Post-9/11 GI Bill Chapter 33
Benefit Payments
Tuition and Fees
• Individuals on active duty are eligible for the lesser
of:
− Tuition and fees charged; or
− The amount of charges that exceed the amount
paid by the military’s federal tuition assistance
• Individuals not on active duty are eligible for the
applicable percentage (based on aggregate active
duty service) of the lesser of:
− Tuition and fees charged; or
− Highest amount of tuition and fees charged for inState undergraduate training at a public institution
of higher learning in the state the student is
enrolled
3
Tuition and Fees
Established charges means the actual
charge for tuition and fees that similarly
circumstanced nonveterans enrolled in
the program of education are required to
pay.
4
Tuition and Fees
Fees are defined as mandatory charges (other than
tuition, room, and board) that are applied by the
institution of higher learning for pursuit of an
approved program of education and include, but are
not limited to:
•
•
•
•
Health premiums
Freshman fees
Graduation fees
Lab fees
Does not include study abroad course(s) unless the
course(s) is a mandatory requirement for completion
of the approved program of education
5
Tuition and Fees

Institutions must report tuition and fees separately
on VA Form 22-1999, Enrollment Certification

A spreadsheet containing the highest in state
tuition per credit hour and the highest fees per
term is posted on the GI Bill website

Tuition and fees payable are calculated separately

VA compares actual tuition charged per credit hour
vs. maximum in-State tuition per credit hour and
then pays the lesser amount
6
Tuition and Fees
MN Caps
Tuition = $750.00/credit
Fees/term = $4,493.86
Example for 50% Benefit Level
Post-9/11 GI Bill Payment
Tuition
50% X ($450 X 6)
Fees
50% X $500
Books and supplies 50% X (6 X $41.67)
$1350
$250
$125.01
$1725.01
Paul’s total charged tuition and fees are $3,200, however, he is
only eligible for a $1600 tuition and fee payment.
7
Tuition & Fees Example
Status: Active duty
Benefit Level: N/A
Highest in state maximum charged per credit hour:
N/A
Tuition Charged: $25,000
Fees Charged: $0
Number of hours enrolled: 12
Tuition Assistance: $0
Result:
Tuition and fee payment to the institution is $25,000
because the individual is on active duty.
8
Tuition & Fees Example
Status: Veteran
Benefit Level : 100%
Highest in state maximum charged per credit hour:
$750
Highest in state fees: $4,000
Tuition charged: $18,000
Fees charged: $2,000
Number of hours enrolled: 12
9
Tuition & Fees Example
Calculation:
Step 1 - Determine tuition cap
$750 X 12 = $9,000
Step 2 - Compare tuition
$9,000 vs. $18,000
pay the lesser: $9,000
Step 3 - Determine fee cap
$4,000 (Highest in state fees)
Step 4 - Compare fees
$4,000 vs. $2,000
pay the lesser: $2,000
Step 5 - Add and multiply by benefit level
$9,000 + $2,000 = $11,000
$11,000 x 100% = $11,000
RESULT: Tuition and fee payment to school is $11,000.
10
Tuition & Fees Example
Status: Veteran
Eligibility Percentage: 60%
Highest in state maximum charged per
credit hour: $750
Highest in state fees: $4,000
Tuition charged: $5,000
Fees charged: $350
Number of hours enrolled: 9
11
Tuition & Fees Example
Calculation:
Step 1 - Determine tuition cap
$750 X 9 = $6,750
Step 2 - Compare tuition
$6,750 vs. $5,000
pay the lesser: $5,000
Step 3 - Determine fee cap
$4,000 (Highest in state fees)
Step 4 - Compare fees
$4,000 vs. $350
pay the lesser: $350
Step 5 - Add and multiply by benefit level
$5,000 + $350 = $5,350
$5,350 x 60% = $3,210
RESULT: Tuition and fee payment to school is $3,210.
12
Monthly Housing Allowance
Monthly Housing Allowance
Individuals are not eligible for the monthly
housing allowance if they are:
• On active duty
• Training at ½ time or less
• Pursuing training solely by distance
learning
14
Monthly Housing Allowance
• Equivalent to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
for an E-5 with dependents
• Amount determined by zip code of the IHL where the
student is enrolled
http://perdiem.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html

