Rural Institute for Veteran Education and Research

This letter is a follto the complaint filed against RIVERThe complaint contained thefollowing issues:lThere were no classes completed nor certifications as advertised on their websiteThe director has made the environment extremely hostile to any who questions hispracticesClasses were substandard and the school failed regularly to attempt to organizeproductive endeavorsInside information reports that the philosophy of the school is to provide a method forVeterans to obtain extra money through the Post-GI Bill while providing a facade oftraining and care.To clarify your complaint, we were the contracted school of instruction, not the primary school.We are confused as to why the complainant didn't express any concerns with the course whileattending and as to why they waited an additional months after completion to voice concerns.The only complaints were to the Revdex.com and to the VA.It appears the interaction between you and the Executive Director is a large part of the hostility.The Executive Director attempted to help with schooling in many waysOne such benefit wasthe fact the complainant was given free housing at the Executive Directors home during theirschool year.The hostility and subsequent bad feelings occurred when the former student lived with theExecutive DirectorIn July 2016, the Executive Director paid the student $to help with moveout expenses after completing the programThe complainant refused to move out which resultedin eviction proceedings being started in Oct 2016.After the student completed the program, several attempts by staff were made to help completehis certificatesAdditionally, the certificates are the student's responsibilityRIVER provides thebase educationIt is up to the student to complete the certification! licensing process.Your proposed solution:I would like them to refund the Veterans Administration the $25,they were paid for thetraining and for me to get credit for the time spent added to back to my benefits.Our proposed solution:We are not your school of originWe have no authority for refunds to your Gl BillAftercompleting our program, you were accepted in VA Vocational Rehabilitation for another degreeat the University of Montana(It is our understanding you have multiple degrees.)We have hired a new instructor and Director of Education since your time with RIVERYou aremore than welcome to join any class in order to make up any deficiencies in getting yourcertifications and or licensesThis is of course at no cost to you.In regards to your personal dislike of the Executive Director, personalities do not always mix.The Executive Director is willing to work with you in a professional manner to help you obtainyour goals.Lastly, to your accusation that we provide a "facade" of training to get veterans more moneythrough the Post GI BillThis is a completely statementYou are more than welcometo visit our classes any week to see a proper education by our instructor who holds a Masters inExercise Science and was a former Army MedicWe take great pride in the education weprovide to Veterans, and are adamant about addressing any rumors head on to disprove them.Recently RIVER went through a compliance audit with the U.SVeterans Administration'sMontana .School Approving AgencyThe audit revealed "no errors".Cordially, [redacted] Z [redacted] Director of ProgramingRural Institute for Veterans Education and Research [redacted]

This letter is a follto the reply to the response of the complaint filed againstRIVER.We have always tried to be accommodating to our studentsYour complaints came sevenmonths after the program was completedEven though we are the contracting school we havemade several accommodations to meet your needsWe provided you a year of free housing, andgave you a stipend at the end of your program.You are in another program paid for by the US Veterans AdministrationYou applied andwere accepted in vocational rehabilitation because your GI Bill benefits expiredYou havereceived multiple certificates and degrees paid for by the US Veterans Administration.Since we were not the school ofrecord we offered you a full year of tuition free ofchargeWe have no ability to refund any monies to your GI Bill accountYou responded"/enrolled in the CVEMT program which has apparently been placed on the back burner for theVeteran Recreational Therapist program currently being held'This statement is not true; wecurrently have a CVEMT class going that you would be able to join.This is our offer; I urge you to join the current class and enjoy a full year of tuitioncompletely free of charge.Cordially,Jason Z***Director of ProgramingRural Institute for Veterans Education and Research***@lriverofohange_org

This letter is a follow-up to the complaint filed against RIVER. The complaint contained thefollowing issues:l. There were no classes completed nor certifications as advertised on their website.2. The director has made the environment extremely hostile to any who questions hispractices.3. Classes...

