Teresa M.
BREAKING THE LAW
This school apparently thinks breaking the law is morally and ethically acceptable in their organizational goals & ethos. Are you aware that through the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 you are 👏🏻LEGALLY👏🏻 required to do the following as a VA approved school? Effective August 1, 2019, schools are not allowed to penalize or prohibit a GI Bill student from attending or participating in courses while awaiting VA payment (for up to 90 days). The policy permits a student to attend their course of education when the student provides the necessary eligibility documentation. VA defines “certificate of eligibility” to be any documentation provided by VA that serves to verify eligibility under chapter 31 or 33. The educational institution must adopt policy to ensure that it does not impose any penalty, including: * assessment of late fees, * denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or * require the student using to borrow additional funds due to the inability to meet financial obligations to the institution as a result of delayed payments for educational assistance from VA. The law prohibits the school from requiring a student to use his or her federal financial aid, or other sources of payment for tuition and fees while it awaits VA payments within the 90-day period. However, schools are not prohibited from allowing a student to utilize his or her federal financial aid, or any sort of aid or loan for tuition/fees during the interim period if the student wishes to do so. What a school may not do is insist that the student utilize this aid, take out loans, or do anything else so that the tuition and fees are paid in advance of the VA benefit payment. If school is not compliant with the new law (i.e., a school is charging fees and/or barring the student from attending class even though the student supplied a Certificate of Eligibility and is still within the 90 days and is still within the 90day period, they submit a complaint to VA through the GI Bill School Feedback System. Head over to the VA website to do some remedial training on what exactly you’re responsible for in being a VA approved school. Educate your employees within your organization and *STOP* unenrolling students because *YOUR* people aren’t properly qualified or trained to do their jobs!!
Response from Ultimate Medical AcademyDec 11, 2024
Hi Teresa, we take these matters very seriously and are committed to addressing them promptly and transparently. Ultimate Medical Academy’s programs are approved by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs State Approving Agency for Veterans’ Education and Training at both our Clearwater campus and UMA Online. For any further questions or concerns, please contact UMA Cares 800-509-5474. Or, if you'd prefer, you may use the link below to submit your concern to a UMA Cares Representative for assistance: go.ultimatemedical.edu/uma-cares.