Calculated by multiplying the individual’s benefit level
(40–100%) by the full monthly housing allowance
• Payments issued directly to the student on a monthly
basis for the previous month.
15
Rate of Pursuit
• Rate of pursuit applies specifically to the
Post-9/11 GI Bill, and is similar to training
time in other benefit programs
• It is calculated by dividing the number of
credit hours (or equivalent) being pursued by
the number of credit hours (or equivalent) that
is considered to be full-time at the specific
institution
• The resulting percentage is the individual’s
rate of pursuit
16
Rate of Pursuit
Example
Standard term:
Full time is 12 credit hours
Student is pursuing 8 credit hours
8 ÷12 = 0.66667
Rate of pursuit is 67%
If rate of pursuit is more than 0.50000 or 50%,
housing allowance is payable
17
Rate of Pursuit
Non-standard term:
 Equivalent Credit Hours (ECH) must be
computed first
 ECH will be divided by the number of credit
hours considered to be full time at the
institution to determine the rate of pursuit.
18
Rate of Pursuit Example
Non-standard term:
Full time is 12 credit hours
Student is pursuing 3 credit hours over an
8-week semester
ECH = 6.75
6.75 ÷ 12 = 0.56000
Rate of pursuit is 56%
19
Monthly Housing Allowance
Calculation:
 Based on the length of his active duty service, Corporal
Connors’ benefit level is 90%
 The monthly housing allowance for Benedictine College is
$1,742
 Amount of housing: $1,742 X 90% = $1,567.80 per month
08/14/09 – 08/31/09
09/01/09 – 09/30/09
10/01/09 – 10/31/09
11/01/09 – 11/30/09
12/01/09 – 12/14/09
17 days $888.42
30 days$1,567.80
30 days$1,567.80
30 days$1,567.80
14 days $731.64
20
Monthly Housing Allowance

Sergeant Green’s benefit level is 60%

The monthly housing allowance for Seton Hall
University is $1,447

Amount of housing: $1,447 X 60% = $868.20 per
month
08/10/09 – 08/31/09 21 days
09/01/09 – 09/30/09 30 days
10/01/09 – 10/07/09 7 days
$607.74
$686.20
$202.58
21
Books and Supplies Stipend
• Up to $1,000 per academic year
– $41.67 per credit hour
– Up to 24 credit hours in a single academic year
– Lump sum payment (each quarter, semester or
term attended) paid directly to the individual
• Prorated based on benefit level
• If the enrollment begins before 08/01/09, it is not
reduced based on a partial enrollment period
• Active duty members are not eligible
22
Books and Supplies
An individual at the 100% benefit level enrolls for
15 credit hours for the Fall 2009 term.
Calculation:
$41.67 X 15 X 100% = $625.05
The individual enrolls for 12 credit hours for the
Spring 2010 term.
How much is the payment for the books and supplies
stipend?
23
Book & Supplies Stipend

