Policies and Regulations

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Regulations

The following are U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) compliance policies:

Student Enrollment Verification: Isakson & Roe: Section 1010

Effective August 1, 2021, recipients of Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) must verify their enrollment status each month to continue receiving their monthly housing allowance (BAH/MHA) and/or kicker payments. This process ensures that the VA’s records accurately reflect your enrollment status.

Please note that this verification is not the same as attendance verification.

Students can verify their enrollment status in one of two ways:

  • Text Messaging: By opting into VA’s text messaging feature, students will receive a monthly text prompting them to verify their enrollment status.
  • Telephone: Students may call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 888.442.4551 to verify their enrollment status.

If a student fails to complete the verification process for two consecutive months, the VA will withhold future MHA payments until the student contacts the ECC to resolve the issue.

Under the Isakson & Roe Act, Section 1019, effective January 5, 2021, educational institutions, rather than students, are financially responsible for benefits paid directly to them under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® for tuition and fees or the Yellow Ribbon Program (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3685(b)).

Here is how this process works:

  • If a change in your enrollment leads to an overpayment of tuition and fees, the VA will notify Polk State College of the overpayment.
  • You will receive a separate notification from the VA detailing the amount of tuition and fee debt to be collected.
  • The VA will not collect this debt directly from you. Instead, the VA will seek to recover the overpayment from your school.
  • Subsequently, you will be required to settle any outstanding balance for tuition and fees with Polk State College. The Business Office will manage this debt.
  • For any questions regarding repayment, please contact the VA Debt Management Center at 800.827.0648.

Enrollment Penalties: Title 38 U.S. Code 3679 Subsection (e)

In accordance with Title 38 U.S. Code § 3679(e), Polk State College has established the following provisions for students utilizing VA Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill®) or Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness & Employment – VR&E) benefits, while awaiting payment from the VA:

Polk State College will not:

  • Prevent the student from enrolling.
  • Assess late penalty fees.
  • Require students to secure alternative or additional funding.
  • Deny access to resources (such as classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) that are available to students who have paid their tuition and fees.

To qualify for these provisions, students must:

  • Provide the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (CH33) Certificate of Eligibility (or its equivalent) or, for Chapter 31, a purchase order from VA VR&E via Tungsten by the first day of class.

Note: Post-9/11 GI Bill® (CH33) students can obtain an equivalent Certificate of Eligibility by logging into va.gov and requesting a Statement of Benefits. Chapter 31 students should contact their VA VR&E case manager to ensure a Purchase Order is provided to both the school and bookstore.

School Versus Student Debt: Isakson & Roe: Section 1019

Under the Isakson & Roe Act, Section 1019, effective January 5, 2021, educational institutions, rather than students, are financially responsible for benefits paid directly to them under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or the Yellow Ribbon Program (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3685(b)).

Here’s how the process works:

  • If a change in your enrollment leads to an overpayment of tuition and fees, the VA will notify Polk State College of the overpayment.
  • You will receive a separate notification from the VA detailing the amount of tuition and fee debt to be collected.
  • The VA will not collect this debt directly from you. Instead, the VA will seek to recover the overpayment from your school.
  • Subsequently, you will be required to settle any outstanding balance for tuition and fees with Polk State College. The Business Office will manage this debt.
  • For any questions regarding repayment, please contact the VA Debt Management Center at 800.827.0648.

Polk State College Policies

Certifying Enrollment

Please be advised that all certification paperwork must be submitted at least 48 hours before the scheduled payment due date to prevent the possibility of your courses being dropped due to non-payment. Certification involves the College verifying to the VA the student’s attendance dates, degree program, and credit hours. The VA will not process any payments without this certification.

To ensure your courses are certified, you must bring your schedule to the Veterans Services Office each semester and complete the Veteran’s Certification Request Form. This step is necessary to confirm that all classes meet the required criteria. The form can also be accessed online via Polk State College’s website and submitted via email to veterans@bagmakerblog.com.

Please note that only courses within your selected program are eligible for VA certification and payment. The VA will not certify or pay for courses outside your program, audited classes, withdrawals, or non-required courses.

No Holds Due to VA Late Payments

For students utilizing the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) or VA Vocational Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31 – VR&E) benefits, Polk State College follows the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 3679(e). This ensures that such students will not face charges or penalties due to delays in VA tuition and fee payments.

