Champva And Home School ?

[LeroyJohnson]

Does anyone know if CHAMPVA accepts home school as a valid school my son still has one year of home school to go but he turns 18 this summer any one have any ideas if they will accept his homeschooling status.

Leroy

[robert51]

I found champa to be very hard to work with when it comes to paperwork.. MY daughter went to a school accredited in many courses but the school never applied to be accredited in nursing so they would NOT pay for her schooling till we got the school accredited in this subject... and that took almost one year so she lost out on almost one year of money... the school has to lead to a degree and be accredited with the Champa VA

[mobie16r]

Leroy,Champva don,t have anything to do with schooling and chapter 35 pays monthly benefits if your son is attending an accredited college.

mobie

[Stretch]

Leroy,

Are you from California?

[Rich T]

Of course ChampVA and DEA 35 are directly related to school enrollment and attendance. DEA 35 is available for higher level education, but is now being paid for high school students who enroll in college classes, even cyber classes, while taking their HS courses. If the child is under 18 they are automatically covered for ChampVA. When they reach 18 (see handbook http://www.va.gov/hac/forbeneficiaries/cha.../chandbook.pdf) they are not entitled, unless they are enrolled in an accredited school as a full-time student. Home schooling is schooling at home, but is administered and approved by a school district. (I home schooled my son from 4th - 10th grade, he is now enrolled in a cyber school). ChampVA is approved for any accredited school, high school or higher level. School certification is necessary.

* The following is copied from the form VHA 10-10d page 3.

In order to extend CHAMPVA benefits to students age 18 to 23, school certification of full-time

enrollment must be submitted by the college, vocational or high school, etc. Student status for

CHAMPVA eligibility purposes is established based on school terms for up to one year. For high

schools, this period is the normal beginning and ending school year. For colleges and vocational

schools full-time enrollment requires a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester or equivalent number

of credit hours on any academic calendar year.

School certifications must be on school letterhead and include the following:

• student's name

• student's social security number

• exact beginning and ending dates of each semester or enrollment term

• number of semester hours or equivalent (high schools excluded)

• certification of full time status

School generated forms are acceptable as long as they provide the above information. While

certifications submitted in a foreign language

are acceptable, additional time will be required for translation. Certifications may be submitted by mail

to the address on the front or by FAX

to 1-303-331-7809.

NOTE: It is important to notify the Health Administration Center of any change in student

status such as withdrawal or change from full-time to part-time status. School vacation

periods, holidays, and summer breaks* are not considered an interruption in full-time

attendance and will not create a break in CHAMPVA eligibility.

*providing the student attends school on a full-time basis both before and after the summer break

IF you receive SSDI your child is entitled to receive their benefits until age 19 if enrolled, or until the semester ends, or two months after the 19th birthday whichever comes first. Form http://www.ssa.gov/schoolofficials/ssa-1372-BK.htm needs to be certified by the school.

Edited April 16, 2008 by Rich T

[Jayg]

Home schooling is schooling at home, but is administered and approved by a school district. (I home schooled my son from 4th - 10th grade, he is now enrolled in a cyber school).

That is not entirely accurate. It may be where you live but not everywhere. Each state has their own standards. In Texas, the home school is a "private school" and has no connection with the school district. There are a few state guidelines and requirements. The district has no say once you've withdrawn.

We use a nationally accredited curriculum though that is not required.

[LeroyJohnson]

guess I was not clear on my question let me try again. I received a letter from Champva stating that my son's benefits will end the day before his 18th birthday.They said to have the school administrator write a letter stating he was still a student and when he will graduate in order to continue his champva insurance. They also state that he must attend an accredited school BUT my son is home schooled has been since first grade. He has one more year to go before he can graduate. what I wanted to know is since he is home schooled (in my state that is considered a non-accredited private school)will they accept a letter from me stating he is home schooled and he has one more year to go.We are registered with the state and state law states that in a nutshell that no one can interfere with the home schooling of any child . I just wanted to know if anyone who home schools has run into this problem and if Champva accepts as a valid school a "home school" I also had to fill out a form for the VARO asking for the same information so that we can continue to receive the additional money each month for him until he is out of school and again the form asked for an accredited school.

Thia is all I could find on this subject .The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)proposes to amend its adjudication regulation regarding the definition of a child for purposes of establishing entitlement to additional monetary benefits for a dependent. VA proposes to define educational institutions to include home-school programs that meet the legal requirements of the jurisdiction in which the are located. this was dated 2006 .