| Q: |
Can you change programs? |
| A: |
If you change your educational, professional, or vocational
objective and this change requires a change in the courses you are
taking, VA considers this a change of program. The law permits one
change of program without prior VA approval if your attendance,
conduct, and progress in the last program were satisfactory. In
addition, students who are out of school for 12 months or more must
complete a Change of Program or Place of Training form, even if
the program of study remains the same.
VA may approve additional changes if the proposed programs are suitable
to your abilities, aptitudes, and interests. VA will not charge
a change of program when you enroll in a new program provided you
successfully completed your immediately preceding program. |
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| Q: |
Must you maintain satisfactory attendance,
conduct, and progress? |
| A: |
Once you start receiving benefits, you must maintain satisfactory
attendance, conduct, and progress. If you do not meet the standards
set by your school, the VA certifying official must notify VA. VA
will stop your benefits if the school reports unsatisfactory attendance,
conduct, or progress. VA may resume benefits if you reenter the same
program at the same school and your school approves your reentry and
certifies it to VA. If you do not reenter the same program at the
same school, VA may resume benefits if the cause of your unsatisfactory
attendance, conduct, or progress has been removed and the program
which you intend to pursue is suitable to your abilities, aptitudes,
and interests. |
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|
| Q: |
What should you do if you disagree
with a VA decision? |
| A: |
You may appeal VA decisions on education benefits. You must file
an appeal within one year of the date you receive notice of a decision.
Each notice of decision issued by VA contains your legal rights and
appeal procedures. You may request a personal hearing on your claim.
If you need assistance in filing an appeal, contact the nearest VA
regional office or a veteran’s service organization. |
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| Q: |
How do you receive monthly payments? |
| A: |
After selecting a school and submitting your application to VA,
the VA certifying official will complete an enrollment certification
and send the enrollment certification to the appropriate VA regional
office. If you have basic eligibility for benefits, and your program
or course is approved, VA will process your enrollment based on certified
training time. You will not receive payment until you have verified
your attendance. Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill veterans can certify
attendance by telephone at 1-877-823-2378 or online at http://www.gibill.va.gov/wave.
After processing, VA will release a check. Chapter 35 Dependents Educational
Assistance Program recipients will receive a form monthly from VA
which must be completed and returned. After processing, VA will release
a check. |
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|
| Q: |
What should you do if you do not receive
a check? |
| A: |
If you attend school, you must verify your enrollment for each
month by using the WAVE system. Remember that you cannot be paid for
a month until the month is over and you verify that you were still
in attendance for that month. WAVE and the telephone Interactive Voice
Response Systems require at least three workdays to process and update
the system. Both systems process data every workday, but it sometimes
takes some additional time before they are updated to reflect the
new information. |
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|
| Q: |
May you attend part-time? |
| A: |
If you are unable to attend full-time, consider going part-time.
Benefit rates for part-time training are less than the full-time rates.
Likewise, the entitlement charge for part-time training is less than
the charge for full-time training. For example, if you receive full-time
benefits for 12 months, the charge is 12 months. If you receive one-half
time benefits for 12 months, the charge is six months. |
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|
| Q: |
Can you receive payments by Direct
Deposit? |
| A: |
You can get your Chapter 30 payments sent directly to your savings
or checking account. VA does this through Direct Deposit/Electronic
Fund Transfer. For information about how to get your payments sent
through direct deposit, contact your local VA office or your bank.
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|
| Q: |
Change in your enrollment |
| A: |
If you change your enrollment, immediately tell the certifying official
at your school. Request the certifying official to notify the appropriate
VA regional office of the change. Also, notify the appropriate VA
regional office of the change yourself. If VA does not receive prompt
notice of a change, you could be liable for an overpayment of benefits.
NOTE: School employees who process VA forms are not VA employees. |
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| Q: |
Change of address |
| A: |
Promptly notify the appropriate VA regional office of any change
in your address. Send your complete new address, including the zip
code. |
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|
| Q: |
Change in selected reserve status |
| A: |
If you receive increased benefits or additional months of entitlement
due to Selected Reserve service, notify the appropriate VA regional
office if you change reserve status. If you do not satisfactorily
complete your four-year Selected Reserve obligation, you may not receive
increased benefits. Examples of changes you must report are leaving
the Selected Reserve or a discharge or release from the Selected Reserve.
You do not need to report changes of units or components. |
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| Q: |
Change in dependency |
| A: |
If you receive chapter 30 benefits and one-half of the chapter 34
rate (based on Category 2 eligibility), your allowance may include
an additional amount for dependents. Dependents include your spouse,
natural children, adopted children, stepchildren, and dependent parents.
You must report any change affecting your dependents. Examples of
changes you must report are marriage, divorce or separation from a
spouse, birth of a child, termination of custody of an adopted child
or stepchild, marriage of a child, enrollment in or withdrawal from
school of a child between the ages of 18 and 23, and death of a dependent.
