Greetings GI Bill Partners,

Happy Holidays! As we near the end the year, on behalf of Education Service, I want to thank you for all the work that you continue to do in support of the Nation’s Veterans, Service members and their families. Your hard work and dedication helps VA carry out our mission every single day.

This has been a very busy year for us here as we continued to modernize our services with the Digital GI Bill® (DGIB). We began the year with legislative changes allowing for IHL (Institute of Higher Learning) students to verify enrollment via text or email, and I am happy to report a current opt-in rate of 98%. The DGIB team continues to focus on automation, in-line with our overall program objectives, to improve Post-9/11 GI Bill claims automation. Though we are nearing the end of 2022, I am reminded of your continual impact and collaboration, throughout the year.

Looking toward the new year, I am hopeful about all that lies ahead. We have spent a lot of time and energy this year laying the groundwork for a modernized GI Bill experience. This effort will continue in 2023 with the release of Enrollment Manager which you will read more about in this newsletter.

During these last weeks of 2022, I hope that you will take time to reflect on the profound impact that you have had on the lives our Nation’s heroes as they navigate their education journey. I look forward to continuing the journey with you in 2023.

Respectfully,

Joseph L. Garcia

Executive Director, Education Service

Beginning August 19, 2022, VA no longer requires submission of VA Form 22-1995/5495, ‘Change of Program or Place of Training’ when a student begins training at a new school or enrolls in a new program at their current school. This form is no longer required from the student and was never required from the school. 

VA recognized if a school has accepted a student in the new program, VA’s requirement of ensuring the new program is suitable for the student has been satisfied.  The school is better suited to make this determination than is VA.  

If you have been collecting the 1995/5495 as a courtesy for the student and indicating ‘1995 on file’ in VA-Once, it’s no longer necessary to do so. Enrollment Manager will not have the ‘1995 on file’ indicator.

The form remains available, as there may be situations where the student wishes to determine if a program is approved for VA benefits. If a student submits either form, VA will provide a formal response specific to the program in question as well as the remaining entitlement and period of eligibility.

We’ve heard your feedback. Enrollment Manager will now launch in early March 2023.

VA-ONCE will no longer sunset in January, so please continue to submit enrollment certifications during the peak Spring semester enrollment period in the current system.

We recommend using this additional time to complete your Enrollment Manager trainings, create your ID.me or Login.gov account and learn more about Enrollment Manager by reviewing the FAQs webpage

Excited to meet Billie? Enrollment Manager will come with many user-friendly features, one of them being Billie, the GI Bill chatbot. Billie is a self-service tool that will be available for School Certifying Officials to use 24/7, 365 days a year. From navigating the new system to getting answers to enrollment questions you may have, the chatbot will be able to help you. Stay tuned for a video that will introduce you to Billie and show you how to engage with the chatbot.  .

Join the Education Service leadership team to discuss their strategy to modernize the GI Bill experience for Veterans and those that provide support including School Certifying Officials.  This session will include an overview of VA's Digital GI Bill (DGIB) modernization initiative, enhancements to the GI Bill Comparison Tool, and a review of program resources available to veterans and beneficiaries. The session will include time for Q&A. Register here to join us.  

Later this month, we will release three interactive Enrollment Manager trainings on the SCO Training Portal. These trainings will provide step-by-step instructions on how to access Enrollment Manager, how to navigate the new system, and walk-through real-life scenarios.  

The three trainings should take less than 2.5 hours to complete. To receive training credit, you must complete and pass the final Enrollment Manager training assessment.  

Reminder: Failure to complete your trainings before Enrollment Manager becomes available may result in you being unable to access Enrollment Manager to submit enrollments and cause disruptions in your students’ Monthly Housing Allowance payments. We will send an email when the trainings are available. 

Any student who is eligible for the GI Bill is also eligible for Personalized Career Planning and Guidance, a free benefit that provides:

• Career counseling to help students decide which civilian or military jobs they want
• Educational counseling to help them find a training program or field of study
• Academic and adjustment counseling to help students address issues or barriers that get in the way of their success
• Resume support and goal planning

Students can use this benefit more than once. Please share this information with students and any relevant academic advising offices as you see fit. If they need more information, or want to apply, you can share our webpage on the benefit or our fact sheet.

Regardless of where your students are in their education journey, VA has a useful resource that can help them make decisions about what to do next. It’s a three-part guide, “Building Your Future With the GI Bill^®”:

• Part One: A Guide to Choosing Your Education Pathway
• Part Two: A Guide to Understanding Your Benefits
• Part Three: A Guide to Furthering Your Career

Please share with students as you think will be helpful.

On August 26, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden signed the Ensuring the Best Institutions for Veterans Act of 2022 into law (Public Law 117-174), which changes certain 85/15 Rule reporting requirements. VA recently sent out updates to help institutions understand the 35% exemption and what steps to take next. Find out what your school needs to do if it is accredited institution or non-accredited institution.  

VA Forms Managers were tasked with updating the Adobe Certificate for all forms on the VA forms inter/intranet websites by January 7, 2023. As of June 2022, the Adobe Certificate for all VBA forms were updated. If you have saved an older version of a VBA/VA form on your computer—specifically, one that was saved prior to March 2022, it will not work after January 7, 2023, deadline Please contact your Education Liaison Representative to obtain the most recent version.