Example:
– If Susan enrolls in 15 credit hours for the Fall Term, she
will receive a lump sum payment of $625.05 ($41.67 x
15 credit hours = $625.05)
– During the Spring term she enrolls in an additional 12
hours. Susan is only eligible to receive the books and
supplies stipend for 9 of the 12 credit hours, she can not
receive payment for more than the maximum of 24
credit hours in a single academic year. Her payment for
the Spring term will be $375.03 ($41.27 x 9 = $375.03)
24
Books and Supplies Stipend
Since the individual already received the
books and supplies stipend for 15 credit
hours, he/she is only eligible for payment
for the books and supplies stipend for an
additional 9 credit hours.
Calculation: $41.67 X 9 X 100% = $375.03
25
Books and Supplies
An individual eligible at the 80% benefit level
enrolls for 18 credit hours for the Fall 2009 term.
Calculation: $41.67 X 18 X 80% = $600.05
The individual enrolls for another 18 credit hours for
the Spring 2010 term.
How much is the payment for the books and supplies
stipend?
26
Books and Supplies
Since the individual already received the books and
supplies stipend for 18 credit hours, he/she is only
eligible for an additional 6 credit hours
Calculation: $41.67 X 6 X 80% = $200.02
NOTE: The total payment for the academic year is
$800.07, the applicable percentage of the
maximum books and supplies stipend based on the
individual’s benefit level
27
Yellow Ribbon
Yellow Ribbon Program
• A way for veterans to attend higher-cost
schools and educational programs
• VA partners with Institutions of Higher Learning
(IHLs) to pay unmet charges
• May pay up to 100% of costs that exceed the
highest in-state maximum limits by creating a
matching program
• VA will match the IHL’s contribution towards the
unmet charges up to 50%
29
Yellow Ribbon Program
• Report tuition charged, fees charged, and
the maximum amount willing to
contribute per term
• VA will pay the lesser of:
– The amount of Yellow Ribbon certified
– The difference between the amount
certified and 50% of the individual’s
unmet tuition and fee charges
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Yellow Ribbon
Ray Green’s Tuition for 12 resident credits is $12,000 and fees are
$175.00
Example
Post-9/11 GI Bill Payment
Tuition
$750 (MN Cap) X 12
Fees
$175
$9,000
$175
$9,175
Ray’s total unmet charges are $2,825 ($12,000 - $9,175)
Ray is attending a Yellow Ribbon participating institution that
agreed to contribute up to $2,500 per student annually. The
institution should certify the maximum amount of Yellow Ribbon
contributions that they are willing to pay for the certified
enrollment period. VA will pay the lesser of the amount certified
by the school or $1,477.50
NOTE: Ray is also entitled to the monthly housing allowance and
the books and supplies stipend, however, they are not used to
calculate the Yellow Ribbon payment.
31
Yellow Ribbon
Certification for Ray Green:
For Yellow Ribbon Participants (33Yellow), the Yellow
Ribbon field will be displayed in the Edit Enrollment Area
and is required. The amount entered must be greater than
zero. The Yellow Ribbon amount entered is the amount of
the school’s contribution toward the “unmet” charges.
32
Yellow Ribbon
• Yellow Ribbon Program amounts certified
should be the maximum amount the
institution is willing contribute per term
• VA will pay the lesser of the amount
certified or 50% of the unmet charges
• Institutions will track annual amounts
based on Yellow Ribbon Program
agreements
33
The Yellow Ribbon Amount has been added to the Information Icon on
the Certs page. If a Yellow Ribbon amount was submitted, it will be
listed so that the certification does not have to be highlighted or opened
34
to see the amount.
The “33Yellow” benefit type will allow you to quickly identify your Yellow
Ribbon Participants. It also enables edits applicable to only chapter 33
Yellow Ribbon participants.
To see how many Yellow Ribbon participants, you have, select “33Yellow”
as the benefit type and click Filter. The number of records will appear in
the middle left side of the screen.
35
If 33 Yellow is selected as the chapter type, the Active Duty checkbox
cannot be checked. Active Duty students are reimbursed for the entire
amount of tuition and fees, so the Yellow Ribbon Program is not
applicable.
36
Payments From VA



Tuition & Fee payment for each student
Yellow Ribbon separate payment
Payment based on VA Form 22-1999, no
payments will be made based on invoices or
bills
 Student’s VA file number, name, and term
dates will be provided with payment to your
financial institution
 Payments by check will have stub containing
the information above
37
Payments From VA
• All benefit payment types are processed separately
• Vet Rep Listing only contains payments issued to the
institution
• Ch33 payments issued to the claimant are not
associated with any facility code, therefore, these
payments are not reflected on any Vet Rep Listings
NOTE: Schools may still opt to receive Vet Rep Listing for
non-ch33 payment issued to the claimant
38
Payments From VA
• Tuition and fee payments will be issued to the
school on behalf of each student via
Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT)
• If EFT information is unavailable, payments
will be sent to the school mailing address on
file in VA’s Web-Enabled Approval
Management System (WEAMS)
• Payments will include student identification
information and the semester, quarter or term
the payment is covering
39
Vet Rep Listing Report

