Tuition_Fees

							TUITION AND FEES
         WAVES Conference July 2010
              Las Vegas, NV




  Ellis R. Yeager, Louisiana Education Liaison Representative
          TUITION AND FEES
• Individuals on active duty are eligible for the
  lesser of:
    − Tuition and fees charged; or
    − The amount of charges that exceed the amount paid
      by the military‟s federal tuition assistance

•   Individuals not on active duty are eligible for the
    applicable percentage (based on aggregate active
    duty service) of the lesser of:
     − Tuition and fees charged; or
     − Highest amount of tuition and fees charged for in-State
       undergraduate training at a public institution of higher
       learning in the state the student is enrolled
                 TUITION AND FEES
  Service Requirements (after 9/10/01 an individual        % of Maximum
             must serve an aggregate of)                   Benefit Payable

At least 36 months                                              100
At least 30 continuous days on active duty                      100
(Must be discharged due to service-connected disability)
At least 30 months, but less than 36 months                      90
At least 24 months, but less than 30 months                      80
At least 18 months, but less than 24 months*                     70
At least 12 months, but less than 18 months*                     60
At least 6 months, but less than 12 months*                      50
At least 90 days, but less than 6 months*                        40
*Excluding entry level and skill training
             TUITION AND FEES
• The tuition and fees payment is prorated by the student’s length
  of service percentage. It is also limited to the highest per credit
  hour tuition and the maximum fees charged by a public
  institution for undergraduate training in the state where the
  student is enrolled (state cap). State caps for tuition and fees
  are at www.gibill.va.gov/GI Bill Info/CH33/Tuition and
  fees.htm

• Students on active duty may receive the total
  amount of tuition and fees, not limited to the
  state maximum, or the amount of charges that
  exceed the amount paid by the military’s
  federal tuition assistance.
  TUITION AND FEES
• The term “tuition and fees” means the total
  cost for tuition and fees for a course a school
  charges all students whose circumstances are
  similar to veterans enrolled in the same
  course.
• “Tuition and fees” does not include the cost
  of supplies or books that the student is
  required to purchase at his or her own
  expense.
     TUITION AND FEES
• “Tuition” is the actual established charges for tuition
  that similarly circumstanced non-veterans enrolled in
  the program of education are required to pay.

• Tuition and fees must be reported for all chapter 33
  students for each enrollment period.

• Tuition and fees are
  reported separately and not
  combined.
            TUITION AND FEES
   “Fees” are defined as mandatory charges (other
    than tuition, room, and board) that are applied
    by the institution of higher learning for pursuit
    of an approved program of education and
    include, but are not limited to:
      •   Health premiums
      •   Freshman fees
      •   Graduation fees
      •   Lab fees

It does not include study abroad course(s) unless the
course(s) is a mandatory requirement for completion of the
approved program of education

    Note: The certifying official should maintain an itemized
    listing of fees in the student’s file.
              TUITION AND FEES
Fees that are not allowed include, but are not limited to:

  Penalty fees (e.g., late registration, late course changes,
   returned checks)
  Add/drop course fees
  Parking fees
  Fees for any food or lodging expenses, meal ticket fees
  Overload fees for course loads that require special
   permission
  Transportation/transit system fees that are not required of
   every student

                                         FEES
  TUITION AND FEES
• Tuition and fees must be
  reported for all chapter 33
  students.

• If the student is charged out-of-state tuition
  add the VA Standard Remark, “Student is Not
  A Resident and is Being Charged Out-Of-State
  Tuition And Fees.”
    TUITION AND FEES
• Generally, Transfer of Entitlement student payments.are the
  same as if the student was the veteran or service member.
• If the transferor is on active duty status, spouses and children are
  paid differently.
         The spouse gets paid 100% tuition and fees with no
            other benefits, just like he or she is on active duty too.
         Children are paid benefits as if the transferor was a
            veteran, regardless of the transferor's active duty
            status.
        Note: If you adopt a TOE student use the student’s social security
            number as the student’s file number and identify the student as a
            chapter 33 student. Certify TOE students like you would any
            other chapter 33 student.
  TUITION AND FEES
• Schools should certify only those fees connected
  with an enrollment. That's the intent of the law.
  An application fee is usually paid before the student
  can even be considered for enrollment, so VA can
  not pay for it.
• Graduation fees may be
  reimbursable as long as they're
  paid along with the rest of the
  fees in the student's final
  enrollment period.
        TUITION AND FEES
• Tuition and fee payments will be issued to the
  school on behalf of each student via Electronic
  Funds Transfers (EFT)

• If EFT information is unavailable, payments will be
  sent to the school mailing address on file in VA‟s
  Web-Enabled Approval Management System
  (WEAMS)

• Payments will include student
  identification information and
  the semester, quarter or term
  the payment is covering
         TUITION AND FEES
• The tuition and fees payment is paid directly to the
  school on behalf of the student when the enrollment
  certification is processed.

• VA should always be
  considered as „first payer’.


• VA will pay the amount the individual is entitled to
  under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, even if that payment
  comes in after other payments are received.
            TUITION AND FEES
Report the tuition and fees amount initially charged the
student after deducting any amounts paid with Federal Funds,
excluding Federal Financial Air Programs (Title IV).

