Pole Inspection - 1 credit H 09/08/17 - 10/01/17 8:00 – 8:50 ENG 141 English Comp - 3 credits M W H 09/01/17 – 12/10/17 2:00 – 2:50 PHE 151 Bowling - 1 credit W 10/15/17 – 11/05/17 3:30 – 4:20

Non Standard Term - Fall 2017 Line Worker Program enrollment The Veteran did not receive a full housing benefit of $1,799 per month. Why? VA pays on the pursuit of the program (per day). Courses as graphed 09/01/17 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12/10/17 (3 credits res) 09/01/17 ----------------------------10/01/17 (3 credits distance) 09/08/17 ----------------------------10/01/17 (1 credit res) 09/15/17 ----------------------------------------10/21/17 (2 credits res) 10/15/17 -------11/05/17 (1 credit res) 10/15/17--------------11/16/17 (3 credit res) 11/27/17 – 11/28/17 (1 credit res) 12/01/17 -------12/20/17 (3 credits distance) How would the housing benefit be processed?

Non Standard Term - Fall 2017 Line Worker Program enrollment Processing criteria of processing housing benefits. VA combines credits each day to determine the training time that day. VA doesn’t pay if the student isn’t taking classes that day VA pays resident housing rates based on the percentage of training time that day. Based on the non standard scenario and the processing criteria, the following processing took place………

Non Standard Term - Fall 2017 Line Worker Program enrollment Between 09/01/17 and 09/07/17, the student was pursuing 6 credits. No housing payment for that period. Between 09/08/17 and 09/14/17, the student was pursuing 7 credits. 60% housing benefit paid for that period. Between 09/15/17 and 10/14/17, the student was pursuing 5 credits. No housing was paid during that period. Between 10/15/17 and 10/21/17, the student was pursuing 9 credits. 80% housing benefit was paid for that period. Between 10/22/17 and 11/05/17, the student was pursuing 7 credit. 60% of housing benefit paid for that period. Between 11/06/17 and 11/16/17, the student was pursuing 6 credits. No housing payment for that period.

Non Standard Term - Fall 2017 Line Worker Program enrollment Between 11/17/17 and 11/26/17, the student was pursuing 3 credits. No housing payment for that period. Between 11/27/17 and 11/28/17, the student was pursuing 4 credits. No housing payment for that period. Between 11/29/17 and 11/30/17, the student was pursuing 3 credits. No housing payment for that period. Between 12/01/17 and 12/10/17, the student was pursuing 6 credits. No housing payment for that period. Between 12/11/17 and 12/20/17, the student was pursuing 3 credits. No housing payment for that period. What housing payment did he receive each month of the Fall term?

Non Standard Term - Fall 2017 Line Worker Program enrollment Housing payments (traditional term versus non standard term) Traditional term Non Standard term September $1,799.00 $252.00 October $1,799.00 $360.00 November $1,799.00 $0.00 December $1,199.33 $0.00 TOTAL: $6,596.33 $612.00

Unintended consequences of online, blended-hybrid courses, and non standard terms. Veteran receives varying housing benefits Creates additional work for the school certifying official. Possibility of finding many more errors during audits. Creates potential debts and overpayments Creates additional workload for claims processors

Online, blended-hybrid courses, and non standard terms are great additions for working adults and non traditional students. Hoping that my presentation today provides you a better understanding of the affects of these courses and terms on our Veteran students, school staff, auditors, and claims processors.

Questions? Robert Ahles Minnesota State Approving Agency 651-201-8235 robert.ahles@state.mn.us