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Certifying Official Annual Training Requirements
Education and Training
Certifying Official Annual Training Requirements
Certifying Official Required Training Background
Section 305 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also known as the “Colmery Act,” requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in consultation with the State Approving Agencies (SAAs), to develop and administer required training for Certifying Officials at Covered Educational Institutions effective August 1, 2018.
A “Covered Educational Institution” is an educational institution that has enrolled 20 or more individuals during a calendar year, using VA educational assistance under Title 38, United States Code. This includes main, branch and extension campuses approved by the SAA.
Verify your school is on the Covered Educational Institutions list.
Questions regarding covered educational institutions should directed to the ELR of jurisdiction.
Certifying Official Annual Training Cycle
The SCO training cycle runs from October 1 thru August 31 of the following year.
Existing Certifying Officials have 11 months to meet their annual training requirement since the training window closes for existing Certifying Officials from September 1 – September 30.
New Certifying Official training is continuous throughout the year.
Note: Only “Designated” Certifying Officials are required to complete the annual training. “Read Only” Certifying Officials are not required to complete the training because they are not authorized to submit enrollment certifications to VA.
Training Modalities
Certifying Officials can complete their annual training requirements asynchronously or synchronously.
Asynchronous online training is located on the Certifying Official Training Portal in the following formats:
- Mandatory training topics specific to facility type
- PowerPoint presentations from virtual training events
Synchronous training includes approved Certifying Official training (virtual or in-person, instructor led) presented by or co-presented with a VA employee during:
- Online training events
- National or regional conferences
- Local workshops
- One-on-one training with the ELR of jurisdiction
New Certifying Officials
Compliance with the Certifying Official Annual Training Requirements is tracked based on the number of modules completed.
New Certifying Officials must complete the required training prior to being authorized to certify enrollments to VA.
Upon training completion, new Certifying Officials must submit their training certificates with VA Form 22-8794 to the ELR of jurisdiction.
Compliance with the Certifying Official Annual Training Requirements is tracked based on the number of modules completed. New Certifying Officials should reference this chart when determining how many modules they are required to complete:
|
Facility Type |
Required Modules |
|---|---|
|
Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) |
10 |
|
Non-College Degree (NCD) Institutions |
10 |
|
Vocational Flight Facilities |
1 |
|
High Schools and Residency Facilities |
1 |
|
OJT/Apprenticeship Facilities |
1 |
Existing Certifying Officials
Compliance with the Certifying Official Annual Training Requirements is tracked based on the number of modules completed.
Generally, existing Certifying Officials must complete one (1) mandatory self-paced online training module specific to their facility type and three (3) elective modules using the training modality of their choice.
However, existing Certifying Officials at High Schools, Residency Program Facilities, and OJT/Apprenticeship Facilities are not required to complete the three (3) elective modules.
Existing Certifying Officials should reference this chart when determining how many modules they are required to complete:
|
Facility Type |
Required Modules |
|---|---|
|
Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) |
4 |
|
Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) with Flight Programs |
4 |
|
Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) with NCD Programs |
4 |
|
Non-College Degree (NCD) Institutions |
4 |
|
Vocational Flight Facilities |
4 |
|
High Schools and Residency Facilities |
1 |
|
OJT/Apprenticeship Facilities |
1 |
Important Training Dates for Certifying Officials
October 1, 2022: Annual Training Window Opens. Updated training requirements for all new SCOs and continuing education requirements for existing SCOs are effective.
June 1, 2023: 90-Day Training Alert: 90 Day Notifications and reminders for the approaching August 31st continuing education deadline will be posted on the GI Bill® Website and sent to SCOs via GOV Delivery Notice.
July 1, 2023: 60-Day Training Alert: 60 Day Notifications and reminders for the approaching August 31st continuing education deadline will be posted on the GI Bill® Website and sent to SCOs via Gov Delivery Notice.
August 1, 2023: 30-Day Training Alert: 30 Day Notifications and reminders for the approaching August 31st continuing education deadline will be posted on the GI Bill® Website and sent to SCOs via Gov Delivery Notice.
August 15, 2023: 15-Day Training Alert: 15 Day Notifications and reminders for the approaching August 31st continuing education deadline will be posted on the GI Bill® Website and sent to SCOs via Gov Delivery Notice.
August 31, 2023: Annual Training Window Closes! Continuing education requirements for existing SCOs completed.
September 1st-30th, 2023: Existing SCOs - No Training in Progress; new SCOs – Training is continuous throughout the year.
Please remember, if you don’t complete your annual training requirements, VA has the authority to remove your access from VA-ONCE and the SAA has the authority to disapprove your school’s programs.
Non-Compliance
When a covered institution fails to complete the required training by the end of the training cycle, a notification via GovDelivery will be sent of the delinquency informing the institution of the impending loss of their ability to certify enrollments to VA.
If the covered institution remains non-compliant after the end of the training cycle, the ELR will remove their ability to certify to VA and refer the institution to the SAA for review and determination on suspension or withdrawal actions in accordance with Colmery Act section 305.
The National Training Team - Schools will generate training compliance reports at the 90, 60, and 30-day milestones, and at the end of the training cycle to determine compliant and non-compliant institutions.
