Military and Veteran Student Services

Resources for UAA Student Veterans and Active Duty Military Students

• When will I get paid?
  
  

  When will I get my book stipend and housing allowance?

  For Chapter 33 recipients, UAA submits two certifications to the VA each term. An initial certification is submitted to notify the VA of term dates and credit hours to kick start your BAH and book stipend benefits and a final certification is submitted after the add/drop deadline to report tuition and fee amounts for certified courses. This is to avoid large overpayments or underpayments made to UAA if changes to students' schedules are done during add/drop period.

  When will the VA pay the school?

  Tuition and fees will appear as an outstanding balance on your student account until payment for certified courses is received but most Chapter 33 students' accounts are flagged for deferment so that no late fees are assessed to tuition and fee balances pending VA payment.
  
  Note: Chapter 33 recipients who have been rated at less than 100% eligibility, who are taking course work inapplicable to degree plan, or who have charges on their accounts that will not be paid by the VA (book store charges, parking permits, housing and meal plans, etc.) are required to make payment by the payment deadline to avoid a late fee.

  When will I receive my excess federal financial aid disbursement (if applicable)?

  Students who receive federal financial aid may receive multiple refunds each semester. Students whose federal financial aid exceed their bill may receive a refund prior to the add/drop deadline. After the add/drop deadline, when we submit your final certification, accounting services will refund financial aid based on the anticipated amount we expect from the VA. UAA will use your federal aid refunds for charges that will not be paid by the VA, to the extent allowable under law. As a result of the refund, a balance due will appear on your student account equal to the pending VA payment.

• I did not receive the correct payment, why?

  This could be for several reasons including beginning date of benefits, exhausted benefits, pro-rated month of benefits, etc. To be sure of the reason please contact the VA directly at 1-888-442-4551.

• Can I double major while using VA Educational Benefits?

  There is a difference between Dual Major and Dual Objective

  Dual Major – Dual majors pursued under an academic policy that defines the dual major’s requirements can be certified. EX: BA English/Psychology or BS Biological Sciences/Environment & Society

  Dual Objective – Pursuing two different degrees or a degree and certificate at the same institution. This is acceptable if all objectives pursued are generally recognized as being reasonably related to a single career field. If they are not relatable, then a statement would need to be submitted to the Military & Veteran Student Services office indicating how the objectives will assist the student in their single career field goals. EX: BS Health Sciences/AAS Professional Piloting or BA Art/BS Computer Science

• Can I make changes to my degree program and still use my benefits?

  Yes, a student can change their major or minor and still use their benefits.

  Change of Major: Submit a complete Change of Major form to the Office of the Registrar.

  Change Admissions Application Prior to Final Admissions: You may submit a Request to Change Application for Admissions to the Office of Admissions. 

  Add/Drop a Minor: Submit an electronic Declaration of Minor to the Office of the Registrar.

  After your request is processed submit a UAA Student Veteran Report of Change to notify us of your changes.

• Will the VA pay for pre-requisite or applicable remedial coursework?

  Yes, but the VA will not fund benefits for remedial classes IF they are taken online.

• How does taking all online coursework impact my housing allowance (BAH)?

  For Post 9/11: Chapter 33 recipients, the BAH for 100% eligible, full-time rate of pursuit drops down to ½ of the national average, therefore, $825.00* for academic year 2018/2019.  For more information please see Benefits by Chapter.

  *Subject to change: Strictly tied to Department of Defense (DoD) BAH calculator.

• What will happen if I withdraw from or fail a certified course?

  Withdraw: If this course has been certified we will need to report the withdrawal to the VA. The VA will send a letter to the student if any debt has been created.

  No-Basis: Similar to the withdrawal, we will need to report the no-basis grade to the VA. The VA will send a letter to the student if any debt has been created.

  Fail: We do not report punitive grades (F) to the VA as the university does not have a standardized attendance policy. However, keep in mind while we will not report this grade to the VA it will still greatly impact your GPA.

• Will the VA pay for electives my advisor/professor has recommended?

  We cannot certify recommended coursework – We can only certify courses that are required for your degree program.  These courses will be listed in your current DegreeWorks plan which can be found through UAOnline.

• Can I use my benefits if I am not admitted in a degree program?

  Pending Degree Seeking: We are only able to certify a student as non-matriculated pending final admission into the university for 2 terms. The VA defines a term as courses that have different start/stop dates.

  Non-Degree Seeking: Students must be actively degree seeking to be able to use their benefits, therefore, we would not be able to certify a student who is Non-Degree Seeking.  

  Academically Disqualified: Once a student has become Academically Disqualified they will need to complete the Admissions reinstatement process and become fully admitted before we are able to certify them in a future semester. 

• How do I see my payment information and remaining eligibility?

  eBenefits: We recommend students use this tool to view their certification and remaining eligibility information or call 888-GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551). Call between 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Central Time, Monday-Friday.

  Students can also update their bank account information by calling 1-877-838-2778 to update their direct deposit information.

• 6-Credit Hour Exclusion

  VA automatically grants mitigating circumstances for up to 6 credits the first time a student reduces or terminates and mitigating circumstances must be considered. The exclusion is a one-time grant.

• Adjustment

  Is used to report an increase or decrease in credit hours on the enrollment certification.

• Amendment

  Is used to change begin date, end date, tuition and fees on the enrollment certification.  

• Applicable Coursework

  Only courses that satisfy requirements outlined by the degree audit on Degree Works through UAOnline or catalog can be certified for VA purposes.

• BAH

  For Chapter 33 recipients - Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) – Monthly Housing Allowance amounts are prorated based on a student’s benefit level and may be further reduced based on the rate or pursuit rounded to the nearest multiple of 10.

• Certification

  Enrollment Certification – A process informing the VA of a student’s enrollment

  Initial Certification – An initial certification is submitted to notify the VA of term dates and credit hours to kick start your BAH and book stipend benefits.

  Final Certification - A final certification is submitted after the add/drop deadline to report tuition and fee amounts for certified courses.

• COE

  Certificate of Eligibility – Letter issued to an applicant showing approval to pursue a stated program of education at a particular institution, the remaining entitlement of the student, and the end date of the student’s eligibility.

• Non-Matriculated

  Pending final admission into a degree seeking program at our university.

• Percentage of Eligibility

  Percentage of Eligibility is determined by the VA based on number of active duty days from 09/10/2001. For information contact the VA Educational Benefits Hotline at 1-888-442-4551.

• Pre-Requisite

  A course that is required before taking a direct degree requirement. EX: MATH A105 is a pre-requisite to MATH A151

• Rate of Pursuit

  For Chapter 33 recipients: VA calculates rate of pursuit by diving the number of credits being pursued by the number of credits considered to be full-time by the school. The resulting percentage is the student’s rate of pursuit. The housing allowance is paid if the student’s rate of pursuit is more than 50%. Rate of pursuit determines whether a student receives or doesn’t receive the housing allowance.

  Examples for undergraduate in a standard term:

  6 credits is 50% (6 ÷ 12 = 50%) or 7 credits is 58% (7 ÷ 12 = 58%)

• Remedial

  A course below 100 level - Does not count towards the degree program but is needed to reach the next level in the subject. EX: MATH A055 to be able to take MATH A105. Must be taken in the traditional classroom setting to be certified.

• Terminate

  Is used to report a complete drop/withdrawal from an enrollment period.

• Tuition Assistance or Tuition Waiver

  Is a specific type of scholarship that only pays for tuition – Not fees or any other student expenses.

• VA 22-1999

  VA form term for an Enrollment Certification

• VA 22-1999b

  VA form term for a Notice of Change in Student Status