were substandard and the school failed regularly to attempt to organizeproductive endeavors.4. Inside information reports that the philosophy of the school is to provide a method forVeterans to obtain extra money through the Post-911 GI Bill while providing a facade oftraining and care.To clarify your complaint, we were the contracted school of instruction, not the primary school.We are confused as to why the complainant didn't express any concerns with the course whileattending and as to why they waited an additional 7 months after completion to voice concerns.The only complaints were to the Revdex.com and to the VA.It appears the interaction between you and the Executive Director is a large part of the hostility.The Executive Director attempted to help with schooling in many ways. One such benefit wasthe fact the complainant was given free housing at the Executive Directors home during theirschool year.The hostility and subsequent bad feelings occurred when the former student lived with theExecutive Director. In July 2016, the Executive Director paid the student $500 to help with moveout expenses after completing the program. The complainant refused to move out which resultedin eviction proceedings being started in Oct 2016.After the student completed the program, several attempts by staff were made to help completehis certificates. Additionally, the certificates are the student's responsibility. RIVER provides thebase education. It is up to the student to complete the certification! licensing process.Your proposed solution:I would like them to refund the Veterans Administration the $25,000 they were paid for thetraining and for me to get credit for the time spent added to back to my benefits.Our proposed solution:We are not your school of origin. We have no authority for refunds to your Gl Bill. Aftercompleting our program, you were accepted in VA Vocational Rehabilitation for another degreeat the University of Montana. (It is our understanding you have multiple degrees.)We have hired a new instructor and Director of Education since your time with RIVER. You aremore than welcome to join any class in order to make up any deficiencies in getting yourcertifications and or licenses. This is of course at no cost to you.In regards to your personal dislike of the Executive Director, personalities do not always mix.The Executive Director is willing to work with you in a professional manner to help you obtainyour goals.Lastly, to your accusation that we provide a "facade" of training to get veterans more moneythrough the Post 911 GI Bill. This is a completely false statement. You are more than welcometo visit our classes any week to see a proper education by our instructor who holds a Masters inExercise Science and was a former Army Medic. We take great pride in the education weprovide to Veterans, and are adamant about addressing any rumors head on to disprove them.Recently RIVER went through a compliance audit with the U.S. Veterans Administration'sMontana .School Approving Agency. The audit revealed "no errors".Cordially,[redacted] Z[redacted]Director of ProgramingRural Institute for Veterans Education and Research[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:This letter is a follow-up to the complaint filed against RIVER. The
complaint contained the following issues: l. There were no classes completed nor certifications as advertised on their
website. 2. The director has made the environment extremely hostile to any who questions
his practices. 3. Classes were substandard and the school failed regularly to attempt to
organize productive endeavors. 4. Inside information reports that the philosophy of the school is to provide a
method for Veterans to obtain extra money through the Post-911 GI Bill while providing a
facade of training and care.To clarify your complaint, we were the contracted school of instruction, not
the primary school. We are confused as to why the complainant didn't express any concerns with the
course while attending and as to why they waited an additional 7 months after completion to
voice concerns. The only complaints were to the Revdex.com and to the VA.I talked with the primary school of
instruction (Helena College) and while they commiserate with my complaints,
they cut ties to RIVER while I was in the program leaving me at the mercy of
this organization. Numerous conversations where held about advancing the
program, assistance in setting up various classes and dealing with the continuous
internal drama. My complaints fell on deaf ears so I had to reach out.It appears the interaction between you and the Executive Director is a large
part of the hostility. The Executive Director attempted to help with schooling in many ways. One such
benefit was the fact the complainant was given free housing at the Executive Directors home
during their school year.The interactions between the Executive
Director and myself were tragic, to say the least. Living at his home, there
was some talk of rent, but was only requested one month (which I paid) and the
rest was as assisting the program. There were numerous attempts by myself to
work with the both the Executive Director and the current Director of
Programming which at that time was the Lead instructor in assisting them with
getting the program off the ground and conducting classes. I was berated
several times while trying to settle situations within the office and when
assisting with classes. The hostility and subsequent bad feelings occurred when the former student
lived with the Executive Director. In July 2016, the Executive Director paid the student $500
to help with move out expenses after completing the program. The complainant refused to move out
which resulted in eviction proceedings being started in Oct 2016.With a lack of the required classes
being offered, I felt that the money paid to me to “move out” was an attempt to
get me to leave prior to being able to complete the program. There was no
written eviction notice nor was there an apparent problem with my residing
there. After getting accepted to Vocational Rehab to attend the University of
Montana, I moved out as soon as financially possible and communicated that to
the Executive Director several times, once particularly during an aggressive
attempt by the Executive Director to assault me over the situation.  After the student completed the program, several attempts by staff were made
to help complete his certificates. Additionally, the certificates are the student's
responsibility. RIVER provides the base education. It is up to the student to complete the certification!
