Title 38

SECTION 21.7653

21.7653 Progress, conduct, and attendance.

§ 21.7653 Progress, conduct, and attendance.

(a) Satisfactory pursuit of program. In order to receive educational assistance for pursuit of a program of education, a reservist must maintain satisfactory progress. Progress is unsatisfactory if the reservist does not satisfactorily progress according to the regulatory prescribed standards of the educational institution he or she is attending.

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 16136(b), 38 U.S.C. 3474; Pub. L. 98-525)

(b) Satisfactory conduct. In order to receive educational assistance for pursuit of a program of education, a reservist must maintain satisfactory conduct according to the regularly prescribed standards and practices of the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled. If the reservist will no longer be retained as a student or will not be readmitted as a student by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled, the VA will discontinue educational assistance, unless further development establishes that the educational institution's action is retaliatory.

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 16136(b), 38 U.S.C. 3474; Pub. L. 98-525)

(c) Satisfactory attendance. In order to receive educational assistance for pursuit of a program of education, a reservist must maintain satisfactory course attendance. VA will discontinue educational assistance if the reservist does not maintain satisfactory course attendance. Attendance is unsatisfactory if the reservist does not attend according to the regularly prescribed standards of the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled.

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2136(b); 38 U.S.C. 3474; sec. 705(a)(1), Pub. L. 98-525, 98 Stat. 2565, 2567; sec. 642 (c), (d), Pub. L. 101-189, 103 Stat. 1457-1458)

(d) Reports. At times the unsatisfactory progress, conduct, or course attendance of a reservist is caused by or results in his or her interruption or termination of training. If this occurs, the interruption or termination shall be reported in accordance with § 21.7656(a). If the reservist continues in training despite making unsatisfactory progress, the fact of his or her unsatisfactory progress must be reported to VA within the time allowed by paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), and (d)(3) of this section.

(1) A reservist's progress may become unsatisfactory as a result of the grades he or she receives. The educational institution shall report such unsatisfactory progress to VA in time for VA to receive it before the earlier of the following dates is reached:

(i) Thirty days from the date on which the school official who is responsible for determining whether a student is making progress first receives the final grade report which establishes that the reservist is not progressing satisfactorily; or

(ii) Sixty days from the last day of the enrollment period during which the reservist earned the grades that caused him or her to meet the unsatisfactory progress standards.

(2) If the unsatisfactory progress of the reservist is caused solely by any factors other than the grades which he or she receives, the educational institution shall report the unsatisfactory progress in time for VA to receive it within 30 days of the date on which the progress of the reservist becomes unsatisfactory.

(3) The educational institution shall report the unsatisfactory conduct or attendance of the reservist to VA in time for VA to receive it within 30 days of the date on which the conduct or attendance of the reservist becomes unsatisfactory.

(e) Reentrance after discontinuance. In order for a reservist to receive educational assistance following discontinuance for unsatisfactory progress, conduct, or attendance, the provisions of this paragraph must be met.

(1) The reservist's subsequent reentrance into a program of education may be for the same program, for a revised program, or for an entirely different program, depending on the cause of the discontinuance and removal of that cause.

(2) A reservist may reenter following discontinuance because of unsatisfactory attendance, conduct, or progress when either of the following sets of conditions exists:

(i) The reservist resumes enrollment at the same educational institution in the same program of education and the educational institution has both approved the reservist's reenrollment and certified it to VA; or

(ii) In all other cases, VA determines that -

(A) The cause of the unsatisfactory attendance, conduct, or progress in the previous program has been removed and is not likely to recur; and

(B) The program which the reservist now proposes to pursue is suitable to his or her aptitudes, interests, and abilities.

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2136(b); 38 U.S.C. 3474; sec. 705(a)(1), Pub. L. 98-525, 98 Stat. 2565, 2567; sec. 642 (c), (d), Pub. L. 101-189, 103 Stat. 1457-1458) (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2900-0552) [53 FR 34740, Sept. 8, 1988, as amended at 61 FR 29307, June 10, 1996]