Mailed weekly to School Certifying
Official.
 Lists all VA education benefits your
students are receiving.
 Payments made directly to school will be
listed in a sub-section titled “Chapter 33
Tuition and Fees and Yellow Ribbon
Payments.”
40
Vet Rep Listing Report
41
Vet Rep Listing Report
42
Vet Rep Listing Report
Claimant’s VA file number (8-digit file
number or social security number)
43
Vet Rep Listing Report
•Amount of payment issued
•Enrollment period covered
by payment
44
Vet Rep Listing Report
•Claimant’s address
•Benefit payment type
33T = Tuition and fees
33Y = Yellow Ribbon Program
45
Payments & Overpayments
• Payments amounts based on treasury records
• Amounts reflected are actual payment amounts
after any overpayments have been withheld
• If amounts reflected are less than tuition and fees,
schools should
– Review claimant’s benefit level
– Verify if overpayment exists
NOTE: School may contact VA or review VA-ONCE for
VA Form 22-1999b to determine if an overpayment
exists.
46
Payments & Overpayments
• If a student attends a portion of the certified
enrollment period, yet does not complete
training, schools should follow their established
student refund policy
• If a refund is due, it should be issued to the
student
• Refunds for partial attendance should not be
returned to VA
• The student is responsible for any overpayment
of VA benefits incurred as a result of a change
in enrollment
47
Payments & Overpayments
• If a student never attends any portion of the certified
enrollment period, schools should return money back
to VA
• If a refund of a student’s out-of-pocket expenses is
due, it should be issued to the student
• The school is obligated to refund payments to the VA
for a student’s non-attendance (regardless of the
established student refund policy)
• Payments returned to VA must include the student
identification information as well as the quarter, term
or semester for which the payment was made
48
Payments & Overpayments
Send Check to the Agent Cashier of the RPO including
“student identification information”
or
Send paper check to:
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Financial Management Service
P.O. Box 51318
Philadelphia, PA 1911-6316
or
Electronically via:
Automated Clearinghouse to R31 ACH return code
49
Payments & Overpayments
• If a student does not complete a certified
enrollment period, the school may or may not
issue a refund
• If an overpayment is created, the student will
be responsible for making repayment
arrangements with VA’s Debt Management
Center (DMC) regardless of whether or not a
refund was received from the school
50
Payments & Overpayments

VA will notify student about overpayment

Notifications will inform student of the
overpayment amount and whom to contact to
establish a repayment schedule

DMC will also send notification of the
overpayment amount and provide due
process rights

Overpayments are collected by DMC
51
Payments & Overpayments

In most cases, overpayments will not be
collected during the due process period,
which is 30 days from the day of notification

Students with existing overpayments may
attend school; however, their benefit
payments will be withheld until the
overpayment is collected

