VA Certification Request Form

VA Certification Request Form Directions Students eligible for VA benefits MUST complete and sign this form and return it to your Faulkner School Certifying Official before we will certify your enrollment. SECTION 1 - STUDENT INFORMATION Which Campus is your primary campus? What is your Major? Please select each campus where you have registered for classes and desire to be certified with the VA. Birmingham Center Military Veteran Services Montgomery Campus Huntsville Center Mobile Center Web classes Student ID#: SS#: VA File# (CH 35) Only) Name: Address: First Middle Last City: State: Zip Code: Home Phone: ( ) Work Phone: ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) Email: SECTION 2 BENEFIT INFORMATION What is your current military status? Active Duty Guard Reserves Retired/Discharged Dependent In what branch of service do you/did you serve? Under which Chapter do you want us to certify your enrollment? (Please select ONE from the list below.) Chapter 30 MGIB Active Duty Chapter 33 Post-9/11 Chapter 1606 National Guard/ Reserves Chapter 3l Vocational Rehabilitation Chapter 35 Survivor/Dependent Have you used VA Education Benefits before? YES NO Chapter 1607 REAP Have you already submitted an application to VA to use your benefits at Faulkner? YES NO Will you also be requesting TA (Tuition Assistance)? YES NO Will you also be receiving any scholarships? YES NO (We do not have to report Pell and/or Loans) Have you requested all of your transcripts including military, if applicable)? YES NO I acknowledge that I have read and understand the attached Statement of Responsibilities, Certification Information, and Benefit Basics. Student s Signature Date Last Updated: July 23, 2015

STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES It is my responsibility to know and understand the following: I must complete a Request for Certification form before I will be certified for VA benefits at Faulkner University. 1. I am responsible for full payment of university billing charges each term by the posted deadline regardless of when my benefits are paid; therefore, I should have an alternate way to pay if needed. 2. I must notify my School Certifying Official once I have completed the registration process which includes signing a payment agreement. 3. I must immediately notify my School Certifying Official of any course adds/drops or withdrawals that occur during the term. This includes schedule changes made before classes begin. 4. It is my responsibility to ensure that all of my classes are listed on my approved degree plan and have been approved by my advisor. Course substitutions must be reported to my School Certifying Official. 5. I must notify my School Certifying Official immediately if I change my major. 6. I understand that I cannot be certified for courses for which I have already received credit. My transfer credit, including military if applicable, will be evaluated to ensure that appropriate credit has been used. 7. I am aware that in many cases the use of both VA Education Benefits and other DOD benefits is considered Duplication of Federal Funds and is not allowed. This includes Military Tuition Assistance and ROTC Scholarships. Contact your Military Education Service Office to see if you fall into this category. If Duplication of Federal Funds is discovered, we will adjust or terminate your certifications accordingly. 8. I understand that if I am using Chapter 33 benefits some scholarships that specifically apply to tuition and fees only ( i.e. not general) must be subtracted from my total tuition and fees to get my NET tuition and fees and this NET amount is what is reported to VA. VA usually pays the NET tuition and fees multiplied by my Eligibility Percentage; however, other factors can affect the amount paid such as reaching the annual cap or running out of benefits. 9. I understand that receipt of VA benefits does not affect my eligibility for Title IV financial aid such as Pell Grant or loans. For questions about other sources of funding, I should contact Financial Aid. 10. I understand that, on the last day of each month, I must complete a monthly self-verification via phone or online via WAVE to assure VA that I am still enrolled before my money can be released.. This does not apply to Ch. 33 or Ch. 35. 11. I will notify my School Certifying Official if my VA benefits are denied, exhausted, or revoked (CH 33 Transferred Entitlement). I will also contact my School Certifying Official if I am notified by VA that I am in overpayment. 12. I understand that Faulkner must report to VA if I withdraw from a class, stop attending a class, receive an FA grade for excessive absences, am put on probation or suspension, or graduate from Faulkner. 13. Service members, Veterans and their Dependents are legally liable for repayment of debt incurred by the reduction of hours through withdrawal (including administrative withdrawal), reduction in hours for courses dropped and over-payments for courses determined at any time to be outside the student s degree requirements. 2

