Marie George, Chief Education Liaison Officer, Central Region St Louis Regional Processing Office Update, AVECO July , 2014 SCO Workshop Principles of Excellence Executive Order 13607

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION 1

CELO REGION JURISDICTIONS CENTRAL – Marie George EAST – Michele Mendola SOUTH – Linda McAllister WEST – Michael Marks 2

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION PRINCIPLES OF EXCELLENCE Executive Order Implemented by Executive Order to ensure our service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed decisions concerning their well-earned Federal military and veterans educational benefits, and to strengthen oversight, enforcement, and accountability within these benefits programs. 3

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION PRINCIPLES OF EXCELLENCE Executive Order Educational institutions participating in the Principles of Excellence program agree to the following guidelines: –Provide students with a personalized form covering the total cost of an education program (FA Shopping Sheet). –Provide educational plans for all military and Veteran education beneficiaries. –End fraudulent and aggressive recruiting techniques and misrepresentations. –Accommodate Service members and Reservists absent due to service requirements. –Designate a point of contact to provide academic and financial advice. –Ensure accreditation of all new programs prior to enrolling students. –Align institutional refund policies with those under Title IV, which governs the administration of federal student financial aid programs. 4

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION VA GI BILL FEEDBACK SYSTEM  Designed for Veterans, Service members, and eligible dependents to report negative experiences with educational institutions;  Gives the federal government the information needed to identify and address unfair, deceptive, and misleading practices and ensure high quality academic and student support services are available for Veterans, Service members, and their families. 5

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION VA GI BILL FEEDBACK SYSTEM WHEN SHOULD A COMPLAINT BE SUBMITTED If a school or employer is failing to follow the Principles of Excellence. VA will review the following types of complaints: 6 Recruiting/Marketing PracticesQuality of Education AccreditationGrade Policy Financial Issues (e.g. Tuition/Fee charges) Release of transcripts Student LoansTransfer of Credits Post-Graduation Job OpportunitiesRefund Issues Change in Degree Plan/RequirementsOther Questions about eligibility and payments under the GI Bill should be directed to the “Ask a Question” section of the GIBILL website.“Ask a Question”

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION VA Feedback System 7 VA Website:

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION VA Feedback System

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION FEEDBACK/COMPLAINT SYSTEM 9

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Principles of Excellence Facility Code InstitutionSchool Risk IndicatorPoECS Complaint – VA# Reason/IssueAllegation of fraud or misleading practices. Risk Index50 Priority Priority 1 –

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION PoE Procedures. The CELO will determine course of action to conduct a targeted review regarding the allegation or a prioritized compliance survey with emphasis surrounding the allegation or situation. Reporting Requirements. The CELO or designee will report findings and action(s) taken through existing compliance survey reporting procedures. In addition, status updates will be reported to PoE CS Complaint Case Managers at PoE CS Complaint Case Managers will send a summary to the student to review and determine whether their issue was addressed and/or resolved to their satisfaction. Targeted risk-based reviews may be referred or shared with other federal or state government agencies in accordance with approved agreements as determined by VACO. The complaint information and resolution will be recorded in PoE CS and forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network Questions. If you have any questions, please contact the PoECS Complaint Case Managers at Sincerely ATTACHEMENTS: Complaint from the Student VA Targeted Risk Based Review Policy and Procedures

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Role of the School When feedback is received for a school, VA will contact school on behalf of the student and work toward a resolution –The School Certifying Official (SCO) on record will be contacted –Institutions will have an opportunity to appoint another representative other than the SCO to handle complaints Complaints should be handled within 60 days from submission Complaints and their resolution(s) will be forwarded to the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network –These complaints will be accessible by over 650 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies 12

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION 13 VA Feedback System Tips Research the complaint - Who should respond? - What are the facts? Draft a letter to the student Send the response to the VA

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Locate your ELR Download SCO Handbook Benefits information Ask a question (Right Now Web): National Education Call Center – General Questions SCO dedicated phone line Debt Management Center – SCO - students or Resources

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Questions?