INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING V.A. BENEFITS

Montgomery G.I. Bill (Active Duty) (Chapter 30)

Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31)

VEAP – Veterans Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 32)

Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)

Montgomery GI Bill - Selective Reserve (Chapter 1606)

REAP – Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607)

All Students:

A.Are required to check inwith the VA Certifying Official in the Office of the Registrar, 214 Enrollment Services Center, to verify their enrollment before the end of the second week of each term.
Failure to do so may result in termination of benefits.

B.Must notify the VA Certifying Official when they:

1. Add or drop any course.(Especially partial-term courses)

2. Change address. (Student must also notify the VA directly.)

3. Withdraw from or terminate enrollment at the University.

4. Change graduation date.

5. Change major.

6. Receive notice from the VA that eligibility for benefits has expired.

7.Wish to receive benefits during a summer term.

C.Credit hour requirements:

Status / Undergraduate / Graduate
Semester / Summer* / Semester / Summer*
Full-time / 12 / 6 / 9 / 5
3/4 time / 9-11 / 5 / 7-8 / 4
1/2 time / 6-8 / 3-4 / 5-6 / 3
Less than 1/2 / 1-5 / 1-2 / 1-4 / 1-2

*Student status is based on a combination of course meeting dates and credits enrolled.

Please Note:

Courses meeting for only part of a term (i.e., first 11 weeks, first half term, second half term) count for benefits only for the portion of the semester in which the course is being taught.

11.5 credits will not be certified as full-time.

Repeating a course that was taken either at Iowa State or another institution may result in a retroactive

loss of benefits.

Special Considerations:

A.Students in the following categories must contact the Veterans Clerks for special instructions:

1.Repeating a course in which the previous grade was a D- or better.

2.Enrolled in any zero credit course such as Math 10 or Chem 50.

3.Enrolled in short courses (certification will only be for actual duration of the course).

4.Exceeding 140 semester hours before receiving the bachelor's degree.

5.Concurrently enrolled at two educational institutions.

B.Veterans enrolled at less than 1/2 time receive subsistence allowance for tuition and fees only.

(over)

C.A withdrawal from the University or a course drop may result in retroactive loss of benefits. The reduction in training time reverts back to the beginning date of enrollment for that semester unless VA finds mitigating circumstances in the case of withdrawals and drops. VA benefit recipients who drop or withdraw will be responsible for providing any documentation of mitigating circumstances to the VA.

Mitigating circumstances as defined by VA include:

1.Serious illness of veteran or eligible person.

2. Serious illnesses or death in immediate family.

3.Immediate family or financial obligation that requires a change in terms, hours, or place of employment.

4.Discontinuance of a course by a school.

5.Active military duty.

6.Veteran or eligible person demonstrates good faith pursuit in the course to point of withdrawal and submits evidence that, through counseling, an attempt was made to remedy the unsatisfactory work with withdrawal.

7.Other circumstances hindering progress that are out of the student’s control.

D.Incomplete (I) grades and non-report (N) grades for both undergraduate and graduate students must be converted to credit grades within one calendar year or benefits for that course will be terminated which may result in an overpayment liability. Graduate research courses are excluded from this provision. Undergraduate incomplete grades are converted to F grades after one year or just prior to graduation, whichever occurs first.

E.Non-punitive Grades (grades or marks not calculated into the G.P.A.) A NP (NotPass) grade received when taking a course under the P-NP option will be considered nonpunitive and may result in retroactive loss of benefits received for that course.

F.Tutorial assistance may be available to students enrolled at least half-time. Contact the Veterans Clerks listed below for additional information.

ContactInformation: (Certifying Officials are available 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday)

VA Clerks

214 Enrollment Services Center

Iowa State University

Ames, IA 50011-2011

FAX 515 294-1088

Rebecca Foster Judith WillemsenLuke Jensen

515 294-4036 515 294-0763515 294-1842

Resources:

Department of Veterans AffairsSt. Louis VA: 1-888-442-4551 (toll free)

Regional Processing Office(for questions regarding educational benefits)

PO Box 66830

St. Louis, MO 63166-6830 Des Moines VA: 1-800-827-1000 (toll free)

(for Voc Rehab & general VA questions)

Story County Veterans Affairs (Federal benefits)

Chapter 30 and 1606 Monthly Enrollment Verifications: verify your monthly enrollment beginning on the last day of the current month. If your status is full-time, state you are enrolled for 12 credits (do not give actual number if you exceed 12 credits).

Iowa National Guard members need to apply each year for tuition assistance at

Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) orInteractive Voice Response (IVR):

h:groups\certarea\va\vaform\vainfo sheet_Jan 2008.doc

Revised: Sept. 2014