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What will the Montgomery GI Bill do for me?The Montgomery GI Bill will provide you with a monthly educational allowance to help you pay for your education. The monthly benefit amount depends on the number of credits that you are taking each term, the length of each course, and the length of your initial enlistment. During a standard 16-week semester, 12 semester hours or more is considered full time and will result in a monthly payment of $900 to you for each full month of training if you completed three or more years of active duty service obligation. If you are eligible for the College Fund, you will receive additional monies. You are eligible for up to 36 months of full-time educational benefits, provided you completed your initial obligation with an honorable discharge. However, you must use all of your benefits within 10 years of your separation date. Otherwise, they will expire. Back to TopHow do I start using my Montgomery GI Bill?Select a school that you would like to attend and make sure that it is approved for veterans benefits. Once you have been admitted to the school, talk to a counselor and select a degree program. Request transcripts from all previous educational and military training and have them evaluated for possible credit toward your degree. This is a DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) requirement. The school must notify the DVA no later than the end of your second term of enrollment that your prior credit has been evaluated. If that has not been completed, your benefits may be suspended until your prior credit is evaluated and reported to the DVA. Register only for courses that are required by your degree program. Back to TopHow does the Department of Veterans Affairs know to pay me?Apply for your benefits by completing VA Form 22-1990 Application for VA Education Benefits. Veterans should submit a copy of their most recent DD Form 214 (Member copy 4) with the application. Service members still on active duty who have completed at least two years active duty must have their applications signed by their Command Education Officer. The campus veterans advisor at your campus will verify your enrollment and forward your application and related documents, as well as certification of your enrollment, to the VA Regional Processing Center in Buffalo, NY. The DVA will process your claim and send a check directly to you or to a direct deposit account designated by you, each month that you are enrolled in school. Back to TopWhen will I receive my first check? How do I find out the status of my payments?New applicants should allow 8 to 10 weeks from the date that your application for benefits and your certification of enrollment were processed by the college to receive your first check. You will be paid retroactively from the first day of class. Once you receive your first check, subsequent checks should arrive near the middle of each month if you remain continuously enrolled. Enrollment certifications for returning students are transmitted to the VA electronically, as long as you notify your campus advisor of your enrollment. Using the ECAP program (Electronic Certification Automated Processing), the DVA will process the certification and authorize payment the same day of its receipt. Remember: Changes in enrollment status or address can delay your payment. Students may inquire about the status of a pending claim through the Buffalo Regional Office Claim Inquiry. Students may also contact the Buffalo Regional Processing Office at 1-888-442-4551 (1-888-GI Bill-1) or 716-551-5191. Back to TopAt Northern Virginia Community College am I required to pay my tuition up front?Yes. Northern Virginia Community College does not have an advance payment agreement with the DVA. This means that your tuition must be paid when you register for courses. If you plan to enroll in a more expensive four-year college or university, you may be able to get an advance payment from the VA to help pay your tuition. Contact the veterans advisor at that school for more information regarding payment options. Some colleges offer deferred payment plans. Back to TopMust I attend school full-time to receive my benefits?No. You may take as many or as few courses as you feel you can comfortably manage. Your monthly payment will be determined by the number of semester hours in which you are enrolled and the length of your courses. For instance, if you are a full-time student taking 12 or more semester hours, you will receive full-time benefits for each month that you continue with this training time. If you are a part-time student taking less than 12 semester hours, your monthly benefit checks will be reduced accordingly. Accelerated courses (e.g. 8-week classes) sometimes are paid at a higher rate based on a different method of measurement used to calculate training time. You must be enrolled half-time or more in order to receive a monthly payment from the VA. If you are enrolled for less than half-time, or if you are on active duty, you will receive a lump sum payment of tuition cost or the amount of your monthly benefits, whichever is less. Exception: Chapter 32 and Chapter 1606 receive monthly checks for less-than-half time training. Back to TopWill I automatically receive benefits next semester? How long will I continue to receive my benefits?No. Students must submit a Veterans Enrollment Reporting Form at the start of each semester. Then, the veterans advisor from your home campus of record will review your program of study and certify that the courses you are enrolled in are required to complete your degree program. Certification of Enrollment will then be sent to the Regional Processing Office in Buffalo, New York. If you completed at least 20 months of a two-year enlistment or 30 months or a three-year enlistment, you are typically entitled to 36 months of full-time educational benefits. Your training time will be deducted from your 36 months as it is used. For example, if you are taking 6 credits as a half-time student, the VA will deduct 1/2 month of entitlement for each month that you are paid at the half-time training rate. In this case, you could continue going to school half-time for a total of 72 months. If you increase your training time, your monthly benefits will increase and your 36 months of eligibility will be depleted faster. You have 10 years from the day you were separated from active duty to use your benefits. Back to TopI received a Student Verification Form in the mail. What should I do with it?Students who receive a Student Verification Form (VA Form 22-8979) must respond as specified on the form in order to receive payment. There is a provision on the form to change or correct enrollment status if it is no longer valid. Students should also verify their correct address before responding. Note: If you make corrections on your VA Form 22-8979, also notify your Campus Veterans Advisor before mailing it. It may need an adjustment document attached. Effective August 1st, all students who are receiving either the Montgomery GIBILL Active duty or Selected Reserve MUST now verify their enrollments monthly to receive payments. This verification can be done either by using the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) application at the GI Bill Website or by using an automated telephone system (IVR) at 1-877-823-2378 and follow the prompts. Back to TopWhat happens if I withdraw from a course? What if I fail a course?If you withdraw from a course the DVA may require you to repay the money for this course retroactive to the first day of class unless you withdrew due to reasons beyond your control. If the DVA accepts your reason for withdrawing as being beyond your control, you will be paid through the last day of attendance. If this is the first instance that you withdrew, the DVA may consider that mitigating circumstances exist without explanation from you for withdrawing from a course or courses totaling not more than 6 semester hours. Note: You must report any changes in your class schedule to your campus veterans advisor in order to avoid overpayment of your educational benefits. If you fail a course and the course is required for graduation, the VA will pay you to repeat it and they will not recover the money that they already paid you for the course you failed. However, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress as measured by your cumulative grade point average and the number of credits that you have attempted. If your progress becomes unsatisfactory, your benefits will be suspended until you regain satisfactory progress for your degree program. Can I enroll in any courses that I want?Once you select a degree program and are placed into that program, you will be guided in your course selection by the requirements for graduation for that specific degree in the college catalog. It is important that you have your prior credits evaluated early so that you do not register for a course that you have already completed. The DVA will not pay for a course that you have already taken. They will also not pay for a course that cannot be used in your degree program. The DVA will allow you a maximum of two terms to decide upon a program of study before suspending your benefits. Can I change my degree program?Yes. The DVA allows you to make a change of curriculum. You will need to select a new program of study, have all your previous credits evaluated and complete a VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training). What information can I obtain by calling 1-888-442-4551 (1-888 GIBILL1)?This toll free line provides information on VA education al benefits 24-hours a day, seven days a week. The automated system provides a wide range of information about VA educational benefits and specific information about individual accounts. Customers can speak to an Education Officer during business hours Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (excluding federal holidays).
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