CGI Campus News

CGI Campus News FY-12 Education Services Officer

Grants

Please use the most current application form 1560-10A , available on the Coast Guard Institute website. Many applicants are still using outdated forms.
Acceptable receipts must show clear evidence of payment date-this includes the day, month, and year of purchase. The date on which the receipt was printed is not necessarily the date of payment, and we cannot assume that it is. If the receipt does not show the payment date, member must provide additional documentation, such as a bank or credit card statement, showing the date of the transaction.
When Coast Guard Institute receives a complete application package for a member, we send the member a confirmation email. Please wait at least two months from receiving the "application received" email before contacting the Institute for a status update.
Additionally, the CG Foundation has graciously gifted additional grant funding for this year. We will begin to process this year’s grants as soon as funding has been routed through HQ to the Coast Guard Institute.

Tuition Assistance (TA) AUDITS

As a reminder all tuition assistance (TA) authorizations are subject to random audits. So what do we exactly look for? There are several areas identified:

Is the school accredited?
Does the school use a semester or quarter hour calendar?
How much does the school charge per credit hour?
Was the member authorized any fees?
Is this course part of a degree plan?
Does the course end before the EOE? (Enlisted)
Does the member have 2/4 years time in service after course end date? (Officers, Active/Reserve)

To determine if the school is accredited we look in the Accredited Institution of Postsecondary Education (AIPE) book. This resource also indicates if the school operates with a semester or quarter hour calendar. Credit units must be correct on the authorization because they correspond with the amounts authorized: $166.67 per quarter credit and $250.00 per semester credit. A common error we see is where the student wrote semester credit hours on their applications, but the school operates with a quarter credit calendar. This scenario often results in a debt for the student.
The auditor finds the school’s cost per credit hour and fees list by searching the school’s website. Every website is different; some have the costs per credit hour posted, some have them hidden, and many schools have several different costs listed. The auditor also searches for a breakdown of fees on the school’s website if the student claimed fees as part of the total TA authorization amount. TA can only be authorized for the following seven fees: Internet, Laboratory, Shop, Studio, Technology, Resource and Library, and must be listed as such on the student’s invoice.
When the auditor cannot find or locate a tuition or fee amount a TACCTS ticket will be created asking for documentation. The student has 10 days to reply once the “TA Audit - Did Not Pass” notice is sent to them. Please provide the requested documentation as soon as possible. If it is discovered during the audit that TA was erroneously authorized for unauthorized fees, the student will have to repay the overage amount. Unauthorized fees are the most common reason for a TA debt resulting from an audit.
If an audit has no discrepancies then a TACCTS ticket is created and closed with the description “TA Audit – Pass”. This is for informational purposes only; the member and ESO are required to do nothing in this case.

TACCTS

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the CG Institute took the Automated Tuition Assistance and Customer Care Tracking System (TACCTS) system offline for a major system upgrade. While the program visually appears the same, the database and system which supports TACCTS received upgrades that increased system speed, and improved database performance, while also lowering the possibility of a complete system outage. The upgrade also included advanced security functions, which allow additional protection against theft of data.

COURSE SUPPORT AND TESTING (CST)

Reminder: Please use one (1) TACCTS ticket when ordering or destroying multiple tests at any one time. There is no need to create a separate ticket for each test you are ordering or destroying.
If you send CST an email requesting account unlock or password reset during normal business hours and do not receive a response within 1 hour, please contact the CST Division by phone. A delay of this kind generally means we never received the email.
MST - The E-Testing SOP and (RAT) information for MST can be found on CGI's website under ESO > Essentials.
Known system issue with the MST E-Test concerning references:

If clicking on the document title does not work, click on the green "down arrow" that is to the right of the document name and click open.
The 21 day rule is still in effect for the MST e-test, until otherwise directed. ESOs must check Direct Access (DA) to ensure that the member has waited 21 days before retesting. Please note that you will not receive any warning if the member has not waited 21 days while utilizing the new E-Test program.

As always, please feel free to contact the Coast Guard Institute's Course Support & Testing Division for questions/feedback pertaining to any policies or procedures concerning paper or E-testing at CGI-DG-CST_DIV@uscg.mil or (405) 954-2437. Technical issues encountered while taking the exam will continue to be addressed by the OSC HELPDESK at 1-877-USCG-SYS12.

REGISTRAR’S OFFICE (RO)

1. DANTES TCOs: During recent studies, only five Coast Guard sites had a pass rate of 70% or higher when administering DANTES exams. Of those five, one had a pass rate of 71%, two had a pass rate of 80%, and two had a pass rate of 100%. We asked the most successful sites to share some of their best practices.
a) Ask the member to take the practice test for additional preparation. This ensures the member knows what to expect and has the opportunity to review any area of weakness before taking the actual exam.
b) Encourage the member to review resources for the exam again to ensure that the subject is fully understood before taking the exam.
DANTES exams are a great way to decrease the expense to members attempting to complete a degree. It reduces tuition assistance costs and ultimately saves everyone (Coast Guard, Members, and Taxpayers) money. Please encourage your members to prepare before taking any exam for college credit.
2. CGI-1561 is the only form for all RO requests (assessments, updates, and official CG transcripts). Please check that members have correctly completed the entire form. Please ensure that members have requested all desired services and that members provide their full OPFAC number, rate, e-mail address, etc. Before a transcript can be sent to a third party, the Coast Guard Institute must have the member's permission and this is accomplished by signing the form.

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Last Modified 1/26/2012

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