1. Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs G. I
Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program

2. Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program
The Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship program was created in 1947 and has provided educational opportunities to thousands of dependents of disabled veterans
Even with the upcoming changes it is one of the best scholarships for dependents of disabled veterans in the country.

3. ACT 2017-349 Who does this effect?
This new law only effects new applicants whose application is received with a postmark on or after Students already under the program are not effected in any way

4. ACT 2017-349 Who does this effect?
The certificates of eligibility have updated verbiage that will let you know if the student falls under this new law.
Pay special attention to the verbiage in the boiler plate as there is a grandfather clause that allowed some veterans to apply under the old law after meeting specific criteria.

5. July 31, 2017
July 31, 2025

6. What changed?
All of this is determined at the application level. Schools will not be responsible for proving or providing this.
Military service:
The required 90 consecutive days of active duty military service has not changed.
Semesters
the amount of semesters has not changed.
Disability Requirements: 
The minimum disability rating will increase to 40% for most veterans.

7. Grandfather clauses for disability ratings.
Grandfather Clause One:
Veterans with a disability rating of 20-30% may qualify if the effective date of their disability rating is on or before July 31, 2017.
This provision will expire on July 31, 2023.

8. Grandfather clauses for disability ratings cont.
Grandfather Clause Two:
If the veterans had a disability rating of less than 20% prior to May 23, 2017 but had a claim for compensation pending prior to that date and the final award is at least 20%, they may qualify.
BUT………
They must make application for our program within 6 months of adjudication which resulted in a final award by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs .

9. Veteran Residency Requirements:
 Permanent civilian resident for at least one year immediately prior to initial entry into federal active military service or any subsequent entry into federal active military service where a 12 month break in service occurred.
Now, with the new law, they also have to meet one of the following

10. Veteran Residency Requirements cont.:
Current resident for at least two years immediately prior to the date of this application or date of veteran’s death.
Current resident who was discharged within the last 12 months
Filed a resident Alabama income tax return for the past 10 consecutive years.

11. Veteran Residency Requirements cont.:
5 year resident: this has not changed under the new law.
This means that if a veteran did not enter the service from the state of Alabama but is 100% P&T and has lived in the State of Alabama for the past 5 consecutive years, they may also qualify.

12. Student Requirements!!
Must be a current resident of the state of Alabama at the time of application and maintain that residency while using the program.
Application level, schools are not responsible for providing this proof.
Must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each year that they are covered under the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program.
Schools will be responsible for this.
We cannot be billed for a student who has not done a FASFA to cover that semester.
The school will be required to verify that the student has a FASFA that covers the semester that you are billing for. (invoice statement).
If the student does not have a FASFA for the semester, we cannot be billed.
In the event that a student completes one later that covers that semester, you may be able to go back and bill us. If this occurs, please let us know.

13. Student Requirements cont.
Must comply with Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as defined by their education institution.
Schools will be responsible for this.
We cannot be billed if the school has determined that the student does not meet SAP.
You will use the rules that you already have in place for Title IV benefits including but not limited too:
Appeal process
Completion Ratio
GPA
A list of students who do not meet SAP must be provided by the school, to us.

14. Student Requirements cont.
We will require notification through excel spreadsheet, listing students who do not meet SAP.
We will be uploading these lists into our database. This means it must have specific headings.
This will be ed to us in a password protected excel spreadsheet just as you currently handle the invoices.
They will not have to be mailed as a hard copy.

15. SAP Spreadsheet Example
LOAD_LINE STUDENT_NAME STUDENT_SSN SUSPENSION_DATE
COOL, JOE B /24/2017
DUCK,DAISY /24/2017
FOG, ROBERT /24/2017
Must have the underscore
Must be numbered
Must be in alphabetical order
Must have the full SSN

16. SAP
When we receive the list from you indicating that the student does not meet SAP, we will issue a letter to the student indicating that their benefits have been suspended.
A copy of this letter will also be forwarded to the school. This letter should be used to suspend their benefits indefinitely at your school.
In the event that an appeal is granted for this student, we should be notified immediately so that their benefits can be re-instated.
If a student is accepted to another public college in the state of Alabama and meet their SAP guidelines, they can use their benefits at that school

17. Student Requirements cont.
Must complete a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) release form for each educational institution that they attend.
Schools will be responsible for this.
We cannot be billed if the student has not completed a FERPA release.
You may formulate your own rules regarding how often this must be completed.
We have a FERPA release for your convenience. If your school chooses to create their own, that is acceptable as long as it does not exclude us from obtaining needed information.

18. ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
FERPA RELEASE AUTHORIZATION FORM
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, prohibits postsecondary educational institutions from disclosing the education records of students to most third parties without the student’s written consent. Alabama Code § (1975) requires students receiving benefits under the Alabama GI Dependents’ Scholarship program to authorize each postsecondary educational institution they attend under the program to release personally identifiable information to the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs as required to determine their continued eligibility for these benefits and for any required reporting.
I, _____________________________________________, authorize
(Student Name)
_______________________________________________________________, (Postsecondary Educational Institution)
to release personally identifiable information to the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs for reasons determined by the educational institution as appropriate.
I hereby release the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and
_______________________________________________________________________,
(Postsecondary Educational Institution)
including their Trustees, Officers, and Employees, from any liability for release of the personally identifiable information referenced above. This authorization is valid until cancelled. The student may cancel this release at any time by submitting another FERPA release form to the educational institution. I understand that canceling this authorization may make me ineligible for future benefits under the Alabama GI Dependents Scholarship program.
_____________________________________________ _________________
Student Signature Date
This form, or a similar release form, must be signed and submitted to the educational institution you are attending.

19. Payments We will continue to pay after the semester ends.
We will continue to pay directly to the school.
Invoicing procedures will stay the same.

20. Payments BIG Changes… We are now the payer of last resort.
Scholarship and grants paid to the school will be used first for required education expenses.
As payer of last resort, books or instructional fees may be the only items that can be charged to us.
Based on this, the requirement that a student have a tuition charge in order for us to pay books and instructional fees will no longer be valid for these students.
We still must have the tuition hours included on the invoice as this is how entitlement is deducted.
If a student is taking remedial or non-credit courses, these hours should not be included on the invoice as we would not be paying for these classes even if a tuition charge was still available.

21. Payments
Tuition can only be charged up to the DoD tuition assistance cap, currently $250 per credit hour.
If your school charges less than $250 per credit hour, the lower rate should be used.
If the balance left after all other grants and scholarships are used equates to less than $250 per credit hour, we can only be charged the balance.
$1,000 cap for the combination of textbooks and instructional fees per semester.
If a student’s total for textbooks and instructional fees is less than $1,000, we should be charged the exact amount.
The new law does give schools the authority to waive any amount of in-state tuition, books or fees not paid by the combination of federal, state and third party funds.

22. Payments For all invoices beginning fall 2017 and after:
A new invoice statement will be required for all invoices.
Invoices received without the new statement will be returned.
The statement can be on a coversheet with the invoice if it also contains your school information.
The statement must still be signed and notarized.

23. New required invoice statement
I hereby certify that the charges on this invoice are correct, not in excess of those charged to other students, and that payment has not yet been received.
I certify that charges for registration fees, health fees, building fees, student activity fees, insurance, housing, identification cards, equipment, etc., are not included on this invoice; and that textbooks furnished to students were prescribed and necessary for their courses of instruction.
I certify that all students on this invoice under ACT and after are only charged in state tuition and are only taking undergraduate courses of study unless otherwise approved under state law for the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program.
I certify that all students on this invoice under ACT and after have completed a FASFA , and a FERPA release form that covers the billing period. I have ensured that all grants and scholarships allowed by law have been utilized first, that the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship is charged tuition at the Department of Defense Tuition Cap and that the combination of required textbooks and applicable fees do not exceed $1,000.

24. Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Agreement of Understanding
I understand that I must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each year that I seek benefits under the scholarship.________ Initials required
I understand that all grants and scholarships will be applied to my educational expenses first (unless otherwise proscribed by federal law) and that the Alabama G.I. Dependents Scholarship will only be applied for any applicable remaining charges pursuant to current state law. ________ Initials required
I understand that tuition paid per semester hour will be limited to the rate of the Department of Defense Tuition Assistance Cap and that applicable instructional fees and required textbooks paid will be limited to a total combined amount of $1,000 per semester. ________ Initials required
I understand that I must complete a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) release form for each educational institution that I attend to authorize the release of personally identifiable information required to determine my continued eligibility and as required for any necessary reporting. Some education institutions may require this annually ___________Initials required
I understand that I must comply with the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as required for Title IV benefits. These standards will be defined by the education institution that I am attending. ________ Initials required
I understand that I can only use the scholarship for undergraduate courses of study. ________ Initials required
I understand that the scholarship cannot be used for non-credit, remedial or continuing education classes. ________ Initials required
I understand that I must be a current resident of the state of Alabama and maintain that residency while receiving benefits under this program. ________ Initials required
I understand that I must contact the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs immediately concerning any change in my dependency status to include but not limited to a divorce from the qualifying veteran in the case of a spouse or step-child. ________ Initials required
I understand that I must contact the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs immediately concerning any change in my contact information including but not limited to name, telephone number, mailing address and address. ________ Initials required
I understand that I am only eligible to receive benefits under the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program once, regardless of future dependency. ________ Initials required
I understand that providing false information or documents, to include failing to disclose a relevant fact or failing to report changes to a relevant fact, may result in a denial of benefits, required repayment, and legal action up to and including criminal prosecution. If the applicant is under 19 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must initial and sign as well as the student.
______________________________________________________________
Applicant Signature
_____________________________________________________________
Parent or Guardian Signature
________________________________________________________
Date
This is provided to you as information only. This is a new form that will be included in applications for students. This is useful to us for counseling and to ensure that they understand their benefits.

25. The End
Questions?