<prompt> Human: Hey everyone,TL;DR at bottomSorry if this type of post isnt really allowed here but I just got some bad news and I didnt know where to go. So this is a throwaway account to protect my personal info, I am a U.S. Marine Veteran, been out for about 4 years and been going to school on and off for those 4 years. I am living outside the US, so I was doing online school, while trying to find work and learning the language of the country I moved to where my wife is from. So, after 3 years I finally found a job and have been working since November 2016.Anyway, I stopped taking courses when I started working, to focus on work and other things. Well I withdrew from my courses after 1 week, so it was within the drop period. I had no problems and didnt know anything was wrong until a few weeks ago. I got a notification from USAA my bank saying my credit score had dropped, which was curious to me. I had a 794, never had any late payments and now all the sudden my credit score was 580. The VA had sent a 250 bill to collections. I had no idea what this bill was from, as they never sent me any bill. After trying to contact the VA unsuccessfully, only getting generic we have received your email I tried contacting via phone, some 800 number. They also were not able to help me because I did not have any payment case number, because I had never received a bill. So they said, well send you something in the mail. Well 4 weeks later, they sent 3 notices to my Moms house my US Mailing address saying what I owe, along with the case numbers.First bill was 320, second was 1285 and third was 2048. So, somehow I owe them 3653. I dont have that type of cash just laying around. I could pay with a credit card but what are my options? I never received a bill, collection notice or anything. Looking for advice, options, help, anything..TL;DRVA sent bill to collections, without ever sending me a notice. Credit score was destroyed and I now owe them 3653, what are my options?Assistant: If you simply quit going to school without finishing the current semester or session that you were enrolled in, the VA probably charged you the cost of books and tuition; plus the housing allowance. If you happened to finish your semester and they charged you erroneously, you need to go to From there you can see any payments that they made to you and why. Start there.Human: Yeah, I withdrew from two courses, but it was within the withdraw period. My guess is the 250 is the book stipend they send when you start courses. The issues isnt that I owed them the 250, I just didnt know I owed them. Never got a bill or notice of any kind. Looking at my options, going to have to submit a waiver, explain everything in detail and see what they say.  <response>: Withdrawing within a withdraw period doesnt exactly mean much. There are periods that you can drop without fees, with fees, without a W on your transcript and for a letter grade. You need to find out which of those periods apply to you. 