Post 9/11 GI Bill and Excelsior College Exams

[Prloko]

I don't think they're being miscategorized - if this is how the VA has authorized them to submit their enrollment, then that's how it is. If Excelsior was falsifying their enrollment certifications, I imagine that *they* would be on the hook for it, not the students.

I highly doubt the govt will ask excelsior for reimbursement. I don't think Excelsior is falsifying anything, rather, something is getting mistranslated somewhere. All you need is ONE zealous new VA auditor looking to catch SOMETHING for their performance review. If they do, this will be seen as NOT fraud, but an administrative error. And administrative errors are corrected by placing things BACK the way they where before the mistake, so this could easily end up with you being provided a bill for overpayment. It can also be considered fraudulent on your part if you know that you are taking distance courses, but are being paid as you are taking butt in seat classes.

I knew a guy who was a little late in reporting his address change for BAH in the military. Not only did the govt get their money back, but charged him with a UCMJ violation for fraud. I know you're a veteran now and the UCMJ won't touch you, but this is just an example of how these things play out.

I'm not judging you in any way. I am merely trying to advise you to proactively SEEK clarification before the payback amount gets prohibitively large. This may be EXACTLY the way it was supposed to work and you can breathe easy and enjoy the extra cash. Being in the military and working in Federal agencies, I know how they work, and trust me, this will be on YOU to pay back, because the only one receiving a windfall is you. I'll take the $700+ bucks distance rate over the $2000 plus rate if I know it won't bite me in the rear later. Consider my advise with a grain of salt and do as you see fit.

Regardless, thank you for your service and I wish you luck in your education endeavors.