licensing process.Yes, it took both the Executive
Director and the current Director of Programming over 4 months to attempt to
set any tests up to the point where I gave up on asking. The EMT portion of the
class has yet to provide me with a completion certificate where I could go take
the exam for certification. The status of the Executive Director’s EMT license
was in question during the class due to his actions outside of RIVER which
caused the hold up of receiving any completion certification and to this day, I
do not know the status of this. Your proposed solution: I would like them to refund the Veterans Administration the $25,000 they were
paid for the training and for me to get credit for the time spent added to back to my
benefits.Our proposed solution: We are not your school of origin. We have no authority for refunds to your Gl
Bill. After completing our program, you were accepted in VA Vocational Rehabilitation for
another degree at the University of Montana. (It is our understanding you have multiple
degrees.)My application and acceptance to VA
Vocational Rehabilitation was a result of not being able to achieve my goal
with this organization. How many degrees I may have is irrelevant. Realizing
that the RIVER program was not going to be fruitful, not due to my actions, I
moved on to the next project with the same goal of working with Veterans in
other capacities. We have hired a new instructor and Director of Education since your time
with RIVER. You are more than welcome to join any class in order to make up any deficiencies in
getting your certifications and or licenses. This is of course at no cost to you.As I stated in my complaint, the
atmosphere present is inhibitive to proper completion of the program. I joined
the program to get the specific certifications the school has listed on their
website. From their website http://riverofchange.org/cvemt-curriculum/ …Upon completion of this program, students will have gained
the following certifications/licenses:Basic
Emergency Medical Technician (Montana License and National Registration)Advanced
Emergency Medical Technician (Montana License and National Registration)Behavior
Health Technician (Alaska State Certification)Personal
Trainer (American Council on Exercise – ACE certification)Health
Coach (ACE certification)Battlefield
Acupuncture (Rural Institute for Veterans Education and Research {RIVER} certification)NADA
Acupuncture (National Association of Detox Acupuncture {NADA}
certification)Community
Veteran EMT (RIVER certification)This is what the school is advertising
and it was no way near what they actually offered. There were variations of some
of these classes that were offered AFTER I graduated and I did attend where my
schedule allowed. In regards to your personal dislike of the Executive Director, personalities
do not always mix. The Executive Director is willing to work with you in a professional marn1er to
help you obtain your goals.Lastly, to your accusation that we provide a "facade" of training
to get veterans more money through the Post 911 GI Bill. This is a completely false statement. You are
more than welcome to visit our classes any week to see a proper education by our instructor who
holds a Masters in Exercise Science and was a tbrrner Army Medic. We take great pride in the
education we provide to Veterans, and are adamant about addressing any mmors head on to
disprove them.I enrolled in the CVEMT program which
has apparently been placed on the back burner for the Veteran Recreational
Therapist program currently being held. In the midst of the transition between
priorities of programs, no offers of action to complete the program by the
school was forthcoming. The “façade” of the program was noted internally in the
Executive Director’s actions and inactions in operating the program. RIVER
money was spent on non-RIVER activities and time that should have been spent in
the program was being overshadowed by the seemingly lack of direction of the
school in general. Recently RIVER went through a compliance audit with the U.S. Veterans
Administration's Montana .School Approving Agency. The audit revealed "no errors".I was attending during the initiation
of the audit. This “audit” was the result of the Executive Director’s attempts
to control the current Director of Programming by calling in the VA for a
“supervisory audit”. With the Executive Director attempting to be covert in his
motives I felt it necessary to inform all involved of what was going on. I
registered my complaint directly to the Executive Director and was told
basically, “too late”. Although I’m glad the audit was successful, it leads to
the creditability of the Executive Director and the school in general. Cordially,[redacted]Director of ProgramingRural Institute for Veterans Education and Research[redacted]