The First 90 Days: New VASCO Roadmap to Success
Your structured plan for mastering the VASCO role, building essential relationships, and establishing credibility in your first three months
Starting as a new VA School Certifying Official can feel overwhelming. You're navigating complex regulations, learning new systems, meeting stakeholders across campus, and handling real certifications that affect students' education benefits—all while trying to avoid costly mistakes.
This 30-60-90 day roadmap breaks down your first three months into manageable phases, prioritizing what matters most and helping you build a strong foundation for long-term success in the VASCO role.
📋 Before You Begin
Print or bookmark this roadmap. Review it weekly to track progress and adjust priorities based on your institution's specific needs and current term calendar.
Days 1-30: Foundation Building
Your first month focuses on understanding your environment, accessing essential systems, and learning the regulatory framework. Your goal: Observe processes, ask questions, and avoid making decisions independently until you have context.
System Access & Stakeholder Mapping
Priority Tasks
- ✓ Request Enrollment Manager access (can take 2+ weeks—start immediately)
- ✓ Obtain credentials for Student Information System (SIS)
- ✓ Access institutional email, shared drives, and document management systems
- ✓ Review existing VASCO documentation and procedures
- ✓ Identify your predecessor or mentor VASCO (if available)
Key Relationships to Establish
- • Registrar's Office: Enrollment verification, transcript access
- • Financial Aid: Coordinate aid packaging, understand policies
- • Bursar/Student Accounts: Tuition charges, payment processing
- • Admissions: Early identification of veteran applicants
- • IT Department: System troubleshooting, reporting requests
Regulatory Framework Immersion
Essential Reading List
- 1. 38 CFR Part 21: Federal regulations governing VA education benefits
- 2. VA Handbook 5001: State Approving Agency procedures
- 3. School Certifying Official Handbook (SCO Handbook): Your primary reference
- 4. Your institution's VA policy manual (if one exists)
Pro Tip: Don't try to memorize everything. Focus on understanding:
- • Where to find information when you need it
- • General principles that guide decisions
- • Red flags that require deeper research
Shadowing & Practice Certifications
Learning Activities
- • Shadow experienced VASCO through complete certification process
- • Practice entering test certifications in training environment
- • Review recent certifications to understand patterns and common scenarios
- • Attend veteran services team meetings as observer
- • Meet with 2-3 current student veterans to understand their experience
Quick Win Opportunity
Create a "frequently asked questions" list based on what you're learning. Document questions veterans commonly ask and where to find answers. This becomes a valuable reference and shows initiative.
Days 31-60: Building Competence
Month two is about moving from observation to supervised practice. You'll handle straightforward certifications with oversight while building deeper expertise in areas critical to your institution.
Supervised Certification Work
Start With Simple Cases
Handle these independently with supervisor review:
- • Full-time enrollment, standard semester dates
- • Students continuing from previous term with no changes
- • Programs with consistent credit hour structure
- • Standard Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) certifications
Flag Complex Cases for Guidance
Don't attempt these alone yet:
- • Students with SAP issues or on academic probation
- • Mid-term enrollment or withdrawal situations
- • Benefit exhaustion or partial entitlement
- • Clock hour programs or non-standard credit
- • Yellow Ribbon calculations (if applicable)
Deepen Your Expertise
Training & Development
- ✓ Complete VA online SCO training modules
- ✓ Attend State Approving Agency training (if offered)
- ✓ Join NAVPA or regional VASCO groups
- ✓ Review past compliance audit findings
Process Improvement
- ✓ Document your certification workflow
- ✓ Create templates for common communications
- ✓ Identify repetitive tasks for automation
- ✓ Compile a personal reference guide
💡 Quick Win: Streamline One Process
Identify one small but annoying process inefficiency and propose a solution. This could be as simple as creating a shared folder structure, building an enrollment verification template, or organizing reference materials. Small improvements demonstrate initiative and problem-solving.
Days 61-90: Establishing Independence
By month three, you're ready to handle most certifications independently, contribute to team projects, and start positioning yourself as the go-to VA benefits expert on campus.
Independent Certification Work
You should now handle 80-90% of certifications independently, consulting your supervisor only for:
- • Situations not covered by regulations or institutional policy
- • Complex SAP or academic progress issues
- • Policy interpretation questions affecting multiple students
- • Unusual circumstances requiring judgment calls
Self-Assessment: Can you explain the certification process to someone else? If yes, you've achieved competence. If not, identify specific gaps and address them.
Broaden Your Impact
Campus Education
Offer brief VA benefits overview to admissions counselors or academic advisors who work with prospective veterans
Student Outreach
Host informal "office hours" where veterans can drop in with questions, building your visibility and rapport
Documentation
Update or create standard operating procedures, making your knowledge transferable and processes consistent
90-Day Review & Goal Setting
At the end of your first 90 days, schedule time to reflect and plan ahead:
Assess Your Progress
What do you do confidently? Where do you still need support? Which resources have been most valuable?
Set 6-Month Goals
What expertise do you want to develop? What process improvements could you lead? How can you expand your impact?
Seek Feedback
Ask your supervisor, colleagues, and a few student veterans what's going well and where you can improve
Common First 90 Days Pitfalls to Avoid
Rushing to Independence
Certification errors in your first months can take years to uncover. Better to ask "too many" questions than make unsupervised mistakes.
Neglecting Relationships
Your success depends on cross-campus partnerships. Don't wait for others to reach out—be proactive in building these connections.
Ignoring Self-Care
The learning curve is steep. Set boundaries, take breaks, and recognize that feeling overwhelmed is normal and temporary.
Key Takeaways
- 1.Month 1: Focus on system access, regulatory basics, and relationship building
- 2.Month 2: Practice straightforward certifications with oversight while deepening expertise
- 3.Month 3: Work independently on most certifications and expand your campus impact
- 4.Ask questions early and often—experienced VASCOs know the role has a steep learning curve