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502-5 Veteran Benefits

Title: Veterans Benefits
Owner: Office of Financial Aid
Last Updated/Revised: 05/01/2024

Policy: The following standards and requirements apply to all students who receive education benefits from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

Official Transcripts

Students using veterans education benefits must have official transcripts submitted to United States University detailing credit received from all prior post-secondary institutions. If the student served in the Armed Forces, they must provide the Joint Service Transcript (JST) and/or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcripts.

Federal Financial Aid

Students utilizing veterans education benefits are provided information regarding the application process for federal financial aid.  Students are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and discuss any federal financial aid eligibility with the Office of Financial Aid.

Veterans Education Benefit Certification

Students must present a VA Certificate of Eligibility or VA Form 29-1905/Purchase Order to their Enrollment Advisor to confirm eligibility for veterans education benefits.  If the student receives confirmation of the VA education benefit eligibility after enrollment, the documentation should be provided to the Military Benefits department.  Once the student has informed United States University of their intent to utilize VA education benefits, United States University certifies attended courses and the associated tuition and fees with the VA within 30 days of each course start date until the student’s benefits are exhausted. 

If the student would like to discontinue use of the VA benefits, the student must communicate this change in writing to the Military Benefits department and confirm the new method of payment prior to registering for the course that will not be paid with VA education benefits.

Once courses are certified and the tuition and fee amounts are reported to the VA, changes in the certified courses will be reported to the VA.  Enrollment changes may create a debt with the VA that United States University will be required to pay to the VA Debt Management Center.  This could cause an account balance that the student must pay to the University.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students using veterans education benefits must maintain satisfactory academic progress in their program.  See the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for further details. 

Allowing Veterans to Attend or Participate in Courses Pending VA Payment

Background:

Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 115-407, ‘Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,’ amends Title 38 US Code 3679 by adding a new subsection (e) that requires disapproval of courses of education, beginning August 1, 2019, at any educational institution that does not have a policy in place that will allow an individual to attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.

Pending Payment Compliance:

For students utilizing Chapter 31 VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits or utilizing Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® VA education benefits, United States University will not:

  • Charge late fees on the portion of tuition and fees billable to the VA while VA tuition and fee payment is pending.
  • Withdraw students for non-payment of the portion of tuition and fees billable to the VA while VA tuition and fee payment is pending.
  • Restrict student access to university facilities for non-payment on the portion of tuition and fees billable to the VA while VA tuition and fee payment is pending.
  • Require the student to access student loans for the purpose of paying the portion of tuition and fees billable to the VA while VA tuition and fee payment is pending.

To qualify, by or on the first day of the enrollment period a student must:

  • Present to the Enrollment Advisor or the Military Benefits Representative, a VA Certificate of Eligibility or VA Form 29-1905/Purchase Order issued in the name of the student.
  • Use one of the two VA benefits, Chapter 31 or Chapter 33, as noted.

Costs which are the responsibility of the student, such as tuition and fees not billable to VA, are not covered under the provision established by PL 115-407, Sec. 103.  Students using Post 9-11 benefits at less than 100% eligibility are responsible to contact the Financial Aid Office to make payment arrangements on the amount of tuition not anticipated to be paid by the VA.

The provision established by PL 115-407, Sec. 103, ends 90 days after tuition and fees are billed to VA whether or not VA has issued payment to the University.  At that time, the University can hold the student liable for the billable tuition and fees unpaid by the VA, place a registration hold for any outstanding amount billed to VA, or withdraw the student for non-payment of the billable tuition and fees not paid by VA. Ultimately, the student does agree to assume and pay all costs associated with said enrollment not paid by the VA directly to the University.

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to clarify the requirements for receiving veteran benefits.

Procedure:

Contact Information

Veterans who require assistance determining their eligibility for veterans education benefits should contact the VA at ask.va.gov or (800) 827-1000.

Students with questions regarding using veterans benefits at United States University should contact the Military Benefits department at militarybenefits@usuniversity.edu.

Scope: This policy applies to all students who utilize VA veterans education benefits.

Documents and Forms: None