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Education and Incentives
Operations Message 06-57 |
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Date: 11 April 2006 |
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TO: All ARNG Education and
Incentives Personnel of All States, Puerto Rico, The Virgin
Islands, Guam and the District of Columbia and other support
agencies |
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SUBJECT:
EIOM 06-57; UPDATE TO TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR AGR's AND
MOBILIZED ENLISTED SOLIDERS |
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The Active Army's Centralized
Tuition Assistance Management (CTAM) went live April 1, 2006.
This new initiative by the Active Army is accessible
through the GoArmyEd (www.goarmyed.com)
website. The Go Army site acts similarly to Virtual Armory. In
an effort to address accountability of funds and other issues
GoArmyEd attempts to automate a lot of the processes related to
the tuition assistance program. |
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The implementation of the GoArmyEd site has brought some nuances
to the program that did not previously existed. Below outlines
the procedures for Soldiers ;
i.e. our ARNG AGRs and mobilized Soldiers. |
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Ruddie
Cooper |
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MILPER MSG 06-085 AHRC-PDE
NEW PROCEDURES FOR SOLDIERS TO REQUEST TUITION ASSISTANCE
EFFECTIVE 1 APR 06 (Active Army) |
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1. The purpose of this message
is to announce a new Army Human Resources Command (AHRC) Army
Continuing Education System (ACES) process for automating
tuition assistance (TA) through a new education website.
Starting 1 Apr 06, Army TA will only be available through the
education website,
www.GoArmyEd.com. Education centers will no longer issue TA for college courses that
begin 1 May and beyond. This MILPER message expires NLT 1 Apr
08. |
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2. Soldiers on active duty,
including enlisted Soldiers of the Army National Guard and Army
Reserve on active duty pursuant to Title 10 or Title 32 are
eligible to request TA online for courses that begin 1 May 06
and beyond. |
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3. The GoArmyEd website will
provide one location for academic institutions to process
credit-bearing enrollments, submit Soldier grades, verify and
prepare invoices for payment, and access centralized support for
troubleshooting, and information about Army TA processes and
policies. |
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4. The following GoArmyEd
procedures are effective immediately: |
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A. All Soldiers should visit
the website (www.GoArmyEd.com)
periodically for the latest updates so that they may address any
questions they have with their local Education Center.
Currently, the homepage appears as eArmyU. Effective 1 Apr 06,
the name will change to GoArmyEd. At that time, eArmyU will
reside as an online education option in the GoArmyEd website. |
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B. Soldiers who previously
enrolled in the eArmyU program and have maintained the minimum
standard Army TA grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 will
automatically have access to GoArmyEd. |
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C. Soldiers who have received
tuition assistance (TA) with a passing grade since 1 Oct 04 will
receive an invitation in their Army Knowledge Online (AKO) email
account beginning Mar 06 to obtain a login/password for the
GoArmyEd website. |
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D. In order for Soldiers to
obtain TA for classes starting 1 May 06 and beyond, they must be
registered on the GoArmyEd website; therefore, they should
register for a login/password as soon as possible. |
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E. After 1 Apr 06, Soldiers who
are not in eArmyU, or who did not receive an invitation through
their AKO email, must request a GoArmyEd login by choosing the
“New Users” tab in the public view of
www.GoArmyEd.com before requesting TA. The “New Users” tab will guide Soldiers through
the processes necessary to obtain a login and establish a
GoArmyEd account. |
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F. Obtaining a login/password
does not obligate the Soldier to take eArmyU or any other
college courses. |
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G. During the period 1 Oct 05
through 30 Apr 06, installation Education Centers will continue
to issue TA for courses that begin prior to 1 May 06 and post
grades as usual. Since 1 Oct 05, Education Centers no longer
process TA invoices for schools. |
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5. The following GoArmyEd
procedures are effective 1 Apr 06: |
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A. Soldiers will identify their
chosen degree/certificate program and request TA online through
www.GoArmyEd.com. |
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B. The record of courses
previously taken and the Soldier’s degree plan will be
accessible to the Soldier online. |
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C. TA eligibility checks will
be automated. If TA is approved, a request for enrollment will
be passed electronically to the school. |
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D. If the TA request is
disapproved, the Soldier will be notified of necessary
corrective action(s). Education Center personnel will be
available to assist with resolving TA issues. |
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E. The Soldier will annually
obtain a Commander’s signature on a TA Statement of
Understanding (SOU). Sergeants First Class (SFC) and above may
sign for themselves in place of the Commander. Each term the
Soldier will recertify the TA SOU online. |
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F. If a
Soldier needs to withdraw from class, the withdrawal must be
done online through
www.GoArmyEd.com.
