Inside this Month’s Issue:

• Section 1 - Announcements: Updated 2022-2023 GI Bill® & Yellow Ribbon payment rates, health insurance fee waiver, and monthly enrollment verification FAQs
• Section 2 - Getting Ready for the Fall Semester: How to complete a VA Benefits application, review your bill on Eagle Service, and more.
• Section 3 – Knowledge Article of the Month: “What programs are not covered by my VA Education Benefits?”
• Section 4 – Calendar and AU Veterans Spotlight: Check out these upcoming events and important dates and meet our monthly spotlight, Joshua Strick!

Announcements

Make sure to read News You Can Use Volumes 1 through 11 for other important announcements!

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1. August 1, 2022 marks the beginning of the new GI Bill® Year!

   The calendar year for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® begins August 1st. This means a few things for Post-9/11 GI Bill® students. August 1st is the day updated Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) rates go into effect. The Post-9/11 GI Bill® MHA is based on the military's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents. The Department of Defense adjusts the military BAH rate every calendar year on January 1st based on changes to housing costs across the country. Rates can either go up or down. If the BAH increased for your area, you will see it reflected in your September MHA payment. If the BAH decreased for your area, your MHA will not decrease unless you change schools or have more than a six-month break in training.

   Last year the GI Bill® was capped at $26,042.81 for private institutions of higher learning, but on August 1, 2022, the cap increased to $26,381.37 for the year. Click here for current VA payment rates!

   The clock restarts on your book/supplies stipend on August 1st as well. If you took 24 credit hours throughout the fall and spring and then attended summer, you may not have received summer book money. On August 1st you’ll be able to get the book stipend again.

2. Active-duty service members can now receive Yellow Ribbon funds!

   Attention: Effective August 1, 2022, you may become eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program if you’re currently an active-duty service member who qualifies at the 100% level (you already served on active duty for at least 36 months) or if you’re a spouse using the transferred benefits of an active-duty service member who meets these qualifications. Fill out our Yellow Ribbon Eligibility Quiz to see if you meet the preliminary requirements to participate in the program!

3. Remember to waive your health insurance fee!

   If you are already covered under a health insurance plan and are attending American University as a full-time student, you can login to the Academic Health Plans student portal to waive American University’s mandatory health insurance fee. The deadline to submit a waiver for the 2022-2023 academic year is September 12, 2022. Visit here to obtain proof of insurance under Tricare in order to submit a Health Insurance Waiver. If you are receiving Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 GI Bill® Benefits, you can also request to use your education benefits to cover the cost of the health insurance fee. Please note, this amount will be deducted from your GI Bill®/Yellow Ribbon cap. Please email veterans@american.edu to include your health insurance charge in the tuition and fees amount requested from the VA.

4. Still not sure how monthly enrollment verification works?

   Here is a great example, provided by the VA, that shows how quick and easy monthly verification of enrollment can be!

• Bart starts classes on August 1, 2022. 
• Once his School Certifying Official submits his enrollment information and VA is notified, Bart will receive an opt-in text from VA within the next few days. 
• When Bart receives his opt-in text, he’ll respond “YES” to indicate that he would like to enroll in text verification. He will then receive a confirmation text. Please be advised that this can take up to a day to receive, so you don’t need to reply multiple times. 
• On the last day of August, Bart will receive a verification text from VA. 
• He’ll respond “YES” to indicate that he remained enrolled in his classes for August. He’ll then receive a confirmation text, which can also take up to one day to receive.

And he’s done! At the end of September, Bart will receive his next verification text and will respond accordingly. Learn more about enrollment verification.
You can also watch this very helpful video on YouTube!

If you have not received an opt-in text message from the VA to verify your enrollment at the end of each month, please contact the GI Bill ® hotline at: 888-442-4551 to verify that your cell phone information is on file and to opt-in to the text message monthly verification option before this requirement goes into effect at the end of January 2022. Those who fail to verify their enrollment for two consecutive months will have their Monthly Housing Allowance and kicker payments put on hold. If you want to learn more, you can read the Veterans Affairs’ blog post about these changes or you can read News You Can Use Volume 6!

Getting Ready for the Fall 2022 Semester

Are you a new student or are you a returning student and wondering if you need to do anything differently this semester? Check out our student checklists for both admitted and returning students to see which steps need to be taken in order to process your VA Education Benefits at American University.