Overpayments will be collected from the
“next” payment, including tuition and fees and
Yellow Ribbon Program payments
52
Transfer of Entitlement
Spouses:
• May use after transferor completes 6 years in
Armed Forces
• Paid at transferor’s rate - Cannot be paid monthly
housing allowance or books and supplies stipend
if the transferor is on active duty when the spouse
is receiving benefits
• Can continue to use benefits if divorced, unless
the transferor revokes remaining entitlement
• Can use benefits up to transferor’s 15-year
eligibility period, unless transferor specifies an
earlier ending date
• Not limited to highest in-State tuition and fee rates
while transferor in on active duty
53
Transfer of Entitlement
Children:
• Entitlement must be transferred to an unmarried child who
has not reached the age of 18 or, if in school, before child is
23 years of age
• May use benefits after transferor completes 10 years in
Armed Forces
• Must have:
― reached age 18; or
― completed requirements of secondary school diploma
―
(or equivalency certificate)
• Receives veteran rate, including housing allowance & book
stipend, even if transferor is on active duty
• May use until 26 years old even if transferor’s 15-year
eligibility period ended
• May continue to use benefits after marriage
54
For Transfer of Entitlement
(TOE) students, the VA file
number is the student’s SSN
and the payee# is “00 (Vet).
55
Reporting Procedures
Other Financial Aid Assistance
 VA benefits are considered an entitlement and are not reduced
based on financial need
 Amounts reported to VA should be actual charges prior to any
reductions or financial aid
 Financial Aid offices are responsible for determining if an
individual remains entitled to state aid, scholarships or other
financial assistance based on receipt of VA benefits
– If a state prohibits a public IHL from charging a student
tuition (and/or fees), no charges should be reported to VA
– Initial charges of tuition and fees needs to be reported to the
VA on the VA Form-1999 even if a state waives any portion
of the tuition (and/or fees). (credits should be refunded
directly to the student by the school)
57
Other Financial Aid Assistance
• Many states offer financial assistance to veterans enrolled at
public institutions. This assistance varies by state and may
include a full waiver of tuition and fees.
• Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition and fee payments are calculated
based on an eligible individual’s charged tuition and fees.
− If the waiver results in no tuition and fee charges, VA
cannot authorize a tuition and fee payment.
− Individuals will still receive the monthly housing allowance
and the books and supplies stipend, if they are otherwise
eligible.
− If tuition and fees are charged, but subsequently waived,
VA can authorize a tuition and fee payment. The resulting
funds can be released if not prohibited by state
regulations.
58
VA-ONCE
VA-Once allows you to report additional information for the
Post-9/11 GI Bill
•
•
•
•
Distance Learning Credit Hours
Tuition Charged
Fees Charged
Maximum amount of Yellow Ribbon Program
contributions the school is willing to pay for the term,
quarter, or semester
– VA will pay the lesser of:
 The amount of Yellow Ribbon certified
 50% of the individual’s unmet tuition and fee
charges
You must also report the full-time measurement for all
graduate level training in the “Remarks” section
59
Chapter 33 VA-ONCE Chapter Choices
1) Chapter “33” and
“33Yellow” are listed
in drop down menus
for benefit type.
2) Chapter 33 Yellow
should be used only
if your school is
participating in the
Yellow Ribbon
Program, and the
student is a Yellow
Ribbon Participant
60
The Status drop-down Filter allows you to identify 33 Submitted and 33
Processed. Note: This means that the 33 certification will be manually
processed, not that it has already been processed.
Selecting “33 Submitted” and clicking ‘Filter’ will bring up a list of all
chapter 33 submitted certifications, status 4X. Selecting “33 Processed”
and clicking ‘Filter’ will bring up a list of all certifications in status 5E.
These status codes apply to both 33 and 33 Yellow students.
61
VA-ONCE Status Chart
4X – Chapter 33 certification has been Submitted
5E – Chapter 33 certification has been received for manual
processing
62
BIO Page
1.
2.
3.
Change “Chapter” to 33 or
33Yellow before starting a new cert.
Review Training Type-NCD, IHLUndergrad or Grad
Program name should be the same
as listed on the VA Form 22-1998
(WEAMS Report)
VA-ONCE “Cert” Fields
1) Asterisks denote required fields.
2) The “Dist” field is disabled for
non-chapter 33 students.
3) Tuition and Fees are required for
all benefits and training times.
Valid values are $0 to
$99,999.99.
4) Tuition and Fees are reported
separately.
64
VA-ONCE “Dist” Field
•The Distance hours field is enabled and required for all
chapter 33 and 33 Yellow students.
•Any classes the student is not taking in residence should
be reported in this field.
• If all classes are being taken in residence, zero should
be entered.
•Tuition and Fees are also required.
65
Undergraduate Resident Training
In-residence training for undergraduate students
defined in 38 CFR 21.4267(d) as:
Undergraduate resident training. VA considers the
following undergraduate courses to be resident
training.
(1) A course which meets the requirements for resident
institutional training found in §21.4265(f);
(2) A course which requires regularly scheduled,
standard class sessions at least once every two
weeks and which has a total number of class
sessions equal to the number of credit hours
awarded for the course, times the number of weeks
in a standard quarter or semester, as applicable.
66
Graduate Resident Training
Offered through regularly scheduled, conventional
classroom or laboratory sessions; or

