Marie George, Chief Education Liaison Officer, Central Region St Louis Regional Processing Office Update, AVECO July 14 – 18, 2014 SCO Workshop July

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION CELO REALIGNMENT CELOs and their staff were aligned under Regional Processing Offices Effective 6/1/14, alignment shifted to VBA Central Office (Education Service) No change in processing jurisdictions ELR/ECSS may report to a different CELO

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CELO REGION JURISDICTIONS CENTRAL – Marie George EAST – Michele Mendola SOUTH – Linda McAllister WEST – Michael Marks 3

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION ADVANTAGES OF REALIGNMENT Allow RPOs to focus on education claims, rather than compliance and liaison Resolve inequities in workload distribution for compliance surveys Allows a national perspective for compliance and liaison workload Provide consistency for approval and compliance survey guidance at all schools, but especially schools with multi-state branches

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION RPO Education Claims Processing Right Now Web Committee on Waivers School Liability Returned Check National Call Center SCO Hotline Compliance & Liaison School approvals Liaison with State Approving Agency VAONCE Training School Certifying Official Training Compliance Surveys Risk Based Reviews & Complaint System RESPONSIBILITIES 5

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION ST Louis RPO Processing Time 7/7/14EOM ALL EP's ORIGINALSSUPPLEMENTALS EPNO.DAYSEPNO.DAYSEPNO.DAYS CH NON NON NON TOTAL EP TOT ORIG TOT SUPP ALL Benefits

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION 7 ST Louis RPO Processing Time FYTD 2014 July 7, 2014 ORIGINALS SUPPLEMENTALS MONTHNO.DAYS MONTHNO.DAYS OCT10, OCT86, NOV7, NOV70, DEC9, DEC93, JAN7, JAN114, FEB6, FEB90, MAR6, MAR70, APR8, APR66, MAY7, MAY81, JUN8, JUN75, JUL1, JUL10, AUG SEP TOT ORIG73, TOTAL EP759,

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VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION What is eBenefits?  A portal for veterans, service members, and their families to research, find, access, and manage their benefits and personal information What does it offer the students?  My Dashboard: a personalized workspace that provides quick access to eBenefits tools  Can apply for benefits  Download DD 214s  View your benefit status  - Check Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement  - Check enrollment status How do students enroll? 

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION NEW GIBILL WEBSITE 10

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION

GI Bill® Comparison Tool 12  Designed to make it easier for Veterans to calculate their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and learn more about colleges, universities and other education and training programs across the country.  Designed to enable student Veterans and their families to compare education options and make informed choices that will help them reach their educational goals and find a good job.

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VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Policy Advisory on F Grades ACCREDITED SCHOOLS WITH NO ATTENDANCE POLICY If the student completes a period of enrollment with a failing punitive grade (i.e. an F) assigned, does the school need to report the last date of attendance during that enrollment period? No. The last date of attendance during a period of enrollment does not need to be reported if a student completes the enrollment period with a punitive grade and does not violate the school’s standards of conduct, progress, or attendance during that term. SCHOOLS WITH AN ATTENDANCE POLICY MUST ENFORCE THAT POLICY 14

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Policy Advisory on F Grades NON-ACCREDITED SCHOOLS MUST HAVE AND ENFORCE AN ATTENDANCE POLICY If the student completes a period of enrollment with a failing punitive grade (i.e. an F) assigned, does the school need to report the last date of attendance during that enrollment period? No. The last date of attendance during a period of enrollment does not need to be reported if a student completes the enrollment period with a punitive grade and does not violate the school’s standards of conduct, progress, or attendance during that term. SCHOOLS WITH AN ATTENDANCE POLICY MUST ENFORCE THAT POLICY 15

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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?