05/05/2015 Certification Information The following information is provided to inform you of the certification process for VA education benefits at Faulkner University and the requirements in determining eligibility. I. Documentation - Once Military Veterans Services (MVS) or your School Certifying Official is made aware that you will be attending Faulkner and utilizing VA benefits, you will be notified of the required documentation. The required documentation is determined by your chapter and individual requirements. After you have submitted the required documentation to Faulkner s MVS office or your School Certifying Official and you have completed registration, we will initiate the certification process for the term. Some locations wait until after the add/drop period to certify your enrollment and/or report your final amount of NET tuition and fees. II. Official Transcripts VA requires schools to evaluate and have on file official transcripts from all colleges and universities that you have attended, regardless of whether or not credits from those schools are accepted. This includes transcripts for military training, CCAF for Air Force, and Joint Services Transcript (JST) for all other branches of the military. If all official transcripts, including military, have not been received and evaluated by the end of your second semester as a Faulkner student we are required to notify the VA at the time of your next certification, who may in turn deny your future benefits until all transcripts are received and evaluated. III. Payment - The amount of benefits you will receive depends on several factors such as chapter of benefits, rate of pursuit, and Eligibility Percentage. A. Chapter of Benefits Contact VA to determine which chapter(s) of benefits you are eligible to receive. VA National Center phone number is 1-888-442-4551. They are open Monday Friday, 7 a.m. 7 p.m. CST. You will need to apply to VA to start using your benefits and notify them if you are changing schools. The applicable forms are available through your ebenefits account and VONAPP and can now be submitted electronically to VA - https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/vonapp. B. Rate of Pursuit - VA calculates rate of pursuit by dividing the credit hours being pursued by the number of credit hours considered to be full time. 1. Faulkner s full time status for undergraduate students in a traditional semester is 12 hours and for graduate students it is determined by program enrolled in. 2. Because Faulkner s undergraduate programs utilize a variety of term lengths, it is possible to be registered for 12 hours in a semester but not be considered full time. For example, if you are registered for 9 hours in the traditional term plus 3 hours for the first 8 week module and two hours in the second 8 week module you would not be full time during the second module because you are registered for only 11 hours during this time 9 hours traditional term + 3 hours 1 st 8 week module = 12 hours 9 hours traditional term + 2 hours 2 nd 8 week module = 11 hours However, if you are registered for 9 hours in the traditional term and 3 hours in each of the 8 week modules than you would be full time 3

9 hours traditional term + 3 hours 1 st 8 week module = 12 hours 9 hours traditional term + 3 hours 2 nd 8 week module = 12 hours Students enrolled in the HRM program and students taking courses with a variety of term lengths should be aware that they may not be considered fulltime every day by the VA even if they are full-time for all other purposes. If you have questions you should contact MVS or your School Certifying Official. C. Eligibility Percentage (Applicable only for those receiving Chapters 33, 30, and 1607 benefits). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in conjunction with the Department of Defense (DOD), determines creditable active duty time for the purpose of determining your Eligibility Percentage. 1. Chapter 33 Your Eligibility Percentage is determined by your total creditable active duty service after 9/10/01 and is applied to tuition and allowable fees, the Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA), and book stipend. 2. Chapter 30 Benefits are determined based on your time served on active duty. 3. Chapter 1607 Benefits are paid at a percentage of the Chapter 30 three year rate based on the number of continuous service days on active duty in any one period of service. D. Breaks between terms When there is a break in between terms, to include modules, benefits will not be paid for the break. III. Degree Plans - Once notification of advisor approval for the term has been received, MVS or your School Certifying Official will compare the courses you have registered for with your degree plan. A. Courses Only courses that are required in accordance with the curriculum guide or graduation evaluation form (degree plan) can be certified for VA purposes. B. Repeating courses VA only allows us to certify courses that are being repeated due to failure or because they do not meet minimum requirements for that course. C. Courses to improve Grade Point Average (GPA) Courses taken or repeated for the purpose of improving your GPA cannot be certified for VA purposes. D. Remedial Courses Must have the need documented by placement test scores and/or ACT scores. E. Auditing Courses Audited courses cannot be certified for VA purposes F. Full-time Status- In the eyes of VA your rate of pursuit (their term for status) is determined by the number of hours you are certified for; not the number of hours you are registered for. Your rate of pursuit will determine the amount of benefits that you will be paid. If we cannot certify it, VA will not pay for it. 4

