Depending on what benefit or assistance you are eligible for the payment and coverage may vary. Below is basic information about how your veteran benefit payment processes work, including GI Bill® programs, and what education-related expenses are covered.
In accordance with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, eligible Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 beneficiaries are allowed to attend class without penalties while awaiting payments from the VA. No additional fees will be assessed, no access or privilege will be denied, and beneficiaries will not be required to take out loans for the semester in which they are waiting on Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 benefit payments from the VA. Students are responsible for payment of tuition and fees not covered by their Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 benefits.
How payments work and what's covered under a benefit
Chapter 1606, Chapter 30, and Chapter 35
How payments work
Your payments will be sent to the bank account you set up for direct deposit with the VA. You will be paid at the end of each month. If school starts September 6, that means your first payment should arrive on or around October 1. However, first-time users may see a delay in the arrival of this first payment.
Verification for Chapter 1606 and 30
To receive Chapter 1606 and Chapter 30 payments, you must verify your enrollment monthly through WAVE before the VA will release payment.
What's covered?
Payments will be based on your enrollment certification submitted by the school. As long as you are taking at least one on campus credit per term, you will receive the standard payment for your enrollment level. Visit the VA’s website for the most up to date payment rates. If you have questions about which courses are eligible for certification, contact us.
Chapter 33
How payments work
The Post 9/11 GI Bill® pays in three ways: tuition and fees, a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA), and a book stipend. The tuition and fees payment will be sent directly to the school. The MHA and book stipend will be sent to the bank account you set up for direct deposit with the VA. If you are the service member this will be your MyPay account or the information you included on the VONAPP application. To change your direct deposit bank account with the VA, call them directly at 1-888-442-4551.
What's covered?
- Tuition and fees: all required tuition and fees are covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. For the most part this means if you did not decide to add the charge to your account, it will be covered by the VA. If you have 100% eligiblity, 100% of those costs will be covered. If you have 40% eligiblity, 40% of those costs will be covered. For example, resident tuition and any required student fees on your campus are covered, however dental insurance, UPass, parking passes, health insurance for spouses or dependents, and bookstore charges are not covered. Please note, if you have a tuition specific scholarship, fellowship, or grant you cannot “double-dip” with the GI Bill®. This does not apply to funds received through the FAFSA. If you have questions about your specific situation, contact us.
- Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA): this benefit pays directly to you. The MHA is based on the school’s zip code for an E-5 with dependents. The VA pro-rates the MHA based on a 30-day month. MHA payments are sent after you have completed a month of attendance. This means if school starts on September 6 you will receive your MHA payment on October 1.
- Books: the book stipend is based on your percent of eligibility and the number of credits you take. If you have 100% eligibility, you can receive a book stipend of up to $1000 for the year. If you have 60% eligibility, you can receive a book stipend of up to $600.
Special cases
- Studying abroad
- Online-only enrollment: if you are enrolled exclusively in online classes, you can find info about your MHA benefits and rates on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.
- Repeating courses: if you do not receive a passing grade, the VA will pay for you to repeat a class once. If you pass a class but want to try for a better grade (example you get a C but you think you can get an A now), the VA will not pay for you to repeat that course. However, the VA will pay for repeats if a college requires you to repeat courses that require a minimum grade, or higher, to complete a major.
- Suspension: the VA uses the same progress standards as the University of Minnesota. If your low grades lead to a suspension, the suspension will be reported to the VA.
- Test coverage: you can be reimbursed up to $2,000 per test. Your entitlement will be charged one month for every $1,759.08 paid to you rounded to the nearest non-zero whole month; this means even low-cost tests are charged one month of entitlement per test.
- Tutoring: you should first contact your department to see if free tutoring is available. Individual tutorial assistance can be reimbursed by the GI Bill® for chapters 30, 33, 35 and 1606. The monthly amount reimbursed cannot exceed $100. To apply, complete VA Form 22-1990t, Application and Enrollment Certification for Individualized Tutorial Assistance. You will be required to pay the tutor up front and the VA will reimburse you.
Chapter 31
How payments work
Your tuition payments will be sent directly to your school and placed on your student account. You will see your Vocational Rehabilitation payment posted to your student account with a “Veterans Affairs, Dept Of” notation.
To receive your books and the allotted amount of supplies you must use the University Bookstore’s Scholarship desk. If you buy your books and supplies yourself you may not be eligible for reimbursement.
What's covered?
Payments will be based on the authorization form (28-1905). Typically an authorization will cover tuition, fees, books, and supplies. If you want to have additional fees/items covered by your benefit, you will need to work with your Vocational Rehabilitation counselor.
Minnesota GI Bill®
How payments work
The Minnesota GI Bill® is a need-based form of financial aid and a last-payer. Typically this means the benefit will not pay out until the second half of the semester. Students must have room in their budget for the the MN GI Bill® to disburse. If you have more than 90% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® you will not have room in your budget for this benefit.
What's covered?
Based on your budget, full-time undergraduate or graduate students may be eligible to receive up to $3,000 per year and part-time students may be eligible to receive up to $500 per semester.
Debts with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
If you drop a class you may have a debt with the VA, the school, or both.
Under the Post-9/11 chapter 33 GI Bill®, a debt will be created for the cost of tuition, Monthly Housing Allowance, and possibly book money paid for that class. Other chapters will have a debt established for the monthly stipend you received for that class.
Feel free to call us for more information on where the debt came from. If you have additional questions about repayment you may need to call the VA Debt Management Center at 1-800-827-0648.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.