According to the information provided, Claimant received CIB on the NH’s earnings
record. On August 26, 2020, the agency informed Claimant and his mother, M~, that
Claimant’s CIB would automatically stop when he attained age eighteen, unless he was
a full-time student at an elementary or secondary school. Because Claimant seeks CIB
beyond the age of seventeen, he completed a Student’s Statement Regarding School Attendance
form (Form SSA-1372-BK), indicating he lives in Lexington, Kentucky. Claimant reported
that he attends LUOA, located in Lynchburg, Virginia,[1] and described LUOA as an online homeschool program. Claimant stated he began attending
LUOA on August 24, 2020, and that the school year will end in May of 2021, when he
expects to graduate from high school. He indicated that he would be in full-time attendance
for that period and that he attends LUOA thirty-five to forty hours per week. Claimant
is not disabled, not married, and does not expect to earn more than $18,240 in 2020.
His employer does not pay him to attend school.
On July 21, 2020, P~, a high school academic advisor for LUOA, completed and signed
the Certification by School Official page of Claimant’s Form SSA-1372-BK, confirming
Claimant’s attendance information. She indicated that LUOA’s course of study is at
least thirteen weeks in duration and that LUOA operates on a yearly basis.
Claimant provided an official transcript of the courses he completed in the school
years from 2017 through 2020 and the courses he was expected to complete in his final
school year before graduation. P~ signed the official transcript. Claimant’s list
of courses for his high school years included an English course each school year,
a history or government course each year, a math course each year, a science course
each year, some computer courses, a religion course, a course in financial literacy,
a communication course, and a global studies course. Claimant received As or Bs in
all of his courses for the first three years of study.
On August 24, 2020, K~, pupil personnel for Fayette County Public Schools, received
a home school notification form completed by Claimant’s mother. M~ indicated that
Claimant would enroll in home school for the year of 2020-2021 and that he was attending
LUOA.
By e-mail correspondence on January 14, 2021, Claimant’s mother also verified that
Claimant completes six to eight hours of lessons and schoolwork per day. She also
stated that Claimant does catch up work on holidays and on weekends, as needed, to
complete his assigned work. In the current 2020-21 school year, M~ stated that Claimant
has not missed any school days. M~ also provided images of Claimant’s electronic school
calendar, documenting the classes and assignments he completes each day.
LUOA’s website states that it provides accredited online education for kindergarten
through twelfth grade. Liberty University Online Academy, Accreditation, https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/school-accreditation/ (last visited Jan. 11, 2021). An LUOA school year consists of two, eighteen-week
semesters and a full-time student should complete the 180-day school year in ten months.
Liberty University Online Academy, What to Expect, https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/what-to-expect/ (last visited Jan. 11, 2021). LUOA’s website states that the Association of Christian
Schools International and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council
on Accreditation and School Improvement accredit LUOA. Id. In addition, the website
states that the Commonwealth of Virginia recognizes LOUA as a member institution of
the Virginia Council for Private Education. Id.
Students attending LUOA have three main avenues of support while enrolled in the school—an
academic advisor, teachers, and subject specialists—and parents are encouraged to
take an active role in their child’s education. See id. LUOA presents lessons in text
and video format and the student completes problems, assignments, and tests electronically.
See id. Teachers grade written work and tests and communicate grades and any comments
to parents and students. See id. Parents and students can access grades anytime through
an online grade book. Id. The parent is the primary teacher and the primary source
for holding students accountable for progress in their courses. See Liberty University
Online Academy, FAQs: Online, https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/faq-online/ (last visited Jan. 11, 2021). Academic advisors send progress reports to parents
twice a month, although parents are encouraged to continuously monitor their student’s
work through their parent observer account. Id. Academic advisors also manage a student’s
records, class schedule, and transcripts. See Liberty University Online Academy, What
to Expect, https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/what-to-expect/