There are two procedures for incomplete grades, one for incomplete grades that remain permanent non punitive grades and another for incompletes that convert to a letter grade.
FIRST -- Incomplete Becomes a Permanent Non punitive Grade. Incomplete grades must be reported as non punitive grades.
- Report the effective date as the last day of the term, quarter, or semester.
- Select “Other” as the reason and, in remarks, enter something like: "Completed fall 2004 with 6 credits incomplete, reducing 12 to 6 credits."
- Track the incomplete grades students receive.
- If a student makes up an incomplete, report its completion to VA. Report the effective date as last day of the term, quarter, or semester. Select “Other” as the reason and, in remarks, enter something like: "Completed 3 of 6 fall 2004 incomplete credit, increasing 6 to 9 credits."
VA diaries incompletes for a one year. Unless you report incompletes as made up, at the end of the one year diary VA will assume the incomplete wasn’t made up, will reduce benefits retroactively, will create an overpayment, and will ask the student for evidence of mitigating circumstances. The one year diary is nothing more than a control date for VA to take the actions cited.
VA regulations do not limit the length of time during which a course can be completed. If your school’s academic policy allows a grade to be completed after one year and it is completed after one year, report the change to VA.
An incomplete doesn’t have to be reported if training time isn’t affected.
Example: A student takes 15 credits, completes 12 credits, and receives 3 credits incomplete. Training time isn’t affected because the incomplete doesn’t reduce the student below full-time.
If your school has a short deadline for making up incompletes after which they become permanent, non punitive grades, wait and report the incompletes as end of the term non punitive grades if they aren’t completed. At some schools, for instance, incompletes become permanent, non punitive grades if not completed by the fourth week of the following term, quarter, or semester. If this is the case, simply wait the four weeks and report the incompletes as end of the term non punitive grades if they aren’t completed.
SECOND -- Incomplete Converts to a Letter Grade.
Incompletes at many schools convert to an “F” or to an alternate letter grade if they are not completed by a specific date.
- Incompletes do not need to be reported to VA if they convert to a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F, or Pass).
- Incompletes do need to be reported as non punitive grades if they convert to a non punitive grade (e.g., NP if NP is non punitive).
If the converted grades result in unsatisfactory progress, the student may need to be terminated for unsatisfactory progress.