38 CFR 21.4203 – Reports–requirements
(a) General. All the reports required by this paragraph shall be in a form specified by the Secretary.
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section each educational institution, veteran and eligible person shall report without delay such information on enrollment, entrance, reentrance, change in the hours of credit or attendance, pursuit, interruption and termination of attendance of each veteran or eligible person enrolled in an approved course as the Secretary may require and using a form specified by the Secretary. See paragraphs (b) through (h) of this section.
(2) An educational institution may delay in reporting the enrollment or reenrollment of a veteran or an eligible person until the end of the term, quarter, or semester when—
(i) The veteran or eligible person is enrolled in a program of independent study;
(ii) The veteran or eligible person is pursuing the program on a less than half-time basis;
(iii) The educational institution has asked the Director of the VA facility of jurisdiction in writing for permission to delay in making the report; and
(iv) The Director of the VA facility of jurisdiction has determined that it is not feasible for the educational institution to monitor interruption or termination of the veteran’s or eligible person’s pursuit of the program.
(3) An educational institution which disagrees with a decision of a Director of a VA facility as to whether it may delay reporting enrollments or reenrollments as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section may ask to have that decision reviewed by the Director, Education Service. That request must be made in writing to the Director of the VA facility within one year of the date of the letter notifying the educational institution of the original decision.
(4) An educational institution which, under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, is delaying the reporting of the enrollment or reenrollment of a veteran shall provide the veteran with notice of the delay at the time that the veteran enrolls or reenrolls.
(5) In addition, educational institutions must—
(i) Verify enrollment for each veteran and eligible person receiving an advance payment; and
(ii) Verify the delivery of advance payment check and education loan check for each veteran and eligible person receiving an advance payment or loan.
(6) Nothing in this section or in any section in 38 CFR part 21 shall be construed as requiring any institution of higher learning to maintain daily attendance records for any course leading to a standard college degree.
(b) Certifications of enrollment. All the reports required by this paragraph shall be in a form specified by the Secretary.
(1) VA requires that educational institutions report all entrances and reentrances on a certification of enrollment.
(2) All educational institutions, regardless of the way in which they are organized, must clearly specify the course in which the veteran or eligible person is enrolled.
(3) Schools organized on a term, quarter or semester basis—
(i) May report enrollment for the term, quarter, semester, ordinary school year plus the following summer term.
(ii) May not report enrollment for a period that exceeds the ordinary school year plus the following summer term.
(iii) Must report the dates for the break between terms if—
(A) The certification covers two or more terms, and a term ends and the following term does not begin in the same or the next calendar month;
(B) The veteran or eligible person elects not to be paid for the intervals between terms;
(C) The certification covers two or more summer sessions; or
(D) The certification covers at least one summer session and at least one term which is not a standard semester or quarter.
(iv) Must submit a separate enrollment certification for each term, quarter or semester if the student—
(A) Is a veteran or eligible person pursuing a program on a less than half-time basis, or
(B) Is a serviceperson.
(v) Where a veteran or an eligible person, who is pursuing a course leading to a standard college degree, transfers between consecutive school terms from one approved institution to another approved institution, for the purpose of enrolling in, and pursuing, a similar course at the second institution, the veteran or eligible person shall, for the purpose of entitlement to the payment of educational assistance allowance be considered to be enrolled at the first institution during the interval, if the interval does not exceed 30 days, following the termination date of the school term of the first institution.
(c) Nonpunitive grade. A school may assign a nonpunitive grade for a course or subject in which the veteran or eligible person is enrolled even though the veteran or eligible person does not withdraw from the course or subject. When this occurs, the school must report the assignment of the nonpunitive grade in a form specified by the Secretary in time for VA to receive it before the earlier of the following dates is reached:
(1) Thirty days from the date on which the school assigns the grade, or
(2) Sixty days from the last day of the enrollment period for which the nonpunitive grade is assigned.
(d) Interruptions, terminations and changes in hours of credit or attendance. When a veteran or eligible person interrupts or terminates his or her training for any reason, including unsatisfactory conduct or progress, or when he or she changes the number of hours of credit or attendance, this fact must be reported to VA by the school in a form specified by the Secretary.
