1. Atlanta RPO Update _____________________________ March 6, 2008 Linda McAllister Chief, Education Liaison Officer

2. Structure and Staffing Atlanta (PR and VI) St. Louis Buffalo (Foreign Schools) Muskogee (AK, HI, Guam Samoa, and Manila) Education Processing Office

3. Structure and Staffing Education Officer Training and Quality Control Chief, Claims Processing Section Chief, Customer Service Section Chief, Outreach Section Original Claims Processing Unit Supplemental Claims Processing Unit Special Projects Unit Support Unit Interview Activity (phones and walk-ins) Inquiry Resolution Activity Congressional Correspondence Committee on Waivers Compliance and Liaison Unit Work Study Unit 148 Employees Authorized

4. Division Performance Fiscal Year 2007

5. Division Performance Fiscal Year 2008

6. Division Performance  11,582 claims  63 inquiries Pending Inventory as of 2/19/08

7. Structure and Staffing  Claims received -1.6 million nationwide -318,000 in our jurisdiction  Claims processed -1.4 million nationwide -277,000 in our jurisdiction -14% increase over FY06  Active trainees -101,444 in our jurisdiction -19.3% of individuals trained nationwide FY07 RPO Education Benefits

8. Puerto Rico Active Schools & Trainees  Trainees  CH 30 = 626  CH 31 = 217  CH 35 = 1175  CH 1606 = 631  CH 1607 = 456  Total = 3105 Schools – 66 IHL’s and 12 NCD’s

9. Workflow  Upstream -Hard copy documents -VONAPP claims -VA Once certifications  Downstream -Original claims -Supplemental claims -Special Projects Claims Processing

10. Workflow Electronic Receipts  VA Once Certifications -Monday – School submits electronic certification -Tuesday – Electronic certification processed through ECAP -Wednesday – Status code changes to 5A or 5M and electronic certification is visible in TIMS

11. Workflow Electronic Receipts  5A – Certification processed by ECAP with no human intervention -Only Chapter 30 claims -Payment issued within 3 – 5 business days with direct deposit -Approximately 10 – 15% of the Chapter 30 electronic certifications

12. Workflow Electronic Receipts  5M – Certification referred for manual processing by a VCE -Referral based on certification information and VA information -Includes Chapter 30 claimants entitled to kickers and $600 contribution -Subject to average processing delays

13. VAONCE  VAONCE now sends an e-mail to your student when you submit an enrollment certification  Go to Admin to include this option  Include student’s e-mail address on the Bio page

14. CH 1607 Monthly Verification April 1, 2008  CH 1607 required to verify their enrollment in order to receive payment  WAVE is the best way to verify (24/7)  Automated telephone (24/7)  Claimants will be informed at the end of Feb and Mar

15. Customer Service  Education Call Center -Staffed by VA employees at the Muskogee RPO. -Buffalo RPO transferred in January 2008 -. Email inquiries handled by local RPO.  April 2008 Atlanta calls to Muskogee

16. Customer Service  Really Simple Syndication (RSS) on the Web -A way to receive breaking information without going back to the website. -New information is automatically delivered to your desktop. -More information at www.gibill.va.gov. www.gibill.va.gov

17. Address Changes and Direct Deposit  Individuals training under Chapters 30, 1606 and 1607 may receive direct deposit  National Direct Deposit Center 1-877-838-2778  GI Bill Toll-free Line 1-888-442-4551

18. Self-service Options www.gibill.va.gov  Claimant specific benefit information may be viewed via the WAVE link  WAVE information will be updated after a claim is processed  WAVE information may also be found under the VA Data tab in VA Once  Answers to FAQs via “Ask a Question” link on GI Bill website

19. WAVE ENHANCEMENT: Users can now click the “Check Pending Documents” link from the Homepage to see if there is a claim pending in VA’s electronic folder. If no documents are pending, the following message is displayed: We currently do not show a claim pending. If you recently submitted your claim, WAVE may not have been updated yet. Please allow for mail time plus 3 - 5 business days. Check back periodically to confirm receipt. If you have had a claim pending, but it is no longer reflected on this page, it may have been recently completed. Please check under Benefit Status to see if your enrollment data has been updated.

21.  Claimants may establish secure account for claim specific inquiries  Certifying Officials may submit claim specific inquiries  Priority responses to registered Certifying Officials RPO Inquiries

22. Contact Us  GI Bill website www.gibill.va.gov www.gibill.va.gov  GI Bill toll-free line 1-888-442-4551  Monthly enrollment verification 1-877-823-2378  Direct Deposit 1-877-838-2778

23. Contact Us  Having a problem with the toll-free line?  Unable to reach an Education Case Manager and really in need of assistance?  Experiencing a hardship? Are you or your students…

24. Contact Us  Chris Richardson, Section Chief brenda.richardson@va.gov brenda.richardson@va.gov  Sam Miller-Walton, Unit Chief sam.miller-walton@va.gov sam.miller-walton@va.gov  Cindy Navarre, Senior Veterans Claims Examiner cynthia.navarre@va.gov cynthia.navarre@va.gov  Clairmont Barnes, Senior Veterans Claims Examiner clairmont.barnes@va.gov clairmont.barnes@va.gov

25. RPO CONFERENCE 2009  March 31, 2009 – April 3, 2009 (Tentative)  Crown Plaza Ravinia  www.cpravinia.com www.cpravinia.com Meet with other school officials Presentations by RPO officials RPO Tour

26. Questions