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Dear GI Bill® Student,
IMPORTANT: Your recent change in enrollment resulted in an overpayment of tuition and fees and/or Yellow Ribbon benefits. As a result, you may have received, or will soon receive, an automated notification from VA stating that the debt amount must be repaid and will be collected by our Debt Management Center.
However, in accordance with section 1019 of Public Law 116-315, VA will not collect these debts from you. Rather, VA will collect these amounts from your school. In turn, your school may require you to pay any outstanding balance for tuition and fees and may contact you regarding this debt. It is important that you work with your school to resolve this matter.
You will still be responsible for repaying any debts associated with the monthly housing allowance and the books and supplies stipend to VA.
What does this mean for me?
On January 5, 2021, the President signed the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 into law (Public Law 116-315). The new law requires schools and training providers to be financially responsible, instead of the student, for benefits paid directly to an educational institution. This applies to tuition and fee payments and Yellow Ribbon program payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (including under the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship), and to advance payment of benefits under the various GI Bill programs.
Currently, VA payment systems for the Post-9/11 GI Bill automatically establish debts against students or schools and an overpayment letter is generated and sent. A school debt is established when a student terminates enrollment on or before the first day of the term and VA has paid the institution tuition and fees (and in some cases Yellow Ribbon payments). A student debt is established when the student reduces or terminates enrollment after the first day of the term. When a debt is established, either the student or the school is notified and provided next steps to address the overpayment.
What do I need to do?
At this time, there is no action required from you. Since you had a change of enrollment which resulted in an overpayment of benefits associated with tuition and fee charges, you will still receive an automated notification from VA indicating the tuition and fee debt amount to be collected. VA is presently working through implementation of this new provision and its complexities. We apologize for any confusion as we work through issues related to implementation of this new law. We are committed to providing you with regular updates through direct email campaigns and social media about VA’s efforts to implement these new changes.
If you have questions or concerns:
Please contact the Education Call Center at 1-888-442-4551, Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Central Time. We will be actively monitoring our Education Call Centers and social media outlets for any questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Education Service
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