Veterans Benefits Programs
	Application Procedures
	Amounts and Methods of Payment
	Evaluation of Prior Training
	Students’ Responsibilities
	Noncredit Graduate Courses
	Tutorial Assistance
	Work-Study Allowance
	For Further Information

Veterans Benefits Programs

The following is a summary of the educational assistance that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs makes available to active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their dependents who are attending UMUC:

• The Post–Vietnam Era Educational Assistance Program (VEAP, Chapter 32) may extend benefits to active-duty personnel and veterans who enlisted in the military after January 1, 1977. Eligible applicants who contributed to an educational fund have their contributions matched at the rate of two dollars for each dollar. (Eligibility to enroll in this program ended on March 31, 1987.)

• The Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty Educational Assistance Program (MGIB, Chapter 30) assists students who entered active duty for the first time after July 1, 1985, and agreed to have their pay reduced $100 for 12 months. Veterans must have been honorably discharged; active-duty personnel must have served at least two years.
  
  If the service does not pay 100 percent of tuition and fees and the student is on active duty and eligible for MGIB benefits, the student may apply for MGIB Tuition Assistance Top-Up for the balance. The amount of the benefit is limited to the amount that the student would receive for the same course(s) if regular MGIB benefits were being paid. In no case will the amount paid by the military combined with the amount paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs exceed the total cost of the course(s). The use of Tuition Assistance Top-Up reduces future entitlement to MGIB benefits. Further information on Tuition Assistance Top-Up is available on the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site at www.gibill.va.gov.

• Certain veterans and active-duty military personnel who were eligible for educational assistance under the GI Bill (Chapter 34) on December 31, 1989, may become eligible for benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill if they meet specific criteria (available from Graduate Advising) and have some unused entitlement. Other veterans who were voluntarily or involuntarily separated and who elected to participate in Chapter 30 may be eligible. Certain Post–Vietnam Era Educational Assistance Program participants who elected to participate in Chapter 30 may also be eligible.

• Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31) provides assistance to veterans who have a service-connected disability of at least 20 percent and need vocational rehabilitation.

• The provisions of the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35) award educational benefits to spouses and children of veterans who either died while in service, died as a result of a serviceconnected disability, or became totally and permanently disabled as a result of their military service.

• Besides Chapter 35, the Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors also assists dependents. Eligibility for educational benefits under this program is limited to unmarried full-time students between the ages of 18 and 22 whose parent died while on active duty before August 13, 1981, or as a result of a service-connected disability incurred before August 13, 1981.

• Educational assistance through the provisions of the Montgomery GI Bill–Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 106) may be available to students who have a six-year obligation in the Selected Reserves that was signed after June 30, 1985. Students who are officers must agree to serve an additional six years beyond their current obligation.

• Benefits awarded under the Department of Defense Educational Assistance Test Program (Sections 901 and 903) are available to veterans whom the department chose for participation from among those who enlisted between November 30, 1980, and September 30, 1981.

Application Procedures

Students who are eligible for educational benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should review the online information on application procedures (at www.umuc.edu/vabenefits). Every educational assistance program requires different paperwork and documentation to process a claim. Initial applications for benefits may be submitted online directly to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Students must also complete a UMUC Veterans Certification form each semester they wish to receive benefits. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs processes claims and issues payment six to eight weeks after receiving completed paperwork.

Amounts and Methods of Payment

The amount of money a student may receive from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs depends on the educational assistance program for which the student is eligible, the number of semester hours of credit for which the student is registered, the length of the semester, and for certain programs the number of dependents the student has. The current monthly payment for each educational assistance program is available online at www.umuc.edu/vabenefits.

Benefits are paid directly to students on a monthly basis. The money may be used to help with tuition, books, or other costs of college education. Eligibility for benefits does not defer payment of tuition.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers an accelerated payment program to students eligible for MGIB benefits. The program provides a lump-sum payment of 60 percent of a student’s tuition and fees for certain high-cost, high-tech programs. To receive accelerated payment, the tuition and fees for a semester must be more than double the MGIB benefits that a student would receive otherwise for the semester. More information on the accelerated payment program is available on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Web site (at www.gibill.va.gov).

Evaluation of Prior Training

When a student files a claim for educational benefits, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs requires previous training to be evaluated so that the student receives correct transfer credit. Students who have graduate credit earned from a regionally accredited institution must have an evaluation completed during the first semester of attendance. Students who do not comply may find future benefits delayed. After their first registration, eligible students are provided with information on the necessary procedure.

Students’ Responsibilities

Students receiving benefits are expected to follow all regulations and procedures of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs while attending UMUC.

At UMUC, all regulations of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are enforced. Students should be aware of the following requirements and consequences:

• Each student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward a degree or certificate; everyone must comply with the academic standards of UMUC.

• Each student must report all changes in enrollment—including drops, adds, withdrawals, changes to audit, and changes in degree objective.

• Registering for a course and then not attending, or ceasing to attend without officially withdrawing, is a misuse of federal funds that is punishable by law.

• Payment of benefits will be disallowed for any course in which a nonpunitive grade is assigned.

• Payment of benefits will be disallowed for repeating a course for which transfer credit has been granted or for which a passing grade of A, B, C, P, or S was assigned.

• Payment of benefits will be disallowed for any course that is not a requirement in a student’s degree or certificate program.

Noncredit Graduate Courses

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs does not pay benefits for noncredit graduate courses.

Tutorial Assistance

Veterans, active-duty military personnel, and reservists receiving funding assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs may qualify for tutorial assistance. Students enrolled at least halftime may qualify. Payments are allowed when students demonstrate deficiency in courses that are required for their degree programs.

Work-Study Allowance

Students who are registered at least three-quarters time (9 semester hours of credit) and who need money to attend school may participate in work-study. Recipients of benefits under the provisions of Chapters 30, 31, 32, 35, and 106 may be eligible. Students may work up to 400 hours during a semester and receive either the federal minimum wage or the state minimum wage, whichever is greater.

For Further Information

Information and applications are available from the student’s advisor or at www.umuc.edu/vabenefits on the UMUC Web site.