Unearned Tuition Assistance (TA) Funds Return

Polk State College adheres to all regulations concerning the administration, disbursement, management, and refunding of Title IV and Tuition Assistance (TA) funds. Military TA is a benefit provided to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard, under the assumption that the student will complete the entire period for which the assistance is awarded.

If a student withdraws, they may become ineligible for the full amount of TA funds initially awarded. To comply with U.S. Department of Defense policy, Polk State College returns any unearned TA funds on a proportional basis for at least 60% of the period for which the funds were provided. Should a service member withdraw due to a military service obligation, the College will work with them to find solutions that avoid creating student debt for the returned portion.

When a student receiving TA benefits withdraws, their official withdrawal date is considered the last date of attendance. This date is used to calculate the percentage of TA earned. The official withdrawal date is determined based on the last date of attendance reported by the class instructor and documented with the Office of the Registrar. Once this date is confirmed, Polk State College recalculates the student’s TA eligibility using the following formula:

(Number of days completed) / (Total days of course (start to end date)) = Percent of TA earned

If a service member ceases attendance due to a military service obligation, Polk State College will collaborate with the affected individual to identify solutions that prevent the creation of student debt for any portion of Tuition Assistance (TA) funds that need to be returned.

Certificate of Eligibility (COE) Required for VA Enrollment Certification

A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is a document issued by the VA that outlines the educational benefits you are eligible to receive.

How to Apply: You can apply online by following these steps:

  1. Go to the VA website.
  2. Select the drop-down menu option “Apply for education benefits.”
  3. Answer the questions based on your situation. The VA will then provide the appropriate application form for the benefits you qualify for.

Submission: Once you receive your COE, please submit a copy to Polk State College’s Office of Veterans Services. You can either:

Changes to Enrollments

All add/drop changes after initial certification should be reported by the student to the Veterans Services Office. Withdrawing or adding classes may change the eligible monthly rate received by the student, and if not reported in a timely manner could lead to an underpayment or overpayment of benefits. Students are encouraged to report these changes in a timely manner to avoid these situations.

If adjustments are made to your schedule due to adding or dropping a course, it is possible that a VA overpayment will be made, and you will receive a debt letter. If you receive a debt letter, contact the VA at 888.442.4551 to coordinate payment options.

Changing Majors

Students must report a change of major to the Veterans Services Office at the beginning of the semester in which the change occurs. Students will be required to complete a change of program request, VA Form 22-1995 (Chapters 33, 30, 1606) or 22-5495 (Chapter 35). For Chapter 31 students, you will need to notify your Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) counselor.

Payment of Tuition and Fees

Unless a deferment is granted, students are responsible for making payment by the due date listed on their fee statement schedule to avoid being dropped from courses. In some cases, checks have been delayed for two or more months after the start of classes. If checks are delayed, benefits are retroactive to the first day of classes.

Deferment of Payment

All eligible veterans (except Chapters 31 and 33 where tuition/fees are automatically put on hold) may request and be granted a 30- to 60-day deferment of payment for tuition and fees (books and supplies not included). Please be aware that withdrawal from any classes after the end of the Drop/Add period must still be paid for, even if dropped during the deferment period. If you would like to submit a deferment, please see the Veterans Services Office. A deferment can only be used once an academic year.

No High-Pressure Recruitment

At Polk State College, veterans, service members, and their dependents are not subjected to high-pressure recruitment tactics. No employee at the College receives commissions, bonuses, or incentives for securing enrollments, including those of veterans or service members.

If you experience pressure to enroll, such as receiving multiple unsolicited contacts (three or more) via phone, email, or in-person, or if there is same-day recruitment and registration pressure, please report it. Contact the Polk State College Veterans Services Office at 863.298.1000 or the VA at 888.442.4551.

Standards of Academic Progress

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and conduct to continue receiving VA education benefits. Education benefits will be suspended for unsatisfactory progress immediately following any semester when an eligible student receives all grades of ‘I’ or ‘F’ or a combination.

A veteran student is placed on academic warning if the student’s cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls below 2.0 in any semester. Education benefits would be suspended for failure to achieve satisfactory progress if their CGPA falls below 2.0 for a second consecutive semester. Benefits will be suspended until the student completes one semester without VA assistance and attains a minimum of a 2.0 CGPA.

Students using Veteran Affairs educational benefits will adhere to the College’s Standards of Academic Progress policy.