G. Advising - 1. When discussing courses for the upcoming term with your advisor ensure the courses are required for your major and listed on your degree plan. 2. If a particular course will be used as substitute for a required course, ask your advisor to pull the substitution into your degree plan AND notify your School Certifying Official of the substitution. 3. If you are interested in taking additional courses not required for your major, but you and your advisor feel the additional courses will be an advantage to your education and future career, you may want to discuss adding a second major or minor with your advisor. H. Changing Majors - If you change your major or add a minor or a second major you are required to submit a Change of Major form to MVS or your School Certifying Official. This includes staying within the same major but adding or changing your emphasis, i.e. changing from BBA with no emphasis to BBA with emphasis in Logistics Management. You must ask MVS or your School Certifying Official for this form. I. Courses required for admission to graduate school A graduate school may require certain undergraduate courses to be passed for admission to their school that are not required courses for your undergraduate major. VA will pay for these courses if: You have applied for admission as a graduate degree-seeking student and provided transcripts of all previous education and training to the graduate school. The graduate school provides a statement on the school s letterhead and signed by a responsible school official that outlines additional required undergraduate courses by Faulkner s course number and name. IV. Adding /Dropping Courses When dropping a course you need to remember the following: A. Currently, you have 7 calendar days, which includes weekends and holidays, to withdraw from a course with a 100% refund, and 10 calendar days to withdraw with a 50% refund. After the 10 th day, you will still owe Faulkner for the course but VA may choose to request that money paid for that course be returned to VA from you, not Faulkner. Faulkner s refund policy is subject to change. Please find out what the current refund policy is BEFORE you drop any classes. B. A change to your schedule could result in a reduction of rate of pursuit, MHA, and book stipend. Also, when you make last minute changes to your schedule it may be after the Add/Drop period before we can process the changes. At that point it may be too late to make other changes to reverse the deduction in benefits. C. If you stop attending any course you are taking or stop participating in an online course, we must report your last date of attendance/participation to VA. VA may choose to request that money paid for that course be returned to VA from you, not Faulkner. D. We are required to report probations, suspensions, and graduation to VA. 5

V. Using Tuition Assistance (TA) with VA Benefits Recently, there have been significant changes to TA paid by the military. Since each branch of the military has their own TA programs, you should contact your Military Education Service Office for the most current information. A. It is imperative that you notify MVS or your School Certifying Official of the courses for which you are going to request TA prior to the term start date. 1. If you are using Chapter 33, we must subtract the amount of TA you will be receiving from your total tuition and fees and report the NET tuition and fees to VA. If we receive TA money for a course that we did not report to VA, we will have to correct your certification and VA will recoup the amount you received for TA. 2. If you are Chapter 30, please refer to C2 Below. 3. For all other chapters, you should not be certified for any course for which you will be getting TA. Since you can only be certified for courses for which VA benefits will be used, your rate of pursuit could be affected. B. TA now requires that you make a grade of C or better in undergraduate courses and B or better in graduate courses. If your course grade is below this standard, you may be required to re-pay any TA paid for that course. C. Only those using Chapters 33 and 30 can also receive TA for the same course; however, there are some things you need to know: 1. Chapter 33 - VA will only pay for tuition and allowable fees not covered by TA and will pay based on your Eligibility Percentage. For example, if you have Chapter 33 benefits at 70%, your tuition and allowable fees for one course is $1,000.00, and TA will pay $750.00, we must report to VA your NET tuition and fees, which is $250.00. VA will then pay $250.00 x 70% (your Eligibility Percentage), which is $175.00. You will be responsible for the remaining $75.00. There is no way to be fully covered by TA + VA unless you are eligible for Chapter 33 at 100% based on your Eligibility Percentage. 2. Chapter 30 Active Duty Service Members You cannot be certified for any course for which you are also getting TA, but you can submit a copy of your TA form to VA for them to pay the difference in your cost vs. what TA will pay. This is called Top-Up. The school has no involvement in this process. National Guard and Reserves- (M-Day members) Currently, you are the only ones able to receive the full amount of TA and Chapter 30 for the same courses, but you should be aware that this could change. You should discuss this with your Military Education Service Office. 6