Examples of non-title IV Federal funds include:

• Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC),
•   Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA),
•   Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP), and
• Government Employees’ Training Act (GETA).
         TUITION AND FEES
• The school should accept VA‟s payment and return
  any additional funds received to the other sources.
• Some state laws require National Guard tuition
  assistance to be returned to the Guard unit.
• Schools should be sure to issue refunds (including,
  those to the student) in accordance with their state
  laws and published policies.
• Overages of funds paid on a student‟s account by
  VA should be refunded to the student in
  accordance with the institution‟s established refund
  policies.
         TUITION AND FEES
 Tuition & fees (and Yellow Ribbon Program
  payments) are issued to the school on behalf of the
  student.
If a student attends a portion of the certified
 enrollment period, yet does not complete training,
 schools should follow their established student
 refund policy (and also report the change in student
 status to VA).

If a refund is due, it should be issued to the student.
         TUITION AND FEES
 If a refund of a student’s out-of-pocket expenses is
  due, it should be issued to the student

Refunds for partial attendance
 should not be returned to VA.

The student is responsible for any overpayment of
 VA benefits incurred as a result of a change in
 enrollment.
     Returning Tuition and Fees
 Tuition and fee payments should be returned to
 VA by the institution only if:
(1.) the student never attended;

(2.) the student died during the term and would have been due
     a refund;

(3.) the institution received a payment for an individual that is
    not a student, or

(4.) the institution received a duplicate payment for a student.
   Returning Tuition and Fees
Institutions may return tuition and fee payments
    to VA by:
    a) Returning the electronically
       received Automated
       Clearinghouse (ACH)
       payment using the ACH
       return code R31.
       Note: Schools may only return a full payment to VA
       using the R31 ACH return code. If a student died
       during a term and would have only been eligible for a
       partial refund, the school must send the appropriate
       amount to the RPO of jurisdiction (see paragraph b).
     Returning Tuition and Fees
Institutions may return tuition and fee payments to VA by:

 b) Sending a check (or returning a Treasury paper check) to
    the Agent Cashier of the Regional Processing Office of
    jurisdiction (Muskogee). The check must include the
    student’s full name and social security number.
    (Please use a cover letter.)

  Muskogee Regional Processing Office
  Attn: Agent Cashier
  125 South Main Street
  Muskogee, OK 74401-7025
    Returning Tuition and Fees
     Date

     Department of Veterans Affairs
     Attn: Agent Cashier
     125 South Main Street
     Muskogee, OK 74401

     The attached check in the amount of $XXXX>XX is returned to
R    you. This amount was paid by the VA to [Name of School] (VA        L
     facility code(xxxxxxxx) in the name of [student’s name], VA file
     # XXX-XX-XXX as tuition & fee payment for the period
E    XX/XX/XX to XX/XX/XX. Payment is being because [state              E
     reason for return].
T                                                                       T
     PLEASE APPLY THE AMOUNT OF $XXXX.XX TO THE
U    STUDENT’S ACCOUNT.                                                 T
     Sincerely
R                                                                       E
     [School Certifying Official]
N    [School]
                                                                        R

                           SAM P LE
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
The Yellow Ribbon Program allows schools to enter
into an agreement with VA to fund the tuition and fees
cost that exceed the state cap.

 The Yellow Ribbon Program can provide additional
funding to students in private institutions, in graduate
programs, or paying out-of-state tuition whose tuition
and fees charge exceeds the state cap.
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
  The Yellow Ribbon Program payment is paid
   directly to the school on behalf of the student
   when the school’s enrollment certification is
   processed.
 Only individuals entitled at the 100% benefit level
  may receive yellow ribbon funding:
    r Students who served at least 36 months or more on active duty,
       and
    r Students who served at least 30 continuous days on active duty and
    were discharged due to service-connected disability.
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
 Institutions entering into a Yellow Ribbon Program
 Agreement with VA are agreeing to:

   Provide contributions to eligible individuals on a first-
    come, first-served basis for the current academic year

   Provide contributions to eligible individuals for the
    current academic year and all subsequent years the
    individual is enrolled if the:
       − Institution continues to participate in the Yellow Ribbon
         Program
       − Student maintains satisfactory progress
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
  Limit contributions to funds under the
   unrestricted control of the institution and specify
   the manner in which contributions will be granted
   which may include:
    ―Direct grant
    ―Scholarship

 The following cannot be used as the institution’s
  contribution toward the Yellow Ribbon Program:
    ―Third party funds
    ―Title IV funds
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
               State the maximum
             number of individuals to
               whom Yellow Ribbon
            Program contributions will
                   be provided
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
  State the maximum
 annual dollar amount
that will be contributed
     per individual
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
Institution agrees to contribute up to the same
maximum annual dollar amount for all individuals
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM
Institutions may limit contribution amounts and
 totals by education level and may offer to contribute:
    To individuals at any or all education levels
    Different maximum annual amounts at any or all
     education levels
    Different maximum number of individuals at any or all
     education levels
Where to go to find out
• WAVES Handbook

• Web-site:
              (“Submit a Question”)

• Education Call Center: 1-888-GIBILL-1
                         (1-888-442-4551)
• Your friendly neighborhood ELR
Questions