The withdrawal will be forwarded to the school. |
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G. If the Soldier withdraws for
personal reasons, TA repayment procedures will be initiated by
GoArmyEd. Personal withdrawal reasons require the Soldier to
repay the TA. Repayment will take place through an automated
feed between GoArmyEd and Defense Finance and Accounting Service
(DFAS). |
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H. If the Soldier withdraws for
military reasons, Unit Commander information will be required
with the military reason for withdrawal. The request is subject
to verification. If the military reason is approved, TA
repayment will be waived. Soldiers are reminded that fraudulent
requests for military reasons are subject to disciplinary action
or criminal charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
All information and transactions occur online through GoArmyEd. |
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I. All schools which have
processed TA in the past with the Army will be listed in
GoArmyEd. Soldiers who choose to attend a school with courses
listed in GoArmyEd will receive up front TA. Soldiers choosing
to attend a school that does not have any courses available in
GoArmyEd will request TA prior to the start of class and
self-pay tuition directly to the school. Authorized TA
reimbursement will be paid through DFAS directly to the
Soldier’s bank account after receipt of successful grade. A
listing of GoArmyEd schools that provide upfront TA are listed
on the GoArmyEd website under the “Earn A Degree” link. Click
on “Schools and Programs”. |
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6. The primary advantages of
GoArmyEd for the Soldier are equitable, virtual access to TA on
a 24/7 basis (with no need to visit an education counselor) and
interactive degree maps focused on degree completion. The
advantages to schools are efficiencies in processing TA invoices
and improved timeliness in receiving TA invoice payments. The
anticipated advantage for the Army is improved management of TA
dollars.
7. Point of contact for this
message is Kelley Mustion/Ruth Foster, DSN 221-9800,
tapcpde@hoffman.army.mil.
Eligible Schools
In addition , the list of eligible schools (under CTAM ) to receive the
upfront benefit of has been reduced. The reasons are multiple,
yet familiar. The summary statement below provides an
explanation that CTAM will have a upfront and reimbursement
benefit .
Ruddie Cooper
Due to the increasing demands for
ACES to be able to account for TA dollars, as well as the
massive manpower cuts Active Army have experienced, ACES is no
longer able to process invoices or manually perform other
administrative tasks associated with TA. On the other hand, the
process of on-boarding a school into the automated solution is
associated with considerable amount of effort and cost.
Decisions have therefore been made to focus on the needs of the
largest number of Soldiers within the time and dollars
available for the implementation of the GoArmyEd
portal. Schools that will enter courses, and submit invoices &
grades through the "GoArmyEd" portal are those that process 200
or more enrollments for Soldiers serving on active duty, are
located on Army installations, who have contracts or memorandums
of agreement with the Army, who are eArmyU, or that have Army
Career Degrees. This group makes up 90% of the active duty TA
requests from Soldiers.
Soldiers
will still be able to obtain TA for courses with other schools.
Soldiers will request TA up-front. The reimbursement will be
directly to the Soldier upon receipt of a passing grade.
(Ruth Foster - Active Duty TA Program Manager)
Eligible (Upfront)
schools are listed below:
http://www.earmyu.com/docs/2eArmyUEducationPartners11x17.pdf#search='EArmyU'
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ARNG AGRs and Mobilized Soldiers may
participate in the EArmyU program; however,
they must follow the guildelines provided below. e ArmyU is also on the goarmy.com site and should be considered
a separate program from CTAM.
Ruddie Cooper
MILPER MSG 06-097 AHRC-EPR-F
SEPARATION/RETIREMENT OF SOLDIERS ENROLLED
IN THE EARMYU PROGRAM (Active Army)
1. SOLDIERS
ENROLLED IN THE EARMYU PROGRAM INCUR A 36 MONTH SERVICE
OBLIGATION. SOLDIERS WHO REQUEST SEPARATION OR RETIREMENT PRIOR
TO COMPLETION OF THE 36 MONTH SERVICE REMAINING REQUIREMENT (SRR)
REQUIRE A WAIVER FROM HRC (AHRC-EPF-M).
2. SOLDIERS ENROLLED IN EARMYU ARE IDENTIFIED WITH THE
ASSIGNMENT CONSIDERATION (ASCO) OF U1 ON EDAS.
3. SOLDIERS MUST PROCESS THE EARMYU WAIVER ALONG WITH THE
REQUEST FOR SEPARATION OR RETIREMENT THROUGH THEIR CHAIN OF
COMMAND TO THE LOCAL TRANSITION/RETIREMENT SERVICES OFFICE.
REQUEST MUST INCLUDE JUSTIFICATION TO SUPPORT WAIVING THE EARMYU
SRR. LOCAL TRANSITION/RETIREMENT SERVICES OFFICE WILL FORWARD
THE REQUEST TO HRC (AHRC-EPF-M) FOR DECISION.
4. IF REQUEST IS APPROVED SOLDIER IS OBLIGATED TO REPAY THE
GOVERNMENT A PRORATED PORTION OF THE COST OF EARMYU TUITION FOR
COURSES SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED. THE AMOUNT OF TUITION TO REPAY
IS BASED ON THE UNSERVED PORTION OF THE SERVICE OBLIGATION.
ADDITIONALLY, SOLDIER WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE
LAPTOP, IF APPLICABLE.
5. APPROVAL OF SOLDIERS EARMYU WAIVER DOES NOT RELIEVE SOLDIER
FROM THE FINANCIAL REPAYMENT/COST OF LAPTOP AS OUTLINED IN
PARAGRAPH 4 ABOVE BUT RELEASES SOLDIER FROM THE 36 MONTH SERVICE
OBLIGATION.
6. POC FOR SEPARATION OR RETIREMENT QUESTIONS IS MRS MARCHE,
DSN 221-0949, COMMERCIAL 703-325-0949.
POC for this
email is:
R. Cooper
National-level
Program Analyst
National Guard
Bureau
ARNG Federal
Tuition Assistance Program
111 S. George
Mason Dr.
Arlington, VA
22204
(703) 607-7405
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