VA requires documentary proof to establish dependents. The preferred
evidence is a copy of the public or church record of a marriage or
birth. |
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| Q: |
What happens if you change your enrollment? |
| A: |
If you withdraw from one or more of your courses after the end of
the school's drop period, VA will reduce or stop your benefits on
the date of reduction or withdrawal. If you withdraw from a course
after the end of the drop period, you may have to repay all benefits
for the course unless you can show that the change was due to mitigating
circumstances. VA defines "mitigating circumstances" as
unavoidable and unexpected events that directly interfere with your
pursuit of a course and are beyond your control. Examples of reasons
VA may accept are extended illness, severe illness or death in your
immediate family, unscheduled changes in your employment, and lack
of child care. Examples of reasons VA may not accept are withdrawal
to avoid a failing grade, dislike of the instructor, and too many
courses attempted. NOTE: VA may ask you to furnish evidence to support
your reason for a change. If a serious injury or illness caused the
change, obtain a statement from your doctor. If a change in employment
caused the change, obtain a statement from your employer. The first
time you withdraw, VA will "excuse" the withdrawal and pay
benefits for the period attended. Remember, this only applies to your
first withdrawal. If you receive a grade that does not count toward
graduation, you may have to repay all benefits for the course. You
should check your school's grading policy with the registrar or the
office handling VA paperwork. The school may have "non-punitive
grades." VA defines "non-punitive grades" as those
not used to compute graduation requirements. Common examples are an
"I" grade for an incomplete which is not made up during
the time period required by the school or within one year from receipt,
a "W" grade for withdrawing, an "AU" grade for
auditing, or any grade the school does not use to compute the GPA
(grade point average) or its equivalent. If you receive a non-punitive
grade, the school will notify VA. Upon receipt of the notice, VA may
reduce or stop benefits. You may not have to repay the benefits if
you can show that the grades were due to mitigating circumstances. |
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| Q: |
How can you prevent overpayments? |
| A: |
An overpayment is an incorrect benefit payment that is more than
the amount to which you are entitled. If you promptly notify VA of
changes affecting your benefits, you can prevent or reduce overpayments.
In addition, you should use reasonable judgment when you accept and
cash a check. Carefully read all letters from VA about the monthly
rates and effective dates of your benefits. If you think the amount
of a VA check is wrong, contact VA before cashing the check. Return
any checks for the wrong amount to VA. If you cash a check for the
wrong amount, you will be liable for repayment of any resulting overpayment. |
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| Q: |
What happens if you have an overpayment?
|
| A: |
VA must take prompt and aggressive action to recover overpayments.
You have the right to request a waiver of the overpayment or verification
that the amount is correct. If an overpayment is not repaid or waived,
VA may add interest and collection fees to your debt. VA may also
take one or more of the following actions to collect the debt:
- Withhold future benefits to apply to your debt.
- Refer your debt to a private collection agency.
- Recover the debt from your Federal income tax refund.
- Recover the debt from your salary if you are a Federal employee.
- File a lawsuit in Federal court to collect the debt.
- Withhold approval of a VA home loan guarantee.
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|
| Q: |
What is the Montgomery GI Bill - Active
Duty (MGIB-AD)? |
| A: |
The MGIB program provides up to 36 months of education benefits.
This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight
training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses.
Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under
certain circumstances. Generally, benefits are payable for 10 years
following your release from active duty. This program is also commonly
known as Chapter 30. If you are currently in service, you may be eligible
after two years of active duty. Please consult with the Education
Services Officer at your installation, or call the toll-free number
below, for information about your eligibility. |
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| Q: |
Who is eligible for Chapter 30 benefits? |
| A: |
If you are separated from service, you may be an eligible veteran
if you entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985;
received a high school diploma or equivalent (or, in some cases,
12 hours of college credit) before the end of your first obligated
period of service; received an honorable discharge; continuously
served for 3 years, OR 2 years if that is what you first enlisted
for, OR 2 years if you have an obligation to serve four years in
the Selected Reserve AND entered Selected Reserve within a year
of leaving active duty. Different rules apply if you entered active
duty before July 1, 1985, and in certain other cases. You should
be aware that the following pitfalls could cause you to lose all
MGIB benefits:
- General Discharge. You must have an honorable discharge to
be eligible for education benefits. A “general” or
“under honorable condition” makes you ineligible for
education benefits.
- Early Discharge. To be eligible with an early discharge, your
separation reason must meet certain requirements. Call our toll-free
number below
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| Q: |
How Much Does VA Pay? |
| A: |
The monthly benefit paid to you is based on the type of training
you take, length of your service, your category, and if DoD put extra
money in your MGIB Fund (called "kickers"). Typically, you
have ten years to use your MGIB benefits. The current full-time rate
for those with three or more years of service and enrolled in an institutional
program is $1,034 per month. |
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| Q: |
What is Survivors' and Dependents'
Educational Assistance (DEA)? |
| A: |
DEA provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents
of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related
condition, or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service
related condition. The program offers up to 45 months of education
benefits. These benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs,
apprenticeship, and on-the-job training. If you are a spouse, you
may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher
courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Professional,
educational and vocational counseling will be provided to eligible
children and surviving spouses without charge upon request. You’ll
receive VA Form 22-8979, Student Verification of Enrollment, each
month. You must use the form to verify your continued enrollment for
the previous month. Complete the form and return it to the appropriate
VA office. After processing, VA will release a check. |
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| Q: |
What is the Montgomery GI Bill Selected
Reserves Program? |
| A: |
The MGIB-SR program may be available to you if you are a member
of the Selected Reserve. The Selected Reserve includes the Army Reserve,
Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Coast Guard
Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. This
benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training,
apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses. Remedial,
deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. |
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| Q: |
What is the Reserve Educational Assistance
Program? |
| A: |
REAP was established as a part of the Ronald W. Reagan National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005. It is a new Department
of Defense education benefit program designed to provide educational
assistance to members of the Reserve components called or ordered
to active duty in response to a war or national emergency (contingency
operation) as declared by the President or Congress. This new program
makes certain reservists who were activated for at least 90 days after
September 11, 2001 either eligible for education benefits or eligible
for increased benefits. |
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| Q: |
What is the Veterans Educational Assistance
Program (VEAP)? |
| A: |
VEAP is available if you first entered active duty between January
1, 1977 and June 30, 1985 and you elected to make contributions from
your military pay to participate in this education benefit program.
Your contributions are matched on a $2 for $1 basis by the Government.
This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight
training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses.
Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under
certain circumstances. |