Veteran's Affairs

Benefit Payment Information

Payments
Your Responsibilities to ensure a Correct and Timely Payment
Advance Payment
Break Pay
Retroactive Benefits
Self Certification
Change of Address and Direct Deposit
Benefit Rates of Pay
Accelerated Sessions
When Your Enrollment Status is Less than Half-Time

PAYMENTS
Benefit payments are made directly to students, unless Advance Payment is specified. The payment is made to the student for the number of days the student is certified for the month. If a student is certified for a whole month, the full monthly benefit is paid. If the student is only certified for part of the month, the benefit is prorated.

Payment usually comes between the 1st and 15th of each month and is paid for the previous month. The VA does not consider check as late until after the 10th of the month. Inquiries may be made directly with the VA at 1-888-442-4551.

Your GI Bill money is tax free. It is not declarable for income tax purposes (non-taxable income), but it is for any financial aid assistance.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO ENSURE A CORRECT AND TIMELY PAYMENT
1) Establish a direct deposit account with the VA.
2) Request certification in writing at the beginning of each semester as soon as you secure your classes.
3) Get your transcripts into our records office.
4) Attend classes.
5) Self-certify at the end of each month (chapters 30 and 1606).
6) Notify our office of any changes to your class schedule or personal information.
7) Remember, any changes will cause a delay. So report them to us ASAP.
8) Any changes during the semester will be reported to the VA and they will increase, decrease or drop your units depending on the situation.
9) Remember to read anything the VA sends you thoroughly. This might eliminate any problems with pay.

ADVANCE PAYMENT
Returning students who have been out of school for over 30 days and new students may choose to receive Advanced Payment. Basically, advanced payment provides funds at the beginning of a school term to help the student meet expenses concentrated at the start of a term. This must be done no later than 45-60 days prior to the beginning of the semester. Check with the VA certifying official for requirements to apply for Advance Pay.

BREAK PAY
Break (interval) pay between semesters and terms is paid according to the rules outlined below. Breaks are paid at the rate paid on the ending date of the term preceding the break. VA pays breaks automatically unless one of the following restrictions precludes payment for the break.

Restrictions on Break Pay:
•The break is more than 8 weeks
•The term before or after the break is shorter than the break
•Training time the last day of the preceding term is less than ½ time
•The student withdrew from all courses during the preceding semester or term
•The student’s entitlement will exhaust and not paying the break is to the student’s advantage
•The student requests no pay for a break before payment for the break is authorized
•The student is on active duty

Keeping these restrictions in mind, the following tables summarize break pay for students who continue at the same school and for students who transfer from one school to another:

Summer Term Rule:
Summer term is the whole of the period of instruction that takes place between ordinary school years. Summer term may be divided into several summer sessions. The following table summarizes summer term break pay for students who continue at the same school:

RETROACTIVE BENEFITS
VA benefits can be paid for enrollments up to one year before the date VA receives a student’s application. The date stamp put on the student’s application determines the one year date.

Chapter 35 retroactive benefits may be handled differently and may exceed one year. Student should contact the VA.

SELF CERTIFICATION
Veteran students who receive benefits under the Chapter 30 and 1606 GI Bill must verify their enrollment each month. These students will receive an award letter from the VA Regional Processing Center in Muskogee, OK. Once this is received, the student can self certify. To insure prompt payment of benefits please self certify every month. The earliest this can be done is the last day of the month. Monthly verification (self certification) can be done via one of the following two ways:

Telephone - Using Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
1-877-823-2378

Internet - WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment).
https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave

Failure to self-certify will cause your benefits to stop. You must do this every month or you will not get paid! Federal holidays may delay receipt of the Student Verification of Enrollment and/or your check.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND DIRECT DEPOSIT
Direct deposit of VA educational benefits payment is now available for Chapter 30 and 1606 recipients. This program speeds up education and work study payments. It also decreases chance of missing, lost, or stolen checks. As easy as 1-2-3, Chapter 30 and 1606 students may request direct deposit through the VA by calling the VA at:
1-888-442-4551
The VA will require students to provide their VA file number, 9-digit bank routing number, and checking/savings account number.

Students must keep their address current. Even if a student has direct deposit, the student still needs to keep his or her address current because all other correspondence including award letters are mailed to the student’s address. The fastest way to change an address is to call VA (888-442-4551). The automated functions of the phone server do not include changing address or starting Direct Deposit. Students can bypass the phone server and connect to Muskogee by hitting 1 and then 0 when the recording starts.

BENEFIT RATES OF PAY
Rates depend upon amount contributed and/or length of time in service (number of months of contribution), as well as enrollment status. Inquire at the Veterans' Office for current pay rates for each particular GI Bill.

Undergraduate Enrollment Status by Number of Credits

ACCELERATED SESSIONS
Non-standard sessions such as summer or short sessions (9-week classes, etc.) are payable but only during the time that they meet. Summer’s most common sessions are 6 and 8 weeks in length. Unit requirements for summer are:

WHEN YOUR ENROLLMENT STATUS IS UNDER 1/2 TIME
Receiving benefits when you are under 1/2-time status is allowed for chapter1606 recipients (1/4-time), but for the remaining chapters it is a problem.
Chapters 30, 31, 32 and 35 must attend 1/2 time or better to receive your monthly stipend. If you do not, or drop below, then you will only be reimbursed for tuition and fees, yet the VA will charge your benefit account as if you were drawing 1/2 time. Therefore, you lose money if you go below 1/2 time.