Consists of research (either on campus or in
absentia) necessary for the preparation of the
student’s:

Master’s thesis,
–
Doctoral dissertation, or
–
Similar treatise which is prerequisite to the degree being
pursues; or
–
Consists of a combination of training described
above

67
Hybrid Courses
Resident or Distance?




Number of credits X weeks in standard term = number of
required class sessions to be considered a resident course
Standard quarter = 12 weeks; Standard semester = 15 weeks
To qualify for 1 class session a course must meet a minimum
of 50 minutes.
Course meets 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM every Thursday for 10
weeks
–
3 qtr credits X 12 weeks in Fall term = 36 required class
sessions to be considered a resident course
–
Course meets 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM every Thursday
–
The course is meeting one day a week for 1 class session
X 10 weeks = 10 class sessions.
68
Certify as Credit or Distance?
Registered for 8 undergraduate credits
 5 credits of resident courses
 One web-enhanced course
–
–
–
–
Title : History of Distance Education
3 quarter credits
Campus and online sessions alternate
every Tuesday, 4:00 – 7:30 PM
Quarter is 10 weeks long
69
•The course must be certified as “dist” credits.
•To be classified as resident there must be 36 class sessions.
•Each campus meeting = 4 class sessions X 5 campus sessions = 20
70
Remedial Credits
•Remedial courses may be required for entry
into, but are not a required part of a degree,
diploma or certificate program
•Independent study/online courses must be part
of an approved degree, diploma or certificate
program to be eligible for VA education benefits
•Remedial courses offered online can’t be
certified for VA education benefits under ANY
chapter.
71
•Enter the number of credit hours
pursued via distance learning
•Hours can be “0”
•Do not include hours reported under
“Credit”
•Remedial courses can only be taken in residence for VA
benefits, therefore must be certified in the “Credit” field.
72
Enter total charged tuition and
total charged fees
73
•Field is required for benefit type
“33YELLOW”
•Entry must be greater than zero
•Indicate the maximum amount the
school is willing to contribute for the term
certified
NOTE: Modify benefit type on
BIO page to “33” when maximum annual
contribution amount has been certified
74
Indicate the full-time measurement
for graduate level training
75
Reporting Changes
• Revisions to the VA Form 22-1999b, Notice of
Change in Student Status, allow schools to report
additional information for changes under Ch33
• Schools should report Ch33 changes involving no
training time change
• Schools should report the revised maximum amount
the institution is willing to contribute toward the Yellow
Ribbon Program for the period certified
• For reductions, amount should be proportionate to
original amount certified
76
•Field is required for benefit type
“33YELLOW” and must be greater than zero
•Indicate the revised maximum amount the
school is willing to contribute for the term
certified
77
The printed form will include the new fields and
the revised Yellow Ribbon amount
78
Multiple term enrollment box--The Yellow Ribbon field will only appear if
you have selected 33 Yellow as the benefit type.
NOTE: Only use the multi-term cert if the student is taking nonstandard
term courses within the standard term certifying.
79
For graduate students only, along with selecting a training time, a
remark must be added to tell VA the minimum credit load for full-time
status at your institution.
• 9 credits is minimum full-time status for this graduate program
• 12 credits is minimum full-time status for this graduate program
80
Create a standard remark for graduate programs telling VA
the full-time credit load for the program.
81
The “Amend” Cert feature is used to modifying the Begin Date, End
Date, and Tuition, you can also amend the Fees, and Yellow Ribbon
amounts.
Note: Do not use “amend” to change the “begin” and “end” dates because
the student is taking the course certified during a different term.
82
The “Adjust”
feature includes
the Yellow Ribbon
amount, if
applicable.
When printed,
the Notice of
Change in
Student Status
includes all fields
and the revised
amounts.
83
Is this a
properly
completed
Cert?
84