Verifying Monthly Enrollments
Students receiving educational benefits through Chapter 30, 1606, and 1607 (REAP) have two ways to verify their monthly enrollment to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
VA Toll-free Telephone Service
1-877-823-2378
This is only an option if the VA has entered your benefit award in their database and the student has no enrollment changes to report. This phone line is automated and available 24/7. It will only accept verifications for the month just ending as of the 30th of that month and will block any earlier attempts to verify that particular month. This system takes the VA three to five (3-5) working days to process the verification.
Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE)
WAVE can be found at https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do and is managed by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs. The requires that choose a password upon initial sign on. Once you verify your enrollment using this site it will take approximately five to seven (5-7) working days to process the verification.
If the information concerning your current enrollment is not reflected correctly at the WAVE site do not verify that enrollment. You need to enter the enrollment changes. Make sure you notify our office of all changes in your status and be sure that the entries you make on this WAVE site agree with what we report to VA. This will help VA process your payments more quickly and accurately. If it hasn’t been at least four weeks since our office sent the enrollment data to the VA, it’s unlikely it will be processed in their system.
Verifying falsely to the VA may result in being prosecuted for a fraudulent claim for benefits by the VA.
If all is correct in WAVE, you may verify your enrollment is correct as shown.
Avoiding VA Overpayments
Overpayment of educational benefits occurs when you receive an incorrect benefit payment that is more than what you are entitled to receive. The educational benefits you receive are affected by any changes you make in your current registration including full-time/part-time status, cancellation, withdrawal, college/major, and academic standing (suspension/dismissal).
Actions That May Result in an Overpayment of VA Benefits
Withdrawing from a course – if the withdrawal reduces your VA pay rate. You will have to establish that you withdrew for a reason that was beyond your control, unanticipated, and unavoidable in order to receive payment through your last date of attendance in the dropped class (unless you received a “W” for the withdrawal and you have not yet used the VA’s one-time exclusion rule). Generally, VA documentation to approve these mitigating circumstances. Any payment received for the period following the official drop date must be paid back to VA, regardless.
Earning a grade that does not count toward meeting graduation requirements. Grades that do not count toward graduation at GSC are: “W”, “D” and,”F” grades assigned for a withdrawn class and Graduate credit level “I” grades. You will need to establish that you received the grade due to circumstances beyond your control.
Explanation of Mitigating Circumstances
The law requires that VA must collect all benefits paid to a beneficiary for a course for which the grade assigned is not used in computing the requirements for graduation including a course from which the beneficiary withdraws unless there are mitigating circumstances.
This means that if you withdraw from a course, unless you can demonstrate to VA that there are mitigating circumstances, you must return all of the money paid to you for pursuit of that course from the start of the term, not merely from the date you dropped the course.
Examples of acceptable mitigating circumstances are prolonged illness, severe illness or death in your immediate family, and unscheduled changes in your employment or work schedule. Examples of unacceptable mitigating circumstances include withdrawal to avoid a failing grade, dislike of an instructor, or too many courses attempted. You will be required to submit evidence to support your reasons before they can be accepted by the VA. The required form to use for submitting mitigating circumstances (#21-4138) is available upon request.
Possible VA Actions Taken Once an Overpayment is Created
- Add interest charges and collection fees to your debt.
- Withhold future benefits and apply them to your debt.
- Turn your debt over to a private collection agency.
- File suit in federal court to collect the debt.
- Withhold approval of your VA home loan guarantee.
- Collect the debt from your federal income tax return.
You can help avoid or minimize overpayments by promptly notifying the Registrar’s Office veterans educational benefits area of all status changes.
“The Ohio G.I. Promise” and Ohio Residency For-Tuition-Purposes
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Services, their spouses, and dependents, may qualify for immediate classification as Ohio residents for-tuition-purposes. Review the Ohio G.I. Promise eligibility criteria and, if appropriate, submit an application.
Ohio Department of Veterans Services
- Training & Apprenticeships are available in the State of Ohio Department of Veteran Services website.
- Veterans Workforce Services in Ohio advocates for opportunities for veterans to obtain employment, job training, intensive services and assistance in employment and training programs.