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The Official Newsletter for School Certifying Officials |
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Leadership Corner
Greetings GI Bill Partners
With the start of a new fiscal year, Education Service (EDU) begins the process of gathering all the data needed for the Annual Benefits Report. Looking back, I’m humbled by how far we’ve come together.
In 2009, the first fiscal year of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, we had 34,393 Post 9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries and paid $63,543,141.00 under the benefit.
In 2022 we had 564,501 Post 9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries (which was fewer beneficiaries than we had in 2018 - 2021) and paid $4,171,807,353.00 under the benefit. I cannot wait to see the outcomes for this current fiscal year.
This growth illuminates the importance of the work we do together. Billions of dollars are paid, based off millions of certifications, submitted by thousands of School Certifying Officials (SCOs) like you and processed by our hundreds of Education Service team members. These combined efforts succeed only because of the dedicated effort of our Education Service staff and the herculean efforts from you, our education partners.
As in our previous newsletter, I would like to again personally thank you for all you do every day in your essential role in helping Veterans, Service members and their dependents receive their hard-earned benefits. I look forward to continuing to work with you and accomplishing great things.
Respectfully,
Joseph Garcia, Executive Director
Education Service
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Over one million enrollments and counting
To highlight the impact of Enrollment Manager (EM) and celebrate the monumental moment of one million enrollments in EM, VA had the opportunity to interview Navy Veteran and the SCO at Tidewater Community College, Edward “Ed” Sivells, who submitted the millionth enrollment. In this video, Ed shares his experience as a SCO and how EM helps him pay it forward. Take a moment to check out this video to celebrate when VA exceeded one million enrollments received! As of today, over three million certifications have been received through enrollment manager!
We also want to take a moment to thank the EDU staff members who provided world-class customer service through the Customer Experience Group (CEG) that was stood up to specifically support the initial implementation of EM. Learn more about the CEG and its impact in this video.
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Reminder: custom remarks no longer available in certain situations
As of October 7, 2023, the ability to add Custom Remarks to Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) (CH33) certifications at Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and Non-College Degree (NCD) facilities is no longer available.
For all non-33 benefits (Chapter 30, 31, 35 and 1606), On-the-Job training (OJT), Apprenticeships (APP) and Flight school certifications, you will still be able to use custom remarks.
Guides to help your students use their benefits
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®”:
Please share with students as you think will be helpful.
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Education File Upload portal
The implementation of the Education File Upload portal was a huge progressive step in making the process of submitting documents to VA easier. VA is excited to share that we’ve heard a positive response from SCOs in the field regarding the new process. One SCO sent us the following message:
“I wanted to share some good news. Yesterday we uploaded a 22-8794 from into the portal to get our new SCO on board. We received our approval back in less than 24 hrs. If this isn't a step in the right direction, I don't know what is.”
As VA continues its modernization efforts, we greatly appreciate your feedback. Please continue to reach out to us and let us know how we’re doing!
As a reminder, when using the Education File Upload portal:
The following file extensions/file types can be submitted through the portal.
 The following file extensions/file types cannot be submitted through the portal.
 For more information about the Education File Upload portal please see June 2023 Office Hours presentation.
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Free educational and career counseling
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.
VR&E and Military Hire present: Breaking the Walls Down! Virtual career event
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) and Military Hire are hosting the Breaking the Walls Down! Virtual Career Event on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET. This event will feature many of top Federal and private employers who are hiring for well-paying positions around the country. This national event is open to all Veterans, Service members and spouses. Please have all interested students register here to participate: MilitaryHire and VR&E's Breaking The Walls Down! A Virtual Hiring Event. (brazenconnect.com)
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Check out what’s new in Enrollment Manager
 On October 7, Enrollment Manager was updated to improve your experience while using the system. Some highly anticipated enhancements included:
- Updates to the View Details tab to provide SCOs the ability to see the Objective, Program, Benefit Type and Enrollment ID on the View Details page without going to the Print page.
- Updates to the Enrollment Tab including the ability to see benefit type under which enrollments and amendments were submitted and the ability to see the Objective type, Program name and Benefit Type when adding an enrollment.
When adding or amending a certification, please select a VBA remark as needed. These remarks will not offramp the certification from automated processing, unless other factors require manual processing. If you have any questions or need support regarding the new updates, Chatbot Billie is available 24/7 for customer support. From 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET representatives at the SCO Hotline can be reached at 1-888-442-4551.
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EDU hosts GI Bill Roadshow at Emory University in Atlanta, GA
On September 14, EDU hosted a SCO workshop for the GI Bill Roadshow at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 60 SCOs joined the workshop and learned about future updates to come in EM based on their feedback and received answers to their questions during the Q&A portion.
One SCO shared their enjoyment during the event: “Just being able to speak to someone has been the most valuable experience. This is the most helpful.”
We encourage you to attend future events to connect with other SCOs and VA leadership. Head to our Conferences and Events webpage for more information on events happening soon.
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Annual Training Requirements
**Reminder: The Annual Training window for this year closes August 31, 2024**
Watch the SCO Annual Training Requirements video.
Relevant links:
- Annual SCO training requirements
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SCO Training Portal - You can view the number of training modules and training hours you’ve completed here in the “Your Completion Status” table.
FY 2024 New Certifying Official Training Requirements
- Apprenticeship Programs = On-the-Job Training/Apprenticeship Programs
- High School = High Schools and Residency Program
- Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) = IHL and NCD Facilities Course
- Institution of Higher Learning with Flight = IHL and NCD Facilities Course
- Institution of Higher Learning with Non-College Degree (NCD) programs = IHL and NCD Facilities Course
- Non-College Degree Program = IHL and NCD Facilities Course
- On The Job Training (OJT) = On-the- Job Training/ Apprenticeship Programs
- Residency = High Schools and Residency Program
- Vocational Flight = Vocational Flight Course
FY 2024 Continuing Certifying Official Training Requirements
- High School Programs = 1 Module
- Institutions of Higher Learning = 4 Modules
- Institutions of Higher Learning with Flight Programs = 4 Modules
- Institutions of Higher Learning with Non-College Degree Programs = 4 Modules
- Non-College Degree Programs Only = 4 Modules
- On-The-Job and Apprenticeship Training = 1 Module
- Residency Programs = 1 Module
- Vocational Flight Programs = 1 Module
Self-Certification Steps
- Login to the SCO Annual Training Portal.
- Select “Office Hours”, “Conference Sessions” or “Supplemental Training”.
- Locate the applicable session and select “Begin”.
- Verify you selected the correct training session; then select “continue”.
- Select “Yes, you completed 100%”; then select “Submit”.
- Enter the Date of Training; then select “Submit”.
- Download your results and retain the Certificate.
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As a reminder, you must be subscribed to our GovDelivery email list to receive routine communications (such as webinar invites or office hour notes) from Education Service.
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US Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
1-888-442-4551, TDD: 711
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Do you have a question or concern about GI Bill benefits? Contact us safely and securely with Ask VA! |
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