VA Delays 85/15 Reporting

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has pushed back the reporting deadline for the reset of the 35 percent waiver and the 85/15 rule regarding the use of GI Bill benefits for educational purposes to June 30, 2022.  This marks the third delay of implementation since the reset first rolled out in October of 2020. 

The delay signals that the VA heard the concerns from the higher education community that the reset is not working as the VA intended, and that access to programs veteran students want to take could be inadvertently denied.  Institutions have had issues regarding the new definition of “supported student,” burdensome new instructions for submission forms, and confusing and inconsistent information contained in the materials provided by the VA.

The VA sent a notice via email to all institutions they have contact information for but acknowledged that not all institutions would have received the notice. Colleges with veteran students should check with their School Certifying Officer (SCO) or other campus officials who handle veteran benefits to ensure the updated information has been received. 

According to the notice, over the next few months the VA will provide training sessions and additional guidance for colleges so institutions can better comply with the reset. 

VA is open to hearing from colleges with questions or concerns, and encourages campuses to contact their regional VA Education Liaison Representative (ELR) or the SCO Hotline at 1-855-225-1159. 

NAICU will continue to work directly with the VA and monitor their communications to ensure private colleges have access to the updated information. 

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Giesecke