(1) If the change in status or change in number of hours of credit of attendance occurs on a day other than one indicated by paragraph (d)(2) or (3) of this section, the school will initiate a report of the change in time for the VA to receive it within 30 days of the date on which the change occurs. If the course in which the veteran or eligible person is enrolled does not lead to a standard college degree, and attendance must be certified for the course, the school may include the information on the monthly certification of attendance.
(2) If the enrollment of the veteran or eligible person has been certified by the school for more than one term, quarter or semester and the veteran or eligible person interrupts or terminates his or her training at the end of a term, quarter or semester within the certified period of enrollment, the school shall report the change in status to the Department of Veterans Affairs in time for the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive the report within 30 days of the last officially scheduled registration date for the next term, quarter or semester.
(3) If the change in status or change in the number of hours of credit or attendance occurs during the 30 days of a drop-add period, the school must report the change in status or change in the number of hours of credit or attendance to the Department of Veterans Affairs in time for the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive the report within 30 days from the last date of drop-add period or 60 days from the first day of the enrollment period, whichever occurs first.
(e) Correspondence courses. Where the course in which a veteran is enrolled under 38 U.S.C. chapter 34 or a spouse or surviving spouse is enrolled under 38 U.S.C. chapter 35 is pursued exclusively by correspondence, the school will report by an endorsement on the veteran’s or eligible spouse’s or surviving spouse’s certification the number of lessons completed by the veteran, spouse or surviving spouse and serviced by the school. Such reports will be submitted quarterly in a form specified by the Secretary.
(f) Certification. All reports required by this paragraph must be in a form specified by the Secretary.
(1) Courses not leading to a standard college degree. (i) Except as provided in this paragraph VA requires that a certification of attendance be submitted monthly for each veteran or eligible person enrolled in a course not leading to a standard college degree. The fact that the course may be pursued on a quarter, semester or term basis will not relieve the veteran or eligible person and the school of this requirement. Unless exempted by this paragraph this requirement also applies to courses measured on a credit-hour basis. This requirement does not apply to—
(A) Courses measured on a credit-hour basis pursuant to footnote 6 of § 21.4270(a),
(B) A course pursued on a less than one-half-time basis,
(C) A course pursued by a serviceperson while on active duty, or
(D) A correspondence course which must meet the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section.
(2) Courses leading to a standard college degree. Schools which have veterans or eligible persons enrolled in courses which lead to a standard college degree are not required to submit periodic certifications for students enrolled in such courses. Certifications are, however, required under paragraphs (b), (c), (d) and (h) of this section.
(3) Apprentice or other on-the-job training. A certification of attendance must be submitted monthly during the period of enrollment in the same manner as certifications required in paragraph (f)(1) of this section.
(g) Flight training courses. Where the course consists exclusively of flight training, the school will report by an endorsement on the veteran’s certification the type and number of hours of actual flight training received by, and the cost thereof to, the veteran. Such reports may be submitted monthly.
(h) Unsatisfactory progress, conduct or attendance. At times the unsatisfactory progress, conduct or attendance of a veteran or eligible person is caused by or results in his or her interruption or termination of training. If this occurs, the interruption or termination shall be reported in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section. If the veteran or eligible person continues in training despite unsatisfactory progress, conduct, or despite having failed to meet the regularly prescribed standards of attendance at the school, the school must report the fact of his or her unsatisfactory progress, conduct or attendance to VA within the time limit allowed by paragraph (h) (1) and (2) of this section.
(1) A veteran’s or eligible person’s progress may become unsatisfactory according to the regularly prescribed standards and practices of the school as a result of the grades he or she receives The school shall report such unsatisfactory progress to VA in time for VA to receive it before the earlier of the following dates is reached:
(i) Thirty days from the date on which the school official, who is responsible for determining whether a student is making progress, first received the final grade report which establishes that the veteran either is not progressing satisfactorily, or
(ii) Sixty days from the last day of the enrollment period during which the veteran or eligible person earned the grades that caused him or her not to meet the satisfactory progress standards.
(2) If the unsatisfactory progress, conduct or attendance of the veteran or eligible person is caused by any factors other than the grades which he or she receives, the school shall report the unsatisfactory progress, conduct or attendance to VA in time for VA to receive it within 30 days of the date on which the progress, conduct or attendance of the veteran or eligible person becomes unsatisfactory. See also § 21.4277.