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What programs are not covered by my VA Education Benefits?

Did you know? The Post-9/11 GI Bill®(Chapter 33) helps you pay for school or job training. If you’ve served on active duty after September 10, 2001, you may qualify for the Post9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33). While the GI Bill® covers up to the full cost of tuition for undergraduate and graduate degrees, correspondence training, and distance learning at Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL), there are various specific IHL programs that are not approved for VA Education Benefits. Before using your VA Education benefits at American University, check the list below to verify that your program of study does not fall under the category of “currently in review” or “not covered”. Keep in mind that this is not a permanent list of unapproved pending approval programs. Every year, the VA reevaluates which programs are or are not covered under VA benefits. Still have questions? Check out the knowledge article titled “Is my Graduate Certificate Approved for VA Benefits?” for more information about programs that are approved for VA Benefits. You can also reference our website and the WEAMS LIST for a more comprehensive list of unapproved program. 

What about study abroad and programs with partner schools?

Spanning numerous programs at AU, courses not taken at American University’s main campus located in Washington, D.C. excluding online courses, are currently under review for VA approval. If you are planning to enroll in a program that is taught at an American University subsidiary site (including Study Abroad) or the program is a partnership between AU and another university, please confirm eligibility with the Veteran Services office before enrolling in that program.

Effective August 1, 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is changing their policies and procedures relating to paying for Post 9/11 GI Bill ®benefit recipients’ study abroad tuition and fees. The VA will only pay for courses abroad for benefit recipients if these courses are required for graduation and the partner institution is eligible to process VA Education Benefits. No longer will students be able to fill electives or other requirements for their degree by going abroad if they can fulfill the requirement at their home campuses.

Notice: All new programs must be approved for VA Education Benefits Processing. New regulations for the program approval process have delayed the approval of new programs in the 2021-2022 academic year. We are continuing to work to have these new program/updates approved. All courses not taken at American University’s main campus located in Washington, D.C. excluding online courses, are currently under review for VA approval. If you are planning to enroll in a program that is taught at an American University subsidiary site (including Study Abroad) please confirm with the Veteran Services office before enrolling in that program.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website: Education and Training Home (va.gov)

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August 2022 Calendar

We wish all of our new & returning students a happy start to the 2021-22 Academic Year!
Don’t miss these important deadlines and upcoming events!

August 1, 2022: Payment due for Fall classes: Don’t panic! If you submitted your Request for Certification, your VA benefits are pending approval and will be dispersed in a timely manner

August 1, 2022: Fall 1 classes begin and tuition balance due (for Online Programs in SIS)

August 1,8,16, & 25, 2022: Webinars for more information on the Presidential Management Fellows Program will be held on these dates. Register on Handshake!

August 6, 2022 (2:30 - 4:30 p.m.): Last day to register for Fall without a late fee

August 19, 2022: Last day to drop a fall 1 course for a 100% refund and without a “W” recorded (for Online Programs in SIS)

August 19, 2022: WCL classes begin

August 19-26, 2022: WCL add/drop period

August 19, 2022: Fall classes begin!

August 22, 2022: Washington College of Law Official Degree Award Date

August 25, 2022 (5:30PM – 7:00PM ET): Save the date! Orientation event for incoming military-affiliated undergraduate and graduate students.

August 29, 2022: AU Main Campus and Fall A (for Online Programs in SOC, SPA, CAS, and OGPS) classes begin

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AU Veteran Spotlight

Joshua Strick

Joshua Strick is currently an undergraduate student who will be graduating from the School of International Service in December 2024. He has been a VA work study student since Summer 2022. Before pursuing his education at American University in Spring 2021, Joshua served seven years in the Air Force working in the F-35 program at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Before transitioning out of the Air Force, Joshua spent time working at the University of Oregon in the Nontraditional and Student Veteran Engagement and Success office. He is looking forward to taking advantage of the many opportunities at American University and the D.C. area. 

“Joshua has been an integral part of American University Veterans Services since he joined the Work Study program. His expertise and positive attitude have been a refreshing addition to how we as an office provide services and support to our military-connected community at AU. We look forward to working with Joshua as he continues his academic career!”
-Dymeah Casey, Veterans Services Coordinator, AU Veterans Services