Benefit Basics I. Chapter 33 Your Eligibility Percentage is determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in conjunction with the Department of Defense (DOD) and is based on your total creditable active duty service after 9/10/01. A. Tuition and Fees 1. VA will pay tuition and fees only for courses required for your major. If we cannot certify a course, we have to adjust the tuition and fees that we report to VA accordingly. 2. We must report your NET tuition and fees which is the actual net cost after the application of any waiver of, or reduction in, tuition and fees; and any scholarship, or other Federal, State, institutional or employer-based aid or assistance (excluding loans and title IV Funds, such as Pell) that is provided directly to the institution and specifically designated for the sole purpose of defraying tuition and fees. This includes ROTC Scholarships and Military Tuition Assistance (TA). 3. The tuition and fees are paid directly to Faulkner. B. Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) - Based on Rate of Pursuit, Eligibility Percentage and classification of courses (resident or distance learning). If your classes do not begin on the first day of the month or end on the last day of the month, VA will prorate your MHA and pay you for the part of the month that you were in school. The monthly housing allowance is paid directly to your designated bank account. Active duty service members and their spouses (using Chapter 33 benefits transferred to spouse) are ineligible for Chapter 33 MHA. 1. Resident To receive MHA at the resident rate you must have at least one hour of on ground/resident credit certified for the term. Your MHA is determined by multiplying your current MHA rate by your rate of pursuit and your Eligibility Percentage. 2. Distance Learning The distance learning rate is 50% of the MHA national average. Distance learning includes online courses, independent study courses and individualized study courses. When all certified courses in a term are considered distance learning the amount of MHA is 50% of the national average multiplied by your rate of pursuit and your Eligibility Percentage. C. Book Stipend Based on the current rate per certified semester hours multiplied by your Eligibility Percentage. A student receiving Chapter 33 benefits is eligible for a book allowance for a maximum of 24 semester hours per VA academic year (8/01 7/31). The book stipend is paid directly to your designated bank account. We strongly recommend that you purchase your text books at the beginning of the term; not wait until you receive your book stipend. II. Chapter 31 Military Veterans Services (MVS) or your School Certifying Official must have an approved VA Form 24-1905 on file indicating the correct degree type and a valid enrollment period. If you change your major, type of degree, or if the enrollment period is about to expire, you must contact your Voc Rehab Counselor for an updated 1905 before we can certify you for future terms. MVS or your School Certifying Official is responsible for certifying courses for Chapter 31; however, Student Accounts is responsible for invoicing VA for the tuition and fees. Student Accounts is also responsible for notifying 7

the book store of approval for you to purchase text books on credit. Contact Student Accounts at (334) 386-7165 to see what you need to do to get your books. III. Chapter 30 - Benefits are based on number of hours certified and your length of service (i.e. less than 3 years creditable service vs. 3 or more years creditable service). The monthly benefits are paid directly to your designated bank account. M-Day Members of the National Guard or Reserves who are eligible for Chapter 30 benefits may receive VA benefits and TA for the same courses. Active duty or AGR members may not receive VA benefits and TA for the same course, but may be eligible for Top-Up. IV. Chapter 1607 - Benefits pay a percentage of the Chapter 30 three-year or more rate based on the number of continuous service days on active duty in your longest period of service. The benefits are paid directly to your designated bank account and are based on the number of hours certified. Chapter 1607 VA benefits and TA cannot be used for the same course. V. Chapter 1606 To be eligible you must be actively participating in the Selected Reserve with a 6-year obligation to serve, complete basic training and initial specialty training, and have satisfactory participation in required training. Benefits are paid on a monthly basis directly to your designated bank account and are based on number of hours certified. You may also be eligible for a kicker of between $100 and $350, which would be a part of your original enlistment or re-enlistment contract. Chapter 1606 VA benefits and TA cannot be used for the same course. VI. Chapter 35 (Dependents Educational Assistance) Generally, dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition; or who died in service; or who died of a service-connected disability; may be eligible for Chapter 35. This includes children between 18 and 26 and the veteran s spouse. To apply for Chapter 35 benefits a VA form 22-5490 must be submitted to VA. Benefits are paid directly to your designated bank account and the amount is based on the number of hours certified. This benefit should not be confused with the Alabama G.I. Dependents Scholarship program which can only be used at state schools (Faulkner University is not a State School). Please note, the above information is based on current policies provided by VA and military TA programs and may not be all inclusive. It is the responsibility of the student receiving VA and/or TA to be familiar with current policies. Information pertaining to VA benefits can be obtained at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/school_resources.asp. Information pertaining to TA can be obtained